Fla. Gov. wants to spend more to lure tourists

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants a big boost in the money spent on trying to lure tourists to the state.
 
Scott announced Friday that he wants state legislators to set aside $100 million for Visit Florida. That's the quasi-public agency responsible for marketing Florida.
 
The current state budget has $63 million for Visit Florida. Lawmakers will consider the request this spring.
 
Scott said that prior increases have helped the state make large gains in the number of tourists coming to Florida. Last fall, Scott said he wanted 100 million people visit the state in 2014.

"When people come to our state as tourists, they say, 'Well this is nice, people are nice, the weather is great.' They buy houses, they buy condos they go to all of our attractions and beaches and everything," Scott said.

In 2013, Florida welcomed more than 90 million tourists to the state.

Scott in a statement said that Florida is on track for "another record year" and that the increased money for Visit Florida will "help build on this incredible momentum."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WFTV