Orlando conventions canceled due to politics
Several major conventions have canceled plans to come to Orlando, and organizers say politics and Gov. Ron DeSantis are to blame.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Sad news for Game of Thrones fans in Central Florida: The convention celebrating the popular HBO show has been canceled.
“I hate it, I hate it,” said Melissa Anelