South FL Tourism Officials Report Canceled Conventions

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

Broward County has lost more than a half-dozen conventions as their organizers cite the divisive political climate as their reason to stay out of Florida. The list was compiled by Visit Lauderdale, formerly known as the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Broward’s tourism arm said the lost conventions could have brought hotel stays to Fort Lauderdale and its surrounding cities, which also meant money spent on restaurants and attractions.

“We lost this program due to political climate,” according to a Visit Lauderdale spreadsheet listing the decision of the Supreme Council of America Inc., Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite Masons to cancel their convention — and 855 rooms — in August 2024.

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports:

The group Visit Lauderdale works with organizations across the country to bring them to Broward. The group’s president and CEO, Stacy Ritter, said there is a clear pattern when it comes to recent cancellations.

In a statement, the governor’s press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, wrote, “As Governor DeSantis announced in May, Florida is experiencing record tourism, with the [first quarter of] 2023 having the largest volume of visitors during a single quarter in recorded history.”

“In Greater Fort Lauderdale, we have seen record tourism of numbers through the first quarter of this calendar year, but as I said, group business books years in advance,” said Ritter.

On Friday, the Orlando Sentinel reported that multiple major conventions have also been canceled in Orange County.

ICYMI: “Broward County has lost more than a half-dozen conventions as their organizers cite the divisive political climate as their reason to stay out of Florida.”https://t.co/V6sDOmAX6I.

— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (@AnnaForFlorida) July 8, 2023