It's getting curiouser and curiouser in the State of Florida.
News out of Tallahassee last evening indicates the Speaker of the House is preparing to introduce an amendment to his bill today to eliminate Visit Florida (and a gaggle of other Economic Development initiatives) that would preserve the agency but gut its budget by two thirds.
And, add a number of draconian controls such as requiring the Governor to approve all out-of-state and foreign travel, directing that all contracts of $750,000 or more be given to the Legislature for consultation and requiring Senate confirmation of Visit Florida's CEO.
OK...let's break this down. Do we really need a Governor to approve staff travel to IPW (or to the Emerald Coast for a photo shoot)? Do we need the Legislature to opine on the efficacy of a marketing plan when none of them are expert in Destination Marketing? And, if the Speaker thinks Visit Florida should be eliminated, why is it important enough to warrant Senate approval of its CEO?
For a political party that is supposed to be pro-business, they've certainly de-evolved into a bunch of childish ideologues that care little for the carnage they are about to leave in their wake.
For them, this is a game that is all about playing to their base that wants lower taxes.
Except, these clowns aren't sophisticated enough to realize this will result in just the opposite.
Sigh.
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