Flagler tapped for tourism award name

By MARK ALBRIGHT

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 3, 2000

The entertainment world has its Emmys and Grammys. Now Florida's tourist industry has jumped on the annual awards bandwagon with the Henrys.

Named for Henry Flagler, the turn-of-the-century railroad magnate and prolific hotel builder, the awards come in a dozen categories ranging from lifetime achievement in Florida tourism to the snappiest rack brochures.

The inaugural competition fielded more than 180 entries. Winners will be announced with much pomp and circumstance at the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism in August.

Judges, however, disqualified one contestant in the race for best Web site.

"I'm not going to embarrass anybody by saying who it was," said Austin Mott, president and chief executive of Visit Florida Inc., the state's lead tourist promotion operation. "But they forgot to provide the judges with the password" to gain access to their entry.

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