Bill > S0446

This bill establishes new regulations for large-scale county destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in Florida, specifically those with annual operating budgets of $5 million or more. The bill requires these organizations to register with the Department of State, which will maintain a public directory of such organizations. A key provision mandates a one-to-one matching requirement for public and private contributions, with detailed guidelines for what qualifies as a private contribution. Private match categories include direct cash contributions, service fees, cooperative advertising, and in-kind contributions, with specific limitations on what can be counted. Notably, contributions from governmental entities or organizations receiving more than 50% of their revenue from public sources are not considered private contributions. If a large-scale county DMO fails to meet the matching requirement, it must return all unmatched public contributions to the corresponding counties or municipalities by June 30 of each fiscal year. The bill is designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and balanced funding for destination marketing organizations, with the new regulations taking effect on July 1, 2026.

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/446