(Orlando, Fla.) – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) honored local first responders who risked their lives to protect and serve during the Pulse tragedy, and recognized the restaurants, employees and guests statewide who supported Dine Out for Orlando United and raised more than $800,000 for the OneOrlando Fund. Speakers at the Hospitality Stars of the Industry Installation and Awards Gala included: Florida Governor Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Chef Emeril Lagasse. State Senator Aaron Bean served as the emcee for the evening.

During the event, which took place at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, FRLA celebrated the stars of Florida’s hospitality industry. FRLA announced its 2017 Executive Committee and unveiled its 2016 Hall of Fame along with other industry award winners. A live auction at the conclusion of the event raised $9,800 for the FRLA Educational Foundation.

Don Fox, Chief Executive Officer for Firehouse of America, LLC, was named FRLA’s 2017 Chairman of the Board. Fox will preside over the FRLA, one of the state’s largest trade associations, representing more than 10,000 members in the hospitality industry.

FRLA congratulates its newly elected executive board and Hall of Fame award winners.

In addition, Hall of Fame Awards were given to individuals who have attained career distinctions of the highest level and were recognized for distinguished service to their industry, community, charitable organizations and family. The 2016 Hall of Fame is as follows:

2016 Restaurateur of the Year: Manuel “Manny” Garcia III, Davgar Restaurants Inc., Orlando The Garcia family has been steeped in the food and restaurant industry for many years. Beginning with his Burger King franchise, the successful restaurateur went on to introduce a number of new dining concepts to Central Florida including Pebbles Restaurants, Harvey’s Bistro and Manuel’s on the 28th Restaurant, and more recently in The Villages, City Fire American Oven & Bar and a tavern called Honest John’s Whiskey and Provisions. Garcia will once again break new ground with the mid-December grand opening of Wahlburgers, a casual burger restaurant founded by brothers Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg.

2016 Hotelier of the Year: Julian MacQueen, Innisfree Hotels, Pensacola Julian MacQueen’s hospitality career began five decades ago with a summer job as a busboy at a resort in Destin, Florida. He founded Innisfree Hotels in 1985, leaving a position as the Executive Vice President of Family Inns of America for the uncertainty of entrepreneurship. Since then, his company has grown from a single-property operation to one of the largest hotel companies in the southern United States, with more than 2,500 rooms owned and managed, 1,300 employees and revenues of $125 million.

2016 Supplier of the Year: Island Oasis Island Oasis has been a loyal FRLA allied member, exhibitor and sponsor for more than 15 years. They are one of the longest standing sponsors at our annual NRA/FRLA Bob Leonard Golf Classic, graciously serving their finest drink selections for our members to sample. Island Oasis also sponsors and participates at several chapter golf tournaments and events around the state. Tim Burks, National Accounts and Regional Sales Manager – Florida / Gulf Coast serves on the Allied Member Council and accepted this award on behalf of Island Oasis.

At the event, FRLA also announced annual award categories to recognize exceptional service throughout the state: Restaurant General Manager of the Year, Hotel General Manager of the Year, Restaurant Employee of the Year, Hotel Employee of the Year and Chef of the Year. Nominees and winners were chosen by a panel of independent industry judges.

Restaurant General Manager of the Year

Jim Garris, General Manager, Columbia Restaurant, Ybor City *WINNER

Clayton Green, General Manager, Another Broken Egg Cafe, Sandestin

Lindsey Smith, Senior Restaurant Manager, Orlando World Center Marriott

Hotel General Manager of the Year

Eduardo Fernandez, General Manager, Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach *WINNER – TIE

Rey Martinez, Resort Manager, Hyatt Coconut Plantation Resort, Bonita Springs

Tom Williamson, General Manager, Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral *WINNER – TIE

Restaurant Employee of the Year

Lenny Jacobs, Kitchen Manager, Another Broken Egg Cafe, Sandestin

Stacey Landis, Bartender, Applebee’s, Venice *WINNER – TIE

Miranda Steele, Chef’s Office Coordinator, Orlando World Center Marriott *WINNER – TIE

Hotel Employee of the Year

Maria Colon, Executive Assistant, Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando

Santiago Navarro, Assistant Front Office Manager, Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach *WINNER

Juan Rivera, Banquet Captain, Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa

Chef of the Year

Geraldo Bayona, Corporate Chef, Columbia Restaurant, Ybor City *WINNER

Tuong (Hirano) Ly, District Head Chef, Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, Altamonte Springs

James Routhier, Executive Banquet Chef, Orlando World Center Marriott

FRLA Educational Foundation Student of the Year

Tyler Chaffin, The Academy of Culinary Arts at Belleview High School, Ocala

Jose Murillo, Inlet Grove Community High School, Riviera Beach

Sofia Slimak, Mainland High School, Daytona Beach *WINNER

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MYERS, Fla. –  Governor Rick Scott announced Florida set another record in tourism by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any six months in the state’s history with 57.4 million visitors. This record amount represents a 4.3 percent increase over the year. In the second quarter of 2016, 27.3 million visitors came to the state, an increase of 3.1 percent over the year. The average number of direct travel-related jobs in quarter two of 2016 was also a record high, with 1,255,200 Floridians employed in the tourism industry – up 4.3 percent over the year.

Governor Scott said, “Today, I am proud to announce that Florida has continued our record breaking success and welcomed the most visitors in Florida’s history over the first six months of the year. It’s exciting that we are starting the first half of 2016 off with back to back record quarters which puts us on pace to reach our goal of 115 million tourists this year and $100 billion in visitor spending by 2020. In Florida, the health and safety of our visitors is a top priority and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to the Sunshine State this year.”

VISIT FLORIDA estimates that 23.6 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida in the second quarter of 2016, which is a 4.6 percent increase over the same period last year.

Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA said “The Florida tourism industry has a tremendous amount of momentum because every month we have millions of new visitors who are experiencing the best tourism product on earth and returning home to share their Florida memories with friends and family.”

Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida increased 6.1 percent year over year for January through April 2016 (last reported month).  For quarter two of 2016, the average daily room rate (ADR) rose 1.4 percent and the demand in rooms sold grew 1.1 percent.

William D. Talbert, III, CDME, Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors said “The success of Florida tourism is directly attributable to the strong alignment between VISIT FLORIDA and our tourism industry partners, and their continued investment in strengthening the state’s incredible tourism product.”

To view additional Florida visitor data, please go to the Research page on VISIT FLORIDA’s media website.

*Preliminary estimates are issued 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter. Final estimates are released when final data are received for all estimates in the report.

(Orlando, Fla.) The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is honored to announce that the hospitality industry raised more than $800,000 to support the victims of the recent tragedy in Orlando. The funds were collected during Dine Out for Orlando United, a fundraising event led by the FRLA in partnership with VISIT FLORIDA, that took place on June 30, 2016. Nearly 1,500 restaurant locations across the state participated and their contributions were submitted directly to the OneOrlando Fund.

During the event, guests dined at participating restaurants and made direct donations. Restaurateurs donated a percentage of their daily receipts, from 10 percent to 100 percent, to the Fund. Employees worked a shift, volunteered their time, or donated a portion of their tips. Businesses raised awareness by promoting, organizing or donating directly to the OneOrlando Fund. Local establishments reported lines out the door throughout the day, specifically for the Dine Out for Orlando United effort.

“I am in awe of our friends, family and colleagues in hospitality, who offered their help and hearts to ensure our Sunshine State remains strong,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “Thank you to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Florida Governor Rick Scott for dining with us on Thursday, and their steadfast support of Dine Out for Orlando United. We are incredibly proud to take part in Orlando’s healing, grateful for those who contributed to this effort and are continuing to pray for the victims, their families and our community.”

As a number of restaurants continue to report their contributions in the coming weeks, the final donation amount is expected to grow. The OneOrlando Fund is a project of Strengthen Orlando, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation created for the purpose of supporting and starting projects to strength the Orlando community. Funds received into the OneOrlando Fund are directly distributed to victims’ families and survivors in an open, transparent and fair manner.

Please visit the following links to access photos, a recap video and a list of participating restaurants.

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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $82 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 1.1 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, September 27-29, 2016 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) today released a new study that provides a detailed analysis of the rise in commercial activity taking place in Miami on Airbnb, one of the most trafficked short-term rental websites. The study was conducted by John O’Neill, MAI, ISHC, Ph.D., professor of hospitality management and director of the Center for Hospitality Real Estate Strategy in the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State University, and examined activity on Airbnb between October 2014 and September 2015.

The report shows that among the 14 markets studied, Miami has the highest percentage of multi-unit operators on Airbnb and full-time operators, those renting units out full-time.

Key findings:

• Full-time operators – those who listed their unit(s) for rent more than 360 days per year – accounted for more than $47 million or nearly 40% of Airbnb’s revenue in the Miami area, a higher percentage than in any of the other cities studied.
• Three-quarters (76%) – of Airbnb’s revenue in the Miami metropolitan area (more than $93 million) came from the nearly 30% of operators who listed their unit(s) for rent for more than 180 days per year.
• Almost two-thirds (62%, the highest percentage of the 14 cities studied) of Airbnb’s revenue in the Miami region – more than $76 million – came from operators who listed multiple units for rent. 
• The five Miami-area ZIP codes with the most properties listed on Airbnb accounted for more than $79 million, or 65% of Airbnb’s revenue in the Miami metropolitan area.

“As in many popular tourist destinations across the country, commercial landlords here in Miami are using short-term rental platforms like Airbnb to operate illegal hotel businesses that dodge taxes and duck rules and regulations that were put in place to protect our guests and the communities where we operate,” said Stefano Frittella, owner of the Pelican Hotel in Miami. “Furthermore, by driving up the cost of rent in the Miami area, illegal hotel operators on Airbnb are exacerbating the housing crisis that is hurting so many working families in Miami, making it harder to live and work in our communities.”

“These illegal businesses are not only disrupting Miami’s communities, but they are undermining one of the most important sectors of our economy. Florida’s hotel and lodging industry is an important segment of the state’s economy, employing more than 160,000 residents and generating $5.4 billion annually in state, local and federal taxes,” said Carol Dover, President & CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “Illegal operators on Airbnb are threatening the business climate that Miami has worked so hard to develop. If Airbnb wants to be a legal player in the lodging industry, they should have to follow the same basic rules as everyone else in order to ensure fairness, respect communities, and protect consumers.”

“Unregulated hotels operated in residential properties are disruptive to communities and pose serious safety concerns for guests, for communities and for neighborhoods,” said AH&LA President and Chief Executive Officer Katherine Lugar. “In Miami, as in cities around the country, we have seen that Airbnb is unwilling to be transparent with its data and be a partner in creating safe environments for its users and the communities in which it operates. And now we know why: a growing portion of Airbnb’s revenue comes from commercial landlords using the platform to operate unregulated and often illegal lodging businesses. This problem is particularly acute in Miami, where – more than in any of the 14 cities studied – multi-unit and full-time operators drive Airbnb’s revenue. Policymakers in Miami, in Florida and across the country should act to ensure a fair travel marketplace by closing the illegal hotel loophole.”

Miami is the fourth of 14 cities profiled in a series of reports that comprise a second phase of an analysis into the commercial activity being transacted on Airbnb’s platform. The initial analysis (“From Air Mattresses to Unregulated Business: An Analysis of the Other Side of Airbnb”) was released in January 2016.

The full report is available for download on the AH&LA website at www.ahla.com.

Frontier Communications acquired Verizon’s wireless properties in parts of Florida earlier this year. Since then, more than 700 consumers have contacted the Attorney General’s Office with complaints about internet, security, phone and television services. At the request of Attorney General Pam Bondi, Frontier Communications Corporation is now committed to improving communications and customer services in Florida.

If you are a Frontier customer experiencing problems, you can file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s Office by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com or calling (866) 9NO-SCAM.

Attorney General Bondi met with Frontier Executives last week and now the company has agreed to several changes to improve services. Frontier executives agreed to the following:

• Frontier Communications will immediately prioritize addressing complaints regarding seniors and medically disadvantaged individuals;
• A new Florida-based customer service number, (888) 457-4110, has been established that will be answered by live representatives from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The company also has set up a Chat Live platform for those able to go online;
• Frontier has instituted a “SWAT Team” to coordinate the rapid response to customer escalations and service outages; and
• Every customer who reported any out of service issue will be given a credit. The credit will be reflected on the customer’s bill no later than the end of June with no contact necessary with the company to receive this credit.

In a letter sent by Attorney General Bondi to Frontier’s CEO, the Attorney General outlined the serious service disruptions being reported to her office by Frontier customers. Customers complained of lost access to essential 911 services due to no phone service, lost internet service, extended waiting periods on customer service lines, missed service appointments, and no automatic billing credits for customers who lost service. To view the letter, click here.

At the meeting, Frontier provided the Attorney General with a written response to her letter addressing many of these issues. To view Frontier’s response, click here.