Hurricane season has hit Florida hard in 2024.
But despite the devastation and destruction, Florida is still going strong.
And the Sunshine State just got good news after breaking another economic record under the leadership of Ron DeSantis.
According to Visit Florida, between July 1 and September 30, 34.6 million tourists visited Florida.
Visit Florida is the Sunshine State’s official tourism marketing corporation.
Visitors from around the world continue to travel to the Sunshine State despite hurricanes
There were a record-breaking 31.8 million domestic visitors and 2.3 million overseas visitors in the quarter.
This is a 1.8% increase over the third quarter of last year.
And this is despite two major hurricanes that hit the state.
Hurricane season takes place between June 1 and November 30, according to the Florida Climate Center.
“The Free State of Florida continues to break records for tourism,” said Governor Ron DeSantis in a press release published by Visit Florida.
DeSantis added, “It is a testament to our model, and we will continue to operate our state with common sense, fiscal responsibility, environmental stewardship, and a penchant for freedom.”
So far in 2024, there has already been an increase of two million visitors since 2023.
“The hard work and resilience of Floridians have been instrumental in keeping our tourism industry strong, showcasing the best of what our state has to offer,” Dana Young, president and CEO of Visit Florida, said in the release.
The Visit Florida report also highlighted some major growth at both the Palm Beach International Airport and Pensacola International Airport.
Another hurricane could be on its way
There seems to be no sign of slowing down either.
Visitors continue to flock to the Sunshine State even as the hurricane season is still going full force.
In fact, according to The Fox Forecast Center Tropical Storm Sara, which is currently near Jamaica, could soon become a major hurricane and possibly impact Florida.
The latest projections show the storm strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico and possibly heading toward Florida sometime next week.
But despite the possibility of a third major hurricane striking the Sunshine State, tourism numbers remain high.
This is in large part due to the strong economic programs put into effect by Governor DeSantis.
And it is also due to his strong leadership in Florida’s recovery efforts following the hurricanes that have hit the state.
The DeSantis model is one that other Republican Governors would be wise to emulate.
Ron DeSantis has become the gold standard for strong leadership and solid economic growth.
And every indicator bears this out.
Florida has one of the top economies in the nation, low unemployment, a thriving tourism industry, and has led the way in hurricane recovery.
In fact, Florida has managed the recovery from hurricanes so well under Governor DeSantis that they are sending help to other states, as they did with sending aid to North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
DeSantis is also showing Republicans how to fight back against the radical Left.
His successful fight against Disney, and the defeat of pro-abortion Amendment 4 show he knows how to fight and win, the culture wars as well.
No wonder people are flocking to the state by the millions both to visit, and permanently live there.
