Bryan Griffin has been appointed the new president and CEO of VISIT Florida following a recommendation made by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and confirmation from the VISIT Florida Board of Directors. Griffin most recently served as communications director for Gov. DeSantis and succeeds outgoing President and CEO Dana Young, who announced her retirement in December.
In the new role, Griffin will oversee the organization’s mission to market the state of Florida to visitors nationally and internationally, along with driving tourism through the organization’s public-private partnership that matches public funding dollar-for-dollar.
“Bryan has led the charge in communicating the message of the Free State of Florida for the past three years from my office,” said Gov. DeSantis in a press release. “I am confident that he is the best candidate for this role, and that he will well-articulate the case for visitors from across the nation and the globe to visit Florida.”
Griffin is a Florida native with a long career in writing, communications, marketing and advocacy. In addition to leading communications for the governor, Griffin has also served as national director for the Maccabee Task Force and has also owned and managed both a real estate company and craft beverage taproom.
“I sincerely thank Governor DeSantis for the opportunity to step into this new role and lead the effort to communicate our state’s many nation-leading, desirable characteristics to the world,” Griffin said. “Tourism is a critical part of the Florida economy and instrumental to Florida’s continued low tax burden. I look forward to working closely with the board, our local partners, the tourism industry and the VISIT staff to promote the shared values and unique features of the Free State of Florida."
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