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John Berry's editorial, "Selling Florida Short" [FT, March], should be required reading for every county and city commissioner, tourist development commission member and private tourism promoter in the state, from Key West to Tampa to Pensacola to our Nation's Oldest City. There is a plethora of unique features on the Florida landscape. If no one else had them, a beach and a golf course would be an excellent "hook." The world is aware of the Sunshine State's abundance of these amenities, but no one else can tantalize the traveler with the wonder of the Everglades, the charm of Ybor City or the ambiance of historic St. Augustine. Florida really is more than a quick trip to a giant amusement park and a quick trip back home!
T. Wayne Sims
Special Events and Projects Coordinator
City of St. Augustine
This is in response to the cover article in the March 1996 issue, "How To Save Florida Tourism." While I agree with much of the article, I would like to offer my views on this subject from a different vantage point. I am the managing partner of The Florida Companies, a collection of emerging eco-tour type businesses.
Tallahassee has been lulled to sleep and eclipsed by expert theme-park marketing, but it is in the process of waking up. A substantial portion of the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism has been devoted to promotion of eco-tourism and environmental concerns for several years.
Many people told me that Disney would never become involved with our day trip offerings because we would take guests "off property."
In fact, Disney's Shades of Green/Palm Hospitality division was the first guest service desk to agree to market our tours. Furthermore, Disney's Government Relations Office was our first paying customer.
We have found that by approaching the old guard of Florida tourism with professionalism and fresh ideas, we are being welcomed into a progressive new marketing direction that reflects the recent unity of the industry, as well as the diversity of the state itself.
Rather than picking divisive corners, taking shots and pointing fingers, let's engage Florida's Sunshine Law, open the doors, get these issues on the table and work together. In the meantime, of course, may the best marketer win.
Michael Kelly
Longwood
Regarding "Marketing The Real Florida" by Herbert Hiller and John Berry's essay, "Selling Florida Short," both articles demonstrate distaste for the way our state leaders plan the expenditure of future advertising dollars for attracting tourists to Florida. Both agree that Florida is, has always been and always will be, primarily, a tourist state, in terms of economic well-being.
While your stories were interesting, I kept looking for your suggested solutions to the problem, but both articles were devoid of an alternative.
Robert C. Ryals, Jr.
Tallahassee
I want to congratulate you on the article, "Marketing the Real Florida," by Herbert Hiller. My wife and I have visited Florida on a regular basis for many years and enjoy the state's remote and less developed places. As an eco-tourist resort owner in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I have found that sustainable development not only protects the beautiful environment of a resort's surroundings but also attracts a vast number of visitors from all walks of life who are loyal and appreciative of preservative efforts. Restoring the natural soul of Florida could be the most profitable path you could take.
Stanley Selengut
New York City
Convention Centers
The article "You Can Build It, But Will They Come?" in the February 1996 issue, pointed out that over and over again in Florida, counties and cities are using tax dollars to build convention centers with the hope of increasing tourism. The article also pointed out that once most convention centers are built, additional tax dollars are needed to pay annual operating losses.
According to the article, Dade County taxpayers will hand over a whopping $50 million to Lowes Corp. to build a hotel to help generate business for the under-utilized Miami Beach Convention Center.
Last year, the St. Johns County Commission followed the lead of other Florida counties and voted to build a convention center. A majority of the commission believed a convention center would indeed be an economic boost to our county, which survives on tourism.
St. Johns County did not, however, follow the lead of other counties in asking its residents to pay to build the convention center or to fund operating losses. The new 80,000-square-foot convention center off I-95 north of St. Augustine will not cost St. Johns County taxpayers a penny.
In an era of government providing millions of dollars in economic "incentives" to businesses, an agreement was reached with Missouri-based John Q. Hammons Hotels to operate the convention center. The convention center will adjoin a 300-room hotel Hammons is building within the World Golf Village. The hotel is being built without any financial contribution or incentive, such as infrastructure improvements, from St. Johns County.
Hammons corporately and individually guaranteed payment of every single cent of debt service on $18 million in bonds that will be issued by the county to build the convention center. Hammons also agreed to pay every single cent of operating losses for 30 years.
If for some reason Hammons defaults under the agreement, the county has the right to assess all of the property owners within the World Golf Village to cover all costs. It's a no-risk deal for St. Johns County. And best of all, the convention center, while owned by the county, will be on the tax rolls with Hammons responsible for the tax payment.
While we don't yet know if conventioneers will flock to St. Johns County's new facility, we do know who will pick up the tab if they don't; it won't be our taxpayers.
Allan Roberts
Commissioner, At Large-B
St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners
St. Augustine
Knight-Ridder
In "Mr. Bottom Line" [FT, March] you note with apparent astonishment that Knight-Ridder CEO Tony Ridder feels that he "has an obligation to stockholders, too." Only in the "other" world of Florida Trend and John Berry is the notion that a company has an obligation, however incidental, to its shareholders a bizarre one.
Please try to get it: A corporation's primary reason for being is to insure, by every legal and moral means, that its shareholders make the maximum profit, short-term and long-term, from their investment. The only reason for a corporation to concern itself with societal issues and "being a good citizen" is that failure to do so is bad for business and profits.
Does that sound mean, nasty, greedy? If so, you still don't get it. Our system here is called capitalism, and here it's OK to act out of self-interest.
Peter C. Ray
Coral Gables
Leadership
As a resident [of Florida] since 1962 and an observer of the continuing flood of immigrants to this state, I have arrived at these conclusions:
1. Florida is one of the most ecologically sensitive and blessed areas on earth. We fail to realize this sense of place by not treating our home with loving hands.
2. Our political and geographical location gives us the opportunity to be the financial capital of South America and the Caribbean. The world knows this, but we don't.
3. We are a magnet for the affluent, the educated, the talented, the retired and the weather-weary. We don't need to sell Florida cheap, or give it away, anymore.
Our leaders fail us by involvement in petty issues, failing to properly fund quality of life necessities and not having a vision of a world leadership role as our destiny.
We owe it to ourselves and our grandchildren to assume that world leadership role. If it's not done now, our grandchildren will pay too high a price to do it.
If we leave the task to a less-blessed generation, they may not have enough assets left to accomplish what needs to be done.
Robert A. Richardson
Longboat Key
MBA Programs
I want to commend you on the interesting article on MBA programs in Florida [FT, March]. However, the data for the University of Florida are incorrect. For 1995-96, we have 308 full-time MBA students in our program with an average acceptance rate of 25%. The data in the table published in Florida Trend (23 students and 30% acceptance rate) appear to be for the second class of one of the weekend MBA programs.
Once again, we thank you for the article and we are sorry about any data confusion.
John Kraft
Dean, University of Florida Graduate School of Business
College of Business Administration,
Fisher School of Accounting, Gainesville
Correction: Bluewater Bay, a master-planned community in Okaloosa County, has averaged 150 new home sales per year for the past 17 years, says Jerry Zivan, president of Bluewater Bay Development. The number was incorrectly reported in the Top Rank Florida section of the March issue of Florida Trend.
