Ihave been following the recent negative publicity surrounding Visit Orlando and its CEO, Cassandra Matej, particularly regarding spending practices and her compensation (“Audit says Visit Orlando broke rules on spending public money,” July 29) . I believe I bring a unique perspective to this discussion.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, I served as the director of tourism for the State of Florida. During that time, I advocated for the adoption of the Tourist Development Tax (TDT), which empowered counties to strengthen Florida’s competitiveness in the global travel market. The original intent of the TDT was clear: to reinvest revenue — generated largely by visitors from outside the state — into marketing efforts that promote Florida as a destination. To this day, nearly 60% of these f

See Full Page