Latest news with #Network-Florida
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These Florida students want to protect our state parks. Their art shows it.
In March, the USA TODAY Network-Florida Opinion team reached out to Floridians, seeking their input into House Bill 209 and Senate Bill 80, introduced to protect Florida state parks from the kind of development proposed in 2024. Back then, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's "Great Outdoors Initiative" proposed to make changes at nine state parks, including Jonathan Dickinson State Park near Hobe Sound. The plan to develop the parks, including adding three golf courses in Jonathan Dickinson, was scuttled in the face of furious public opposition and massive controversy. USA TODAY Network-Florida journalists have reported on this the past year, including efforts by Treasure Coast state Rep. John Snyder and Sen. Gayle Harrell to pass the protection bills. The network's state opinion team has advocated strongly and consistently for protection, but sought all Florida voices in the issue. Few came forward in complete opposition. Many letters from readers were published in April. At the same time, Rory Ellison, an assistant environmental educator at the Pelican Island Audubon Society in Indian River County, where he works as a college intern, reached out to the network and asked if his students could learn more about the issue, then address the effort. Shortly before the eve of a Senate vote April 29 on the bill, the network received a digital package from the Audubon Advocates, an after-school science education program of the Pelican Island Audubon Society. The members are fifth-graders at Indian River Academy, south of Vero Beach. The program is designed for fifth-graders in four Title I schools in Indian River County, and addresses "nature deficit disorder," the society says. Its program website says participants go outside, "kayaking on the lagoon, exploring trails and habitat on conservation areas." They learn "science vocabulary words, resulting in better STEM (science, technology and math) scores as they progress to higher grades." Scientists serve as role models. Ellison explained why he had students work on a project addressing the issue: "I read (editor Adam) Neal's article in the newspaper several weeks ago asking people to speak out in support of the campaign to save the parks and prevent a situation like last year when the state government had a secret plan to put golf courses and hotels on park land," Ellison said in an email. "This is meant to be seen by elected representatives and is part of the campaign to convince them and the Legislature to pass the bill. Twelve kids worked hard on it." While youngsters did their own work — shown in the accompanying photo gallery ― they also submitted the following letter, Ellison said: Opinion: USA Today Network-Florida Opinion campaign to preserve and protect our state parks "We want Florida lawmakers to prohibit inappropriate, damaging development in any of Florida's state parks and to make sure that any planning activities for park usage be transparent and made with public involvement. "Please protect Florida's state parks from harmful development by adopting the strong language of House Bill 209 when its companion, Senate Bill 80, is heard on the Senate floor. "HB 209 has broad support from Floridians and was approved unanimously in the House. It will close loopholes that would leave our state parks vulnerable to environmentally damaging development such as golf courses and hotels. We the People of Florida showed our strength by working together to defeat those threats last year. We need to make SB 80 stronger to be sure plans for bad development on park lands don't re-emerge in the future. "Thank you for standing up for state parks! "The Audubon Advocates of the Pelican Island Audubon Society" This article is part of a campaign by the USA Today Network-Florida Opinion Group to support Senate Bill 80 and protect Florida's state parks from development. Email letter, op-eds, even photos to , and we will publish them. Please include your name, city and contact information. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Protect Florida state parks, student Audubon Advocates say | Opinion
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Johns County tourism officials say eliminating tourist councils 'would be devastating'
Earlier this month, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida had reached a milestone in the state's tourism industry to secure "an all-time record 15.5% share of the domestic vacation market in 2024." The Sunshine State even broke its own record by receiving 142.9 million visitors n 2024, a 1.6% increase from 2023. And yet, on April 25, the Florida House under Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, approved HB 7033, a $5.4 billion tax break package, which would eliminate all 62 of Florida's tourist development councils and redirect those funds to reduce property taxes. St. Johns County Reps. Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine, Sam Greco R-St. Augustine, and Judson Sapp, R-Green Cove Springs, voted for the bill. Emails sent to each representative's office on Monday were not returned by Monday afternoon. Most analysts acknowledge that the House's latest tax-cut provision faces long odds, according to John Kennedy of the USA TODAY Network-Florida. The bill still would need to pass the Senate and survive DeSantis' veto pen. The Florida House has been critical of tourism spending by state and local governments for years, and many state lawmakers and local policymakers have expressed a desire to spend money from the tourism taxes on other priorities. This also comes in a year when DeSantis has pushed hard for property tax relief and even floated the idea of a 2026 ballot initiative to eliminate property taxes entirely. Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, a sponsor of the TDC cut, said the House plan would put dollars in property owners' pockets fast, according to the USA TODAY Network-Florida report. But the idea of erasing the TDC in America's oldest city has created a fury. St. Johns County's TDC is part of the county's Tourism and Cultural Development Department, which oversees tourism initiatives along with The St. Augustine-Ponte Vedra Visitors and Convention Bureau and the St. Johns Cultural Council. Members of the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council include Chair Irving Kass, who serves as chair, Vice Chair Troy Blevins, St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline, St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell, St. Johns County Commission Chair Krista Joseph, along with Regina G. Phillips, Charles Cox, Michael Gordon and Michael Wicks. The council is responsible for producing a tourist development plan that outlines how the proceeds from the 5% Tourist Development Tax are allocated. Kass, owner of St. Augustine's St. George Street Inn and the Bin 39 Wine Bar, told the St. Augustine Record that while the amendment may be well intentioned, eliminating the TDC is not a "smart move." "The TDC is designed to increase a return on investments, basically to self-generate the tax, with decisions that improve the tourist experience," he said. "Eliminating the Tourist Development Council will negatively impact businesses across the board as well as the county's tourism industry, which is the county's largest industry." According to Kass, the county takes in approximately $24 million in revenue from tourist development taxes, also known as bed taxes, collected from overnight stays. Those funds are used to promote tourism, which includes advertising events such as music and food festivals, servicing the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, maintaining fishing piers, improving beach access and supporting beach renourishment projects. Kass said his "quick math calculations" show that if 100% of the $24 million collected annually is applied to property taxes, homeowners would save approximately $75 a year. Kass also said that if money currently used for the county's "five buckets" (marketing, the St. Johns County Cultural Council, the St. Johns County Parks & Recreation Department, event administration and beach renourishment projects) is eliminated, the county commissioners will have to find a "mechanism" to generate the missing funds. "We would have to move money around the table," he said. "The economic impact would be devastating. This is not a sound business decision. TDT money is not generated by residents; it's generated by tourists to serve local businesses." Touting 45 years of industry experience, Kass described the current TDC members as "super qualified" with "extensive experience" in the tourism industry and expressed concern with commissioners making decisions formerly made by the TDC. "Meaning no disrespect, they [the commissioners] don't know what they don't know," he said. "They think they're making good decisions but they're actually making decisions with unintended consequences. So, they don't make smarter decisions. "The Tourism Development Council is better experienced to handle the decision-making process when it comes to tourism," he said. Rumrell, the mayor of St. Augustine Beach, said that while he believes "cooler heads will prevail in Tallahassee," removing the TDC would be a significant loss for the county. "Florida's number one economy is tourism," he said. "It's imperative that we continue to collect TDT tax to stimulate our tourism industry, to create jobs and to allow coastal communities to continue beach renourishment projects." Sikes-Kline, the St. Augustine mayor, said that the city was monitoring the bill. Joseph, the County Commission chair, didn't respond April 28 to a text seeking comment. But Commissioner Sarah Arnold, who previously served on the St. Johns County TDC said the bill, if passed, would be bad news for local businesses. "So many small businesses in St. Johns County rely on the success of the tourism industry," County Commissioner Sarah Arnold said. "I hope our legislators are taking into account the impact that this change will have on small businesses." Michael Diaz, co-founder and CFO of the St. Augustine Distillery, said he was blindsided by the bill and said the elimination of the TDC would be potentially crippling. "If you're going to support jobs, businesses, and industries in Florida, supporting the tourism industry is one of the most effective spends one can make," Diaz said. "The TDC is one of the best uses of tax dollars that's working really well. This is not the place to save money or curtail expenses. "It's more efficient for the tourist development council to produce a professional, crafted and consistent message for St. Augustine as opposed to a bunch of disparate businesses sending out disparate messages and disparate channels," he said. "We have relied on the TDC for the entire 11 years we've been in existence. We like many businesses within the county's tourism industry have greatly benefitted from their services. "If passed, a harmful trickle-down effect would impact the entire city," he said. "The perceived benefit is illusory. I believe that St. Augustine would see a massive decrease in its overall economy." Information from John Kennedy of the USA TODAY Network-Florida was used in this report. This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Bill to eliminate tourism councils raises alarm in St. Johns County
