Media Contact:

Elizabeth Ray
FRLA Communications Director
850.224.2250 x255
[email protected]

(Miami, Fla.) The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is proud to present this week’s episode of Emeril’s Florida airing Sunday, January 17, 2016, at 2:30 p.m. EST on the Cooking Channel. In Sunday’s episode, “It’s So Miami” celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse visits three unique restaurants in the Miami area, including: The Forge, Joe’s Stone Crab and Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill. Emeril rounds out the episode preparing Jerk Spiced Pork Tenderloin, Stewed Black Beans Caramelized Sweet Potatoes.

“Miami is known for its signature style and its dining scene is world-renowned,” said Carol Dover, FRLA President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “This episode of Emeril’s Florida is sure to draw viewers who will certainly want to visit the Sunshine State to sample some of Miami’s finest flavors and exciting experiences.”

On this episode, Emeril’s first stop is The Forge in Miami Beach. It is a high-end steakhouse that’s fine dining in a kicked up atmosphere. Its legendary reputation attracts many A-list celebrities, professional athletes, politicians and South Beach socialites. Emeril and Executive Chef Christopher Lee sample some of the restaurant’s signature dishes including: Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare; Jamaican Bacon; 2 Lb Maine Lobster Entrée; 12oz Filet Alaskan King Crab Oscar with Forge Rub; and S’mores Soufflé.

Next up is Joe’s Stone Crab, a long-standing family run restaurant. Joe’s Stone Crab is a century-old South Beach institution that is world renowned for its sweet and succulent stone crabs. More than just a place to eat, Joe’s has gained status as an international gathering spot for celebrities and foodies alike. Emeril meets with Executive Chef Andre Beinvenu to sample some of Joe’s best dishes including Stone Crabs with Hash Brown, Cole Slaw, Tomatoes; Ginger Salmon; Bone-in Rib Eye; Seafood Cioppino; Grilled Alaskan King Crab; and Key Lime Pie.

Emeril’s final stop is Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill. This is one of the hottest restaurants in the city. Sugarcane was developed and opened in 2010 by the owners of Samba Brands Management as an entirely new concept for Miami. The goal was to create a “shared experience” for diners with an array of styles and dishes that would all excite the palate and are designed to share.  Executive Chef Timon Balloo was brought in to be a partner and chef. Emeril and the chef sample dishes from the Raw Bar: Scallop Crudo, Apple & Black Truffle; Grouper Crudo, Pickled Watermelon & Shiso. From the Robata Grill they try Robata, Aji Panca Octopus and Korean Galbi Beef Short Ribs.

The show reruns on Monday, January 18 at 9:30 a.m. EST and Thursday, January 21 at 10:30 a.m. EST.  Please check local listings.

Emeril’s Florida Season Four is a 13-episode series highlighting the Sunshine State through the eyes of Emeril on-location with a focus on food, cooking, events and activities around the state. Throughout the fourth season, Emeril will be visiting Florida’s top restaurants and resorts. He will also prepare some of his favorite recipes which often will feature some of the best seafood Florida has to offer. The FRLA and VISIT FLORIDA sponsor the series. For additional information on the series, including links to previous episodes, please go to the Cooking Channel website here. For a preview of Sunday’s episode, click here.

Editor’s Note:

For photo and video requests of Emeril Lagasse with personnel from The Forge, Joe’s Stone Crab or Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill, photos of signature menu items and recipes of featured dishes, please contact Elizabeth Ray at [email protected] or 850.224.2250 x255.

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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $82 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 1.1 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, September 27-29, 2016 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.

Contact: Elizabeth Ray

FRLA Communications Director

850.224.2250 x255

[email protected]

(Tallahassee, Fla.) The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is thrilled to be represented on the 2016 International Society of Hotel Association Executives (ISHAE) Board of Directors. During its annual meeting in December, ISHAE named Dannette Lynch, FRLA Director of Membership, an At-Large Member.

