Dear fellow FAA Members,

It seems like only yesterday when I had the honor and privilege or receiving the FAA gavel from my friend John Dent and began my year serving as Chairman of the FAA.  But a year has passed, and our time-honored tradition will continue later today when I have the honor of passing this gavel to our next Chairman, Dan Donovan. 

I have been involved with the FAA for 25 years. There are many words that come to mind when I think of the hundreds of FAA members I’ve met, dozens of attractions I’ve visited, and thousands of hours invested in my professional development and networking opportunities provided by the FAA.

Words such as Family. Caring. Concern. Helper. Sharing. Professional. Our association culture is unique and is greater than the sum of all of us. It is the greatest asset we possess. One that has endured the test of time, the dynamic forces of our world, the fickle demands of our guests, the development of our staff and the lightning speed of technology. Our FAA culture is to be protected and celebrated. One recent attendee to our annual conference described it like this – an FAA meeting was less like a conference and more like a revival!

Like our FAA members – attractions, Associate members and DMOs, the past 12 months have continued the necessary evolution required to thrive and it is incumbent on us as leaders of Florida’s attractions industry not to simply embrace the change, but be leaders in it, and to be the catalyst that produces it.

As it relates to the FAA, this change has affected us all this year. In an efficient and effective Strategic Planning Session our Board of Directors spent two days wrestling with creating the next chapter in the FAA story. Our planning session ended with the development of five working groups each tasked with renewing and recharging aspects of our association.

Two FAA events were retired this year. Our winter Attraction Regional Forums and fall Networking Nights required a fresh vision. Our new FAA event, Expedition FAA coming this fall will combine the best elements of these two events with hours of professional development combined with an evening networking event and back-of-the-house tour of an FAA member attraction.

The introduction of a fall and winter online webinar series delivered twelve unique education and development programs online directly to you and over 200 FAA members participated in this new, free program.

Our Annual Conference was refreshed with more educational content, more topics, more speakers, more networking time than any conference in our history.

Our Board continues its work to create more opportunities for Board members to engage with our FAA members, more occasions for our members to volunteer and serve on committees, better communication methods, a quarterly e-newsletter, a stronger advocacy effort and refreshing of our FAA brand and value proposition.

It has been a year of change and we’re just getting started.

I want to thank our 2023-2024 Board of Directors for their support and involvement in serving the FAA. (anyone else to thank). Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank our FAA Members who have made the commitment to join, participate and serve their fellow attraction professionals.

I think back to how our members and leaders of the past have served us. For 75 years, men and women in Florida’s attractions industry have selflessly served the collective. Each generation believes they are living in our industry’s “golden age.”  We should approach each day with wisdom, courage, and responsibility on our shoulders, for today we stand on the shoulders of those before us who dreamed of an association of Florida attractions. Certainly, we have far surpassed their wildest dream. Today, we must continue that tradition so that in the year 2099, 75 years from now, that generation of attraction leaders may also say “we stand on the shoulders of giants.”

Respectfully submitted,

Cindy Stavely

Florida Attractions Association

Chairman of the Board

June 11, 2024

The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum offers visitors a glimpse into the area's rich history. Built in 1860, the lighthouse stands at 105 feet tall and has been fully restored to its original glory. Visitors can climb to the top of the lighthouse for a panoramic view of the surrounding area, including the beautiful Jupiter Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to the lighthouse itself, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse also features a museum that showcases the history of the area and provides information on the lighthouse's role in maritime navigation. The museum features exhibits on the lighthouse keepers, shipwrecks, and local wildlife. Visitors can learn about the importance of lighthouses in guiding ships safely to shore and the fascinating stories of those who lived and worked at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.

The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is a fascinating destination for history buffs, nature lovers, and anyone looking to experience a piece of Florida's unique heritage. Whether you're interested in climbing to the top of the lighthouse for a breathtaking view or exploring the museum to learn more about the area's history, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is sure to impress!

If you thought debates about taxes or license plate slogans is a modern phenomenon, you would be mistaken. At the semi-annual meeting of the Florida Attractions Association held at Silver Spring on May 23, 1950, there was much to say about taxes, license plates – and a few other issues, too!

Though the state of Florida had been issuing license plates since 1918, the first year Florida’s plate had a slogan, “Sunshine State” was in 1949. In 1950, there was a move to change the slogan to “Keep Florida Green” demonstrating the beginning of the environmental movement. The

 membership of the FAA opposed the move to change the license plate slogan, but lost that battle and for one year, 1951, the state’s plates carried the “Keep Florida Green” slogan. A year later, they returned to Sunshine State and that has been the predominant slogan used for the last 75 years.

The FAA membership also voted to oppose the state’s 3% sales tax be imposed on the admission of amusements such as attractions. In a related position, FAA members were encouraged to contact their US Senators and Representatives to oppose a Federal admissions and transportation tax.  

Hertz U Drive became one of the FAA’s early advertising partners and Silver Springs offered to turn over 100 of their sign boards (billboards) to promote FAA members for a month during the summer. Wasn’t the art on the Silver Springs Billboard foretelling?

And that was the FAA in spring 1950.

Doug Lansky wowed attendees at our 2016 Annual Conference in West Palm Beach and will be making an encore appearance for this year’s conference traveling all the way from Stockholm Sweden.

Doug Lansky has been living abroad and traveling for the last nearly 20 years in over 120 countries. He is the author of 10 books, including 2 for Lonely Planet and 3 for Rough Guides, had a weekly syndicated travel column in over 40 newspapers for five years, hosted a Travel Channel show, served as a correspondent for Public Radio’s Savvy Traveler show, served as travel editor for Scandinavian Airlines inflight magazine for three years and contributed to publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Reader’s Digest, Esquire, Men’s Journal, The Guardian, National Geographic Adventure, Huffington Post and Skift.

On the speaking circuit, Doug has given acclaimed lectures at nearly 100 universities, spoken to a sold-out audience at National Geographic Headquarters, for the United Nations World’s Tourism Organization, as an after-dinner speaker at corporate events and at both public and industry travel/tourism conferences, at TEDx Stockholm, and set the attendance record for keynote lectures at the 2012 and 2013 ITB Berlin conferences.

His next stop – The World Equestrian Center for the FAA’s big 75th Annual Conference!

Following the passing of the historic FAA gavel from now Chair Cindy Stavely (St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum) to our new Chairman Dan Donovan (Universal Orlando Resort), we’ll gather at one of our association’s founding members, Florida’s Silver Springs for an enchanting evening at this Florida legacy attraction.

Silver Springs was one of Florida’s original tourist attractions (if not THE original). After the American Civil War, the springs began to attract tourists from the North via steamboats up the Silver River. Silver Springs gained national attention through journals and guidebooks and became a mandatory stop on the "grand tour" of Florida.

In the late 1870s, the glass-bottom boat and the glass-bottom rowboat were introduced to take visitors on the river to give them a unique view of the springs. In the 1890s, commercial-sized glass-bottom boats were developed and placed in operation.

We’ll gather at this historic place and enjoy a sumptuous buffet dinner and drinks, surrounded by the natural beauty of Florida, serenaded by music and venture into the river on one of the world-famous glass-bottom boats. We’ll honor Florida’s rich attraction history as we brave the new frontier as leaders of Florida’s attraction community.

The FAA is pleased to announce the extension of our secret shopper program contract with Amusement Advantage of Arvada, Colorado.  Amusement Advantage has been providing the FAA with our Code of Practices compliance checks since 2016.  We look forward to continuing our work with Scot Carson and his team to ensure the FAA’s Code of Practices distinguishes our members as Florida’s Finest Family Attractions.

Amusement Advantage is a premier mystery shopping company based in Arvada, Colorado. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, they

businesses looking to improve their customer experience. One of the main advantages of working with Amusement Advantage is their team of highly trained mystery shoppers who provide valuable insights and feedback on a business's operations. These mystery shoppers are skilled at evaluating various aspects of a business, such as customer service, cleanliness, and overall atmosphere, providing businesses with a comprehensive view of their strengths and areas for improvement.

We’re just days away from launching registration for our 75^th Anniversary Annual Conference.  I’m excited about the lineup this year – the largest variety of breakout sessions, roundtables, and general session speakers in FAA history.  

For our conference theme, I’ve chosen “Past Pioneers, Future Frontiers”.   Since the FAA’s founding, we’ve all been pioneers, building on the work of those who preceded us as we move into the unknown of cultural and technological evolution. 

Our Education Committee has been working hard to piece our education programming together and they’ve done a remarkable job.  Mary Altman, Chair – Wounded Warrior Project (formerly World Golf Hall of Fame); Keith Clark – Flamingo Gardens; Felicia Cook – Marineland Dolphin Adventure; Kelli King – IMAG History & Science Center; and Samantha Palmer – Historic Tours of Flagler College have served you very well. 

Our three General Session will tackle issues such as managing change with a sense of humor, the future of Florida’s transportation infrastructure, and world-renowned travel expert Doug Lansky who was a hit at our 2016 Annual Conference will be joining us from his home in Stockholm, Sweden.

Add the evening networking events, and a special farewell event at one of our founding members in 1949, Silver Springs State Park and we’ll have a conference to remember.  In fact, 98% of last year’s Annual Conference attendees indicate they are “likely” or “very likely” to attend this year conference!

I look forward to seeing you all at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, June 9-12!

Sincerely,

Cindy Stavely
Chairman, Florida Attractions Association
Executive Director, St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum

(as of 03/26/24)

By: Kristina E. Wilson, Esq of KEW Legal, P.A.

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Under the CTA, beneficial owners are individuals that have direct or indirect ownership stake in an entity. This means any individual that owns at least 25% of the entity, has control over the equity, or is in a position to have major influence on the entity’s operations or reporting decisions. Specifically, some the information that must be disclosed for each beneficial owner includes the owners’ names, addresses, dates of birth, identification number, as well as entity information filed in the state in which the entity operates.

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It is important to note that the recent launch of the CTA has resulted in significant uproar in the business and legal community and the law itself has been challenged. Although there are ongoing challenges to this law working their way through the court system, there is still an obligation for compliance for the majority of business owners. It is vital for all business owners to take the CTA seriously and make sure they have properly filed the required information prior to the applicable deadline. Navigating the nuisances of the CTA can be tricky and overwhelming and it is advisable to contact an attorney to minimize reporting errors that could create legal exposure.

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KEW Legal (www.kewlegal.com) is a law firm based in Sunny Isles Beach, FL focused on the areas of corporate law, real estate, and general counsel services. KEW Legal strives to provide efficient legal counsel and personalized services aimed at streamlining operations and maximizing profitability for our clients.