Amid recent travel advisories, Florida business leaders are trying to weather any negative impact.

As the summer travel season begins in Florida, travel advisories issued by the NAACP, Human Rights Campaign and LGBTQ and advocacy group Equality Florida advise travelers to take precautions.

What does this mean for business owners?

Amy Chibaro is the owner of Millie’s Restaurant and Catering in Daytona Beach. As her business grew in recent years and became a popular destination for travelers, she opened her second seafood restaurant in Ormond Beach.

“I’m concerned that the Daytona is known for being a family vacation drive. You know, a beach where you can drive,” Chibaro said.

“They can easily decide to drive to Georgia or North Carolina or the Outer Banks.”

Tourism officials say Florida had a record-breaking 138 million visitors last year. According to Visit Florida, tourists generated an economic impact of $96 billion in 2019—the year before the outbreak. More than half of this went to small business owners.

While the travel warning is not a boycott of Florida, it is a call to action, said state Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Miami-Dade).

“When you look at what’s happened in this state in the last 2 or 3 years, it’s a total disregard for black and brown communities,” Jones said.

He suggests new laws that limit what can be taught in schools about race, history and LGBTQ issues.

‘We are impacting families’

But the travel warning could do more harm than good to minority businesses in Florida, said Antonio Jefferson, president of the Big Bend Chamber of Commerce.

“While people may think that kind of approach can have an impact, there are certainly bigger issues that are impacting our economy at this time,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson’s mission is to promote and protect minority businesses throughout the Florida Panhandle. He says they are struggling with inflation and if a few people show up, things could get worse.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to slow this economy down, impacting families and individuals across our state,” Jefferson said. “As a business support organization, we cannot support anything that has a negative impact on our economy. ”

Florida’s governor’s office called the travel warning a stunt, while Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said, “They have issued their own travel advisory against socialists visiting Florida.” ”

In a press release Tuesday, Scott said, “The state of Florida devalues ​​and ignores the contributions, and challenges faced by socialists and others working in the Biden administration.”

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