Stacy Ritter has a mission to attract visitors to Broward County, but she also has a calling to keep those in the industry employed. It’s reflected in the slogan adopted by Visit Lauderdale, where she is president and CEO.
“Hello, Sunny” was a nice enough slogan, but it changed to “Everyone Under the Sun” on her watch.
“You have to recognize that everyone under the sun visits here. We are an international destination, but equally important is everyone under the sun lives here,” she says. “While our mission here is to bring visitors, our calling
is to keep people employed because when visitors stop coming, people lose their jobs.”
At a time when some question diversity initiatives, Visit Lauderdale embraces it. It was a pioneer in embracing LGBTQ visitors and recently has embraced those with disabilities, even if they are hidden. Ritter is not afraid of taking risks even as some question diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
“We’ve really gone on a limb,” she says. “Sometimes I look back and I’m sure that there are people who were sawing me off that limb, but I’ve been around a long time. I’m used to that. I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. I think I know we’re doing the right thing.”
Ritter and her team also have a knack for coming up with big ideas to generate buzz and attract potential visitors. It’s fun to hear her excitement about what’s next. Ritter brings a lot of elected official savviness to her position, since she also has served as a state representative and a Broward County commissioner. How those roles came about are among the many interesting parts of her story.
