FLORIDA KEYS TO RECEIVE $400,000 FOR MARKETING FROM BP

BP announces $400,000 issued to the Florida Keys for advertising to help correct the decline in tourist activity caused by the Deepwater Horizon spill.

While I am pleased with this grant I continue to be concerned for the ongoing oil they are dumping into OUR precious waters and pray they will stop the flow soon.

Our Florida Keys beaches and the fisheries and dive sites are completely unaffected by this spill at this time. Lets pray it stays that way as the Florida Keys are a precious natural resource.

Come visit the Florida Keys and stay in oue of our privately owne Vacation Rental homes.

Keys to Get $400K in BP Tourism Ad Money

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council is to receive $400,000 for tourism marketing to help combat misperceptions caused by the Transocean/BP oil spill, Florida Governor Charlie Crist's office confirmed Friday.

The $400,000 is derived from a $25 million grant that BP has funded for Florida tourism promotion.

"I'm elated that the Governor's office recognizes the importance of ensuring our tourism-based economy," said TDC Chair Rita Irwin.

Irwin cited the efforts of Monroe County Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro, who was appointed to the Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force.

"I don't think there is any doubt that Commissioner Di Gennaro played a key role in helping to influence the governor to get the money," Irwin said. "It not only demonstrates his understanding of the Keys, but also the close working relationship the TDC has with the county commission."

On behalf of the TDC, Irwin signed the request to Gov. Crist for the money June 7.

"An amount of $400,000 is needed for advertising to counteract misperceptions regarding the viability of a Florida Keys vacation caused by extensive news media coverage, much of which painted a picture that the Keys were either being impacted by the Gulf oil spill, or impacts were imminent and they would be ‘devastating,'" Irwin wrote.

Accompanying the letter was an independent media analysis, conducted by Cision, which showed that between April 22 and May 26 more than half of all spill-related coverage for Florida focused on the Keys, which have not been physically impacted by the spill.

According to TDC Director Harold Wheeler, the bulk of the $400,000 request is to be utilized for media purchases within Florida, which is the Keys' primary summer market. The balance is to purchase media in Atlanta, Ga., and Charlotte, N.C., which are direct airline feeder markets for the destination.