“Dannette is truly dedicated to Florida’s hospitality industry, will be a fantastic representative for our great state and certainly an asset to the ISHAE Board of Directors,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We are pleased to continue our partnership with ISHAE and always proud to ensure Florida is involved in the global conversation.”

ISHAE provides professional development and networking opportunities for lodging association executives and represents the unified voice of state lodging associations in collaboration with our national industry partners. For more information on ISHAE please visit ISHAE.org.

Dannette joined the FRLA team in 1997. In addition to her role as Director of Membership, she serves as Regional Director for eight local chapters: Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Desoto, Sarasota, Polk, Central Florida and the Space Coast. Dannette came to FRLA with more than fifteen years of marketing, special event and sales management experience. For more information about FRLA, please visit FRLA.org.

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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $82 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 1.1 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, September 27-29, 2016 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.

Contact:
Elizabeth Ray
FRLA Communications Director
850.224.2250 x255
[email protected]

(Tallahassee, Fla.) The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is proud to present this week’s episode of Emeril’s Florida airing Sunday, January 10, 2016, at 2:30 p.m. EST on the Cooking Channel. In Sunday’s episode, “Tattoos, Rebels and a Rooster,” celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse visits three unique restaurants in St. Petersburg, Tampa and Boca Raton. Emeril rounds out the episode cooking Char Sui BBQ.

“Florida is known for restaurants with flare and this episode features some of our absolute favorites,” said Carol Dover, FRLA President and CEO. “We are thrilled to participate in this show, which showcases the Sunshine State’s hospitality industry and encourages viewers around the country to come savor flavorful experiences that are found nowhere else in the world.”

On this episode, Emeril’s first stop is Z Grille in St. Petersburg. There, he meets with owner and Executive Chef Zack Gross who opened the restaurant with his wife Jennifer in 2005. The menu features New American and Southwestern staples with an inventive SoCal twist. For Emeril, he prepares some of his signature dishes including 3 different kinds of deviled eggs: Beet Truffle Arugula/Tomato Basil Parmesan/California Avocado Bacon; along with Dr. Pepper Ribs: Kale Salad with Pork Belly; Achiote Chicken; and Black Grouper with Smoked Pimento Cheddar Cheese Grits and Old Bay Whipped Crème.

Next Emeril visits Rebel House, a restaurant in Boca Raton that’s a little out of the ordinary, which explains their rebel name and rebellious reputation. In 2012, when owners Mike Saperstein and Evan David opened Rebel House they enlisted a friend and local artist to plaster the centrally located space with rebellious sayings, paintings of rebellious figures, and even a few shadowbox pieces symbolizing various rebellious eras in history, all of which were made for the restaurant. Mike is the chef and he brings out some of their most popular dishes for Emeril to try including: House Made Charcuterie; Wahoo Crudo; Lambcetta; and Belle Glade Corn Pudding Brûlée.

Finally, Emeril heads to Tampa where two local guys and their rooster mascot have taken the dining scene up a few notches with their inventive cuisine. At Rooster & the Till he meets with the two owners who started hatching their own restaurant plan back when they met working at another restaurant. Emeril gets to sample some of the dishes that are making this a popular restaurant in Tampa including: Grilled Octopus; House-Made Tofu; Gnocchi; and Salmon Belly.

The show reruns on Monday, January 11 at 9:30 a.m. EST and Thursday, January 14 at 10:30 a.m. EST. Please check local listings.

Emeril’s Florida Season Four is a 13-episode series highlighting the Sunshine State through the eyes of Emeril on-location with a focus on food, cooking, events and activities around the state. Throughout the fourth season, Emeril will be visiting Florida’s top restaurants and resorts. He will also prepare some of his favorite recipes which often will feature some of the best seafood Florida has to offer. The FRLA and VISIT FLORIDA sponsor the series.

