Local DOGE
A number of us saw this coming a mile away. I chose not to raise the alarm until it could be documented because I didn't want to give the peanut gallery the idea. But, now that Florida legislators have taken the bait, here we are.
The whole concept behind DOGE is to slash and burn anything that "looks" like waste. And, several of us knew the federal effort would ultimately trickle down to local officials wanting to emulate the swagger of the current administration.
And, of course, it's Florida. A State so confident of itself that it believes tourism marketing is superfluous (even as its inbound international visitation craters). Two bills are in play in Tallahassee that would gut local Destination Marketing in the soon to be Sunless State. One is designed to eliminate Tourism Development Councils, which are vital in delivering Room Tax to DMOs and Destination development enhancements. The other would allow Room Tax to be used for pretty much anything, ostensibly as a means to reduce property taxes.
Not to be an "I told you so," but remember when I said they were coming for us in the Great Debates?
If it's happening in Florida...it's around the corner for all of us.
And, don't be Paul Newman.