Political Committees and Electioneering Communications Organizations Statewide, Legislative, Multi-County, and Local Candidate Campaigns County Political Parties and Political Clubs SUMMER/FALL 2016 INFLUENCE | 83 there’s competing interests for that money… When you have competing interests, you can see some political, contested discussions,” said lawyer/lobbyist Angel de la Portilla, whose clients include Rosen, the biggest critic of the county’s recent use of the tourism tax, as well as numerous other businesses along the International Drive corridor that wants, first and foremost, investment in the convention center. Distinct from the I-Drive interests, Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association have always seen the tourism marketing purpose as the big benefactor of the tax. It should promote Central Florida tourism, keeping those scores of millions of people coming to the theme parks and Orlando’s other attractions, and staying in the hotels that collect the tax in the first place. In one of the more remarkable political achievements in the city’s history, in the tourism development tax expansion talks in 2006, Dyer and Crotty convinced those four interests a vibrant downtown Orlando was needed as well, said Richard Foglesong, a political science professor at Rollins College, political analyst for WFTV Channel 9 news, and author of a seminal book about tourism politics in Central Florida, “Married to the Mouse.” we know POLITICAL finance. we know Florida. Noreen Fenner www.pacfm.net | Noreen@pacfm.net Recognizing there are opportunities and needs now, in April Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and the hotel association pitched an ambitious plan to take care of unfinished business, immediately. Build the stalled Phase II of the Doctor Phillips Performing Arts Center. Give Camping World Stadium the money its backers had originally expected in the 2006 deal, for other upgrades that were shelved. Provide a pot of money for the Central Florida Sports Commission to bid on sports events, much like the $1 million a year, for three years, that Florida Citrus Sports got in an emergency vote last spring to attract the NFL’s Pro Bowl all-star game to Camping World Stadium. Provide robust tax-backing for the Orlando Ballet, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orlando Science Center and other cultural institutions. And set aside another $1 million a year for future improvements for the Big Three venues, Dr. Phillips, Camping World Stadium and Amway Center. “To meet our community’s goals of enhancing our world-class arts facility and competing for national and international sports and entertainment events, the tourism industry has developed a strategy and recommendation for future funding of organizations and facilities that drives tourism to Orange County,” argued Richard PHOTOS: Rain0975/Flickr; Jeff Kern/Flikr; Nick Hubbard/Flickr The opportunities to take more steps toward giving Orlando a full set of world-class amenities were too good to pass up. World-class amenities help make a world-class city. A world-class city is one more draw for a world-class tourism market. Let’s get it done, Buddy Dyer argued. Put on the gas.
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