‘Our content must align with the state’: Visit Florida CEO responds to removal of LGBTQ section on its website

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The CEO of Visit Florida responded on Tuesday to the removal of the LGBTQ section of its website.

Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism site, has been under fire after a section dedicated to LGBTQ travel disappeared from the website.

However, the state-backed agency finally shared a response during its board of directors meeting on Tuesday.

“It’s fairly simple,” said Dana Young, president and CEO of Visit Florida. “Visit Florida is a taxpayer-funded organization and, as such, Visit Florida, our marketing strategy, our materials, and our content must align with the state.”

However, Young’s statement is under scrutiny.

“It doesn’t make sense,” said Maryann Ferenc, owner of Mise en Place in Tampa. “That was not an answer. I really believe the people of Florida and all of the hardworking people in the state of Florida deserve an answer.”

Ferenc addressed the Visit Florida Board of Directors during the public comment portion of the meeting at the Tampa Convention Center.

She spoke about her strong ties to the tourism industry, including her prior experience as a board member of Visit Florida. However, Ferenc also voiced serious concerns about the removal of the LGBTQ page from the site.

“If we’re talking about the number one industry and if this is an economic decision, I can’t see how this is a good one,” Ferenc said.

Several organizations have also been critical about the decision.

“From a personal standpoint and LGBTQ standpoint, I felt we’d been erased,” Rachel Covello said.

Covello is the creator of Outcoast.com, an online travel blog featuring LGBTQ-friendly activities in Florida.

In 2021, she collaborated with Visit Florida to showcase content on the website. Covello has also been a guest speaker at the Governor’s Convention on Tourism. She lives in St. Petersburg, and found out the travel page was gone about a month ago.

“We’re standing in one of the most LGBTQ-inclusive destinations in Florida, if not in the country,” Covello said. “So I think people need to come to Florida and need to support these destinations that are so diverse and doing the right thing. But these destinations rely on our state platforms to market our state as a brand.”

According to Visit Florida’s ‘About Us’ section, it is not a government agency but instead a not-for-profit corporation created as a public/private partnership by the Florida Legislature.

“It sends a strong message that LGBTQ travelers aren’t wanted in Florida,” Covello said. “That’s not the case in these inclusive destinations.”

Equality Florida is also keeping a close eye on the developments and worried that the changes will send a negative message to future travelers.

“This is just the latest in an ongoing campaign to erase LGBTQ people from schools and history books,” said Nadine Smith, co-founder and CEO of Equality Florida. “Will the Visit Florida board, which is made up of real titans in the hospitality industry, let this go unrepaired?”

The site still includes travel recommendations for people with special needs, African American heritage, and Hispanic heritage.

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