For additional information on the series, including links to previous episodes, please go to the Cooking Channel website here. For a preview of Sunday’s episode, click here.

Editor’s Note:
For photo and video requests of Emeril Lagasse with personnel from Z Grille, Rebel House or Rooster & the Till, photos of signature menu items and recipes of featured dishes, please contact Elizabeth Ray at [email protected] or 850.224.2250 x255.

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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $82 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 1.1 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, September 27-29, 2016 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.

The Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce coalition is pleased to have the support of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, one of 37 major Florida employers backing the Florida Competitive Workforce Act. House Bill 45 by Rep. Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) and Senate Bill 120 by Sen. Joe Abruzzo (D-Boynton Beach), commonly referred to as the Competitive Workforce Act, is a bi-partisan measure that will go before state lawmakers during the 2016 Florida Legislative Session, slated to begin Jan. 12, 2016.

While it is illegal to discriminate in employment, housing and public accommodations based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap or marital status, the gay and transgender community is left out of statewide non-discrimination protections. The Competitive Workforce Act would modernize state law to include anti-discrimination protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in the workplace, and in housing and public accommodations. Thirty-seven Florida counties and municipalities have local protections in place for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community, but local government ordinances cover only 56 percent of the state’s population.

The Competitive Workforce Act not only has the backing of major Florida employers, including nine Fortune 500 companies, but also more than 400 local businesses in Florida have endorsed the legislation. The coalition believes that the Competitive Workforce Act will make Florida more competitive in the national and global marketplace in much the same way companies have benefitted from adopting anti-discrimination policies.

Want to show your support for the Competitive Workforce Act? Here are some ways you can participate on a personal level:

1. Endorse HB 45/SB 120 by signing the online petition by clicking here.
2. Contact your local lawmakers to voice your support for the Competitive Workforce Act.

Learn more by visiting Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce online at www.FLCompetitiveWorkforce.com or visit the coalition on Twitter and Facebook.

In case you missed it, FRLA President and CEO Carol Dover was named by INFLUENCE Magazine as a “top influence” in Florida Politics. Read the article here: http://bit.ly/1N1rNpO

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced Florida set another record in tourism by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any nine months in the state’s history with 79.1 million visitors, according to VISIT FLORIDA. This record amount of visitors represents a 5.5 percent increase over the previous year. In the third quarter of 2015 (July – September), 25.5 million visitors came to the state, an increase of 6.8 percent over 2014 and Florida’s largest third quarter for visitation ever.  The average number of direct travel-related jobs in quarter three was also a record high, with 1,195,400 Floridians employed in the tourism industry – up 5.2 percent over the same period last year.

Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that the Sunshine State continued our record-breaking success and welcomed the most visitors in Florida’s history over the first three quarters of the year. Our growing tourism industry employs 1.2 million Floridians and is helping us meet our goal of becoming first for jobs. We look forward to more than 100 million tourists visiting Florida this year.”

VISIT FLORIDA estimates that 22.1 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida in the third quarter of 2015, reflecting an 8.2 percent increase over the same period last year.  Estimates also show that 3.4 million international visitors came to Florida in quarter three of 2015. Preliminary figures for the first three quarters of 2015 show 67.4 million domestic visitors, 8.3 million overseas visitors and 3.4 million Canadians have come to the Sunshine State.

Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, said, “With three record quarters and a fifth consecutive record year on the horizon, it’s clear that this continued growth does not happen by accident.  It’s the direct result of a global marketing strategy focused on maximizing the economic impact of Florida tourism. Today’s announcement shows tourism marketing works and we have Governor Scott and the Florida Legislature to thank for their unparalleled support that will enable us to reach our goal of generating $100 billion in visitor spending by 2020.”

Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida increased year-over-year for January through August 2015 (last reported month), representing an 8.2 percent increase over the same period in 2014.  For quarter three of 2015, the average daily room rate (ADR) rose 5.1 percent, the occupancy rate for Florida hotels increased 3.6 percent and the demand in rooms sold grew 4.8 percent compared to quarter three of 2014.

