Crist asks BP to pay for oil-spill tourism ads

"We need to advertise, get the message out that our beaches are clean, our water is clean, the fish are biting, please come to the Panhandle, it's beautiful," Crist said after appearing before the Visit Florida board.
Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association president Carol Dover, who also serves on the Visit Florida board, told the governor Panhandle occupancy rates usually are booked at 90 percent or more for the summer tourism season but that they've now dropped to less than 20 percent.

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