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Florida works to bring back tourism to its Gulf Coast following hurricanes Helene and Milton

By AP News Staff
Published  October 28, 2024 12:59pm EDT
St. Petersburg
Associated Press

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tourism officials on Florida’s Gulf Coast say one of the ways concerned people can help the area recover is to visit as tourists, even though some beaches are still closed to the public and debris is still piled next to streets from recent hurricanes Helene and Milton.

    The tourism promotion agency for the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area said in a news release that 80% of hotels and businesses in the area are open for business, even as clean-up and recovery continues.

    READ: Free program helping Bay Area residents temporarily fix roofs after back-to-back hurricanes

    "Many people have asked, ‘How can I help?’ and the answer is this: Come visit and support our local businesses when they need you most," Visit St. Pete-Clearwater said Friday in the news release. "You can also pitch in at beach cleanups, attend fundraisers and donate."

    Helene made landfall as a category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region last month, and Milton made landfall earlier this month as a category 3 hurricane on a barrier island in Sarasota County.

    CLEARWATER BEACH, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: An aerial view of a nearly empty beach as the community of Clearwater Beach starts to recover from Hurricane Milton on October 11, 2024 in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Milton arrived on Floridas Gulf Coast late Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm, causing extensive flooding and damage and came just after the recent catastrophic Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

    CLEARWATER BEACH, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: An aerial view of a nearly empty beach as the community of Clearwater Beach starts to recover from Hurricane Milton on October 11, 2024 in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Milton arrived on Floridas Gulf Coast late W

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    The state tourism promotion agency says it plans to spend $5.7 million to promote Florida as a tourism destination following the hurricanes.

    The campaign’s first phase will focus on social media promotion of areas of Florida that were comparatively untouched by the storms, such as Pensacola, Panama City Beach and Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

    The second phase will spend $3 million promoting areas impacted by the storms but already have recovered such as Naples and Fort Myers.

    The last phase will offer direct marketing assistance to the counties most affected by the storms in the St. Petersburg and Sarasota areas, and rural areas in the Panhandle, according to Visit Florida.

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