John Tomlin, Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors, said, “The continued growth of tourism for the third quarter, including a record number of tourism-related jobs, puts Florida on pace for a fifth consecutive record breaking year. These records also emphasize the power of tourism as an economic leader and job creator for the state.  Outcomes like these are the direct result of the vision and support of the Governor, Legislature and our amazing tourism industry, as well as world-class strategies and execution by the VISIT FLORIDA staff.”

Bill Talbert, Vice Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau said, “Florida’s tourism continues to make history with another record-shattering quarter.  New and established hotels, attractions, restaurants and hospitality-related businesses are fueling strong industry job growth and increased tax revenues. Those who enthusiastically welcome and serve our visitors continue to deliver great experiences, contributing to our state’s growing popularity.  We are fortunate to have a Governor and Legislature that support our industry and VISIT FLORIDA so that we can share the diverse treasures of our state with the world.”

Andrew Hertz, Immediate Past Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and President & General Manager of Miami Seaquarium said, “Achieving record visitation for the third quarter of 2015 provides strong momentum towards our goal of $100 billion in tourism-related spend by 2020.  Florida is fortunate to have the strong support of Governor Scott and the Legislature, as well as funding matched by dollars from great industry partners.  This support allows VISIT FLORIDA to reach even more markets and potential visitors with compelling reasons to visit Florida and create memories that last a lifetime.”

Carol Dover, Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Public Affairs Committee and President & CEO of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association said, “Florida is continuing to break the mold by setting record-breaking trends that prove our state leads the way in hospitality and tourism.  These numbers highlight Governor Scott’s leadership, and along with support from Florida’s Legislature, ensures a business-friendly environment that allows hoteliers, restaurateurs, suppliers and attractions to thrive.  We were proud to help provide incredible guest experiences in the first three quarters of the year and are excited to welcome even more visitors to the Sunshine State throughout the rest of the year.”

Bill Lupfer, Member of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and President & CEO of the Florida Attractions Association said, “Florida’s outstanding attractions and iconic destinations have a lot to be proud of, and this record third quarter means we are on track for what is sure to be another stellar year.  As we continue to shatter industry records and make the Sunshine State the gold standard for tourism across the country and around the world, we are grateful for the hard work of our industry partners and the support of Governor Scott and the Florida Legislature.”

To view additional Florida visitor data, please go to the Research page on VISIT FLORIDA’s media website.

(Tallahassee, FL) – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) today announced its participation in this year’s Small Business Saturday, taking place on November 28, 2015. Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to strengthening the community by supporting local small businesses.

Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday serves as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses across the United States. In 2014, nearly 3,000 Neighborhood Champions rallied local businesses and created events and activities to drive shopping at small businesses around the country. The day was also championed by elected officials in all 50 states.

“Small businesses represent the backbone of our industry and we are thrilled so many of our members are participating in this event,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We are proud to support efforts at the local level and encourage all Floridians to shop small this holiday season.”

FRLA recognizes the importance of supporting small business in Florida, the jobs they help create, and the culture they instill in local communities. According to the U.S. Small Businesses Administration, as of 2014, small businesses nationwide accounted for 63% of net new private-sector jobs created and represented 99.7% of all employer firms.¹

Merchants and consumers can learn more about Small Business Saturday and how to get involved by visiting ShopSmall.com and the official Small Business Saturday Facebook page.

Merchants and consumers can learn more about Small Business Saturday and how to get involved by visiting ShopSmall.com and the official Small Business Saturday Facebook page.

Contact:
Heather Norton

American Express

212.640.0496

[email protected]

About Small Business Saturday
November 28th marks the sixth annual Small Business Saturday, a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more customers.

1Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy Frequently Asked Questions, March 2014.

About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $82 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 1.1 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, Septmeber 27-29, 2016 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube