VISIT FLORIDA has announced the appointment of Dana Young as its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 9.

The announcement was made following a unanimous vote of the VISIT FLORIDA board of directors.

Governor-Elect Ron DeSantis commented, “Dana Young is an exceptional leader who has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for all Floridians. Her leadership ability and experience make her an excellent candidate to lead VISIT FLORIDA in its mission to maximize the economic impact of travel and tourism to our state. I look forward to working with Dana, who will be the first woman to lead VISIT FLORIDA, to strengthen our tourism industry and build on the economic success of our great state.”

Young, a sixth-generation Floridian, is a product of the Florida public school system and received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Florida State University. In pursuit of her interests in law and public policy, she graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1993 and returned to Florida to begin her legal career at Fowler, White, Boggs P.A. Young served in the Florida House from 2010 to 2016, rising to House Republican Leader. Most recently, she served as a senator for District 18 in Hillsborough County.

Lino Maldonado, vice-president of Operations, Growth, and Innovation for Wyndham Vacation Rentals North America and chair of the VISIT FLORIDA board of directors, said, “The Florida tourism industry has achieved seven consecutive years of record visitation and visitor spending, and according to the latest economic impact study, Florida visitors spent $112 billion and supported 1.4 million Florida jobs. Dana Young is a strong leader who will continue to elevate VISIT FLORIDA’s efforts to strengthen our state’s share of the global travel market.”