• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

florida tourism

29 Million Domestic Visitors Push Florida Tourism To New Quarterly Record

June 6, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

A visitors' center in the Panhandle. (© FlaglerLive)

Florida drew an estimated 33.2 million visitors from January through March, which was a 7.4 percent increase over the same period in 2017.

Short-Term Rentals in Flagler County: The View From Home Owners’ Associations

October 22, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 23 Comments

A short-term rental house on the barrier island in Flagler County. (© FlaglerLive)

Paul C. Pershes, president of the 1,100-home Ocean Hammock Property Owners Association, addresses members of a key senate committee that will be hearing proposed regulations of short-term rentals.

Florida Tourism Officials Worry About Donald Trump’s Impact on Travel

June 28, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

What visitors from certain countries will not be able to see. (© FlaglerLive)

Visit Florida President and CEO Ken Lawson said he and others have heard anecdotal reports, both positive and negative, about international travel due to Donald Trump.

Gov. Scott Continues to Attack Lawmakers Over Tourism Budget as Visitors’ Numbers Rise

May 16, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Gov. Rick Scott, right, during his last visit to Flagler County, when he was campaigning in favor of a $100 million budget for Visit Florida. He is seen here speaking with County Commissioner Dave Sullivan in Flagler Beach. (© FlaglerLive)

A good showing in December aside, when year-over-year tourism tax receipts jumped 18 percent, Flagler County has done less well, and not necessarily because of Hurricane Matthew.

Proposal to Kill Economic Agency and Trim Visit Florida Budget Clears House Committees

February 23, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

The Florida House and Senate are facing off over a proposal to cut tourism funding and eliminate a certain form of economic development funding. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast’s Rep. Paul Renner continued to defend the proposals, which would cut Visit Florida’s budget to $25 million, as the House bill heads for a floor vote in march, but still without viable Senate support.

As Gov. Scott Touts Latest Increase in Tourists, Visit Florida Critics Still Pounce on Spending

February 20, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

florida tourism

Visit Florida received $78 million from lawmakers for the current fiscal year that ends June 30. The Sunshine State attracted 112.8 million tourists in 2016. He credited the 5.86 percent increase from the prior year.

In Flagler Beach, Scott Attacks Renner Over Tourism and Economic Development Programs

February 13, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

scott visit florida enterprise florida

Gov. Rick Scott was in campaign mode in a visit to Flagler Beach Monday as he criticized Flagler’s Rep. Paul Renner, a fellow-Republican, for introducing a bill that would eliminate Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida.

Despite Orlando Massacre and Zika Virus, Florida Tourism Draws Record 27 Million Visitors in 3 Summer Months

November 21, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Florida still got the buzz. (© FlaglerLive)

The 5.1 percent increase from the same time last year came as Canadians, Florida’s top source of foreign tourism, have cut back on travel due to their nation’s weakened dollar.

Tourism Industry Puts On Happy Face Despite Massacre, Algae, Zika and Alligator Kill

September 9, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

florida tourism industry orlando massacre zika alligators

In the past three months, there has been a mass shooting in an Orlando nightclub, a 2-year-old child killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World, toxic algae blooms choking East and West Coast waterways, and the continued spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Gov. Scott Says Florida Still a “Safe State” as Zika Travel Advisories Begin to Target the State

August 4, 2016 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

zika florida

A big concern for Florida is the frequency of travel between the state and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, where more than 4,500 cases have been reported, nearly all contracted through mosquitoes.

Permitted Hunters Outnumber Florida Black Bears 6-to-1 as Killing Season Nears

August 24, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 20 Comments

black bear hunt florida

Florida’s October hunt has drawn almost 1,800 hunters against a black bear quota of 320, in parts of the state where the killing will be allowed.

Florida Leads Nation in Boating Accidents With 70 Deaths; Coast Guard Releases Safety App

May 17, 2015 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Features of the app include state boating information, a safety equipment checklist, free boating safety check requests, navigation rules, float plans, and calling features to report pollution or suspicious activity.

Flagler Does Its Growing Part as Florida Attracts Record 97 Million Visitors in 2014

February 16, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Monthly tax collections from Flagler’s 4 percent surtax (or bed tax) on fees at hotels, motels and other short-term rentals were up 13 percent by the end of the 2014 fiscal year (it ended in September), after increasing 5 percent the previous year.

Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach: The Lure of the Modest

September 3, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Gamble Rogers State Park is a 145 acre expanse on the barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal in Flagler Beach, named for the Florida folk singer who drowned there in 1991 while trying to save another swimmer in distress.

Visit Florida: Ferguson’s Seethe Is a Matter of Time for the Sunshine State

August 21, 2014 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Rose-colored Florida is a cynical myth, the stuff of marketing brochures, a developers’ conspiracy of enticing fiction to make their cash registers ring. The real Florida is a bitter, brooding reality beyond sugarcoating, argues Stephen Goldstein.

Bowing to Hammock, Thrasher and Hutson Will File Bills to Restore Vacation-Rental Regulations

October 16, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Sen. John Thrasher and Rep. Travis Hutson made their pledge to repeal the vacation-rental law during the annual legislative delegation meeting in Flagler Wednesday, which drew more than a full house because of that controversial issue. But repeal is unlikely as the 2011 law, which makes it easier to operate a house as a mini-hotel, passed the Senate unanimously, and the House overwhelmingly.

Shutdown Hits Home: Castillo de San Marcos and Ft. Matanzas Among Parks Off Limits

October 2, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Starting Tuesday, the National Park Service closed all 401 national parks, including Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas National Monuments in St. Augustine, affecting the local tourism economy. Potential foreign visitors’ visas are facing processing delays.

Life Sentence for Rest-Stop Murder That Shattered Florida Tourism Is Reduced

September 16, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Audra Akins was 14 when he murdered British tourist Gary Colley at an I-10 rest stop near Tallahassee 20 years ago. His life sentence was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. He was re-sentenced to 40 years, making him eligible for release in 12 years.

Boycott Florida Movement Grows in Protest Of Stand Your Ground and Zimmerman Verdict

July 18, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 41 Comments

The boycott-Florida movement has quickly grown on social media and with such headliners as Stevie Wonder while Gov. Rick Scott and the state’s business groups downplay the effectiveness of the effort, which could nevertheless hurt the state’s tourism and convention business.

Nine Surprises You May Not Know Are in Florida’s New Budget

May 8, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

The Florida Legislature’s $74 billion budget contains, as always, innumerable surprises in the fine print, from $240,000 to be spent on orange juice served visitors at highway stops to $500,000 to advertise stay-in-state vacations to Floridians.

Tourist Draw: Special Driving Permit Rule for Canadians in Florida May Be Repealed

March 10, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

State lawmakers are speeding toward repealing a new law that says international visitors need special permits to drive in Florida. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, has caused a brouhaha, particularly for Canadian snowbirds who pile into the Sunshine State each winter to take a break from the cold.

It’s Not Just Hotels: Flagler Seeking to Collect Bed Tax From Booming Short-Term Rentals

February 22, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

The Flagler’s Tourist Development Council is spearheading an effort to make sure landlords who rent homes or condominiums on a short-term basis, defined as less than six months, pay the 4 percent tourist development tax.

Florida Taxpayers Asked to Subsidize Pro Soccer on Top of NFL, NBA and Other Sports

February 1, 2013 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

Up to two Major League Soccer franchises would be eligible for subsidies given to other pro sports teams in Florida under a bill filed in the Legislature, a nod to Orlando’s bid to bring an MLS team to the area.

Alone Among NFL Franchises, Miami Dolphins Suffer Huge Fan Drop in Last 10 Years

December 1, 2012 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

As the Dolphins muddle through another season, the South Florida organization was the only professional team from Florida — and the only NFL entry on the whole list of North American sports franchises — to record a plummet in fans over the past decade.

Florida Tourism Lull Predicted, Slowing Local Growth, as Euro Zone Economies Suffer

July 24, 2012 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

european tourism in florida and flagler county

Economic woes in Europe will trickle across the Atlantic over the next few years as potential international guests stay home or see their native currency buy less once they arrive, a panel of economists estimates.

Florida Beaches Stay Open Despite Tar Balls and Sicknesses

July 12, 2010 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Despite EPA warnings that some Florida beaches may be unsafe, people are taking to them–and getting sick.

Catch FlaglerLive on CNN

June 12, 2010 | Pierre Tristam | 6 Comments

I’ll be on CNN Newsroom with Fredricka Whitfield during the 3 p.m. hour discussing the oil spill’s impact on local governments, and particular local school districts.

How Flagler County Is Preparing for the BP Oil Slick–If It Hits (And What You Need to Know)

May 21, 2010 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

tar ball oil slick

Flagler County’s emergency response to the oil slick hitting Flagler Beaches is similar to hurricane preparation. It’s happening now.

We Need Drilling. Just Not Where You Think.

May 2, 2010 | Pierre Tristam | 4 Comments

offshore drilling huntington beach california oil rigs and sunbathers

The BP rig disaster will spill more oil in the Gulf of Mexico than the Exxon Valdez did in Prince William Sound. Time to cap the follies of cheering for more offshore oil-drilling in Florida.

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Pierre Tristam on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 29, 2025
  • Richard Fay on Gregory Smith, 45, of Palm Coast, Faces at Least 7 Felonies from Years of Sexually Assaulting Adolescent
  • Sherry on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 30, 2025
  • Ron on Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed Awarded State Association Honor for ‘Outstanding Contributions to Local Government Law’
  • Endless dark money on Gregory Smith, 45, of Palm Coast, Faces at Least 7 Felonies from Years of Sexually Assaulting Adolescent
  • JimboXYZ on Gregory Smith, 45, of Palm Coast, Faces at Least 7 Felonies from Years of Sexually Assaulting Adolescent
  • T on Gregory Smith, 45, of Palm Coast, Faces at Least 7 Felonies from Years of Sexually Assaulting Adolescent
  • Mr. David on Yummy: Palm Coast Residents Get Behind-the-Scenes Look at Water and Sewer Plants
  • Joe D on Environmental Groups Sue in Federal Court to Stop Everglades Stockade for Migrants
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 30, 2025
  • FROGGY on Sarasota County Officials Downplayed Flood Risk. Tropical Storm Debby Exposed their Failures.
  • Protest hate on Sarasota County Officials Downplayed Flood Risk. Tropical Storm Debby Exposed their Failures.
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 30, 2025
  • Skibum on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, June 29, 2025
  • Skibum on The Supreme Court Doesn’t Want You To Choose Your Own Doctor
  • Joe D on Sarasota County Officials Downplayed Flood Risk. Tropical Storm Debby Exposed their Failures.

Log in