"I've done beaches my whole life."

 D.T. Minich spent seven years modernizing and honing Pinellas County's tourism efforts. He also helped the industry rebound from recession and the 2010 BP oil spill to attract a record numbers of visitors and bed tax dollars to the county.

But now he's moving on. Minich, the CEO and executive director of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC) – Pinellas County's convention and visitors bureau – will leave next month to take the same position with Experience Kissimmee, the tourism arm of Osceola County.

Minich said he was recruited by a national headhunting firm and hired to lead a revamped Experience Kissimmee agency. The Osceola County Commission is converting its tourism agency from a public agency to a public/private hybrid, like the Hillsborough County tourism agency Visit Tampa Bay. The Pinellas tourism agency is completely public.

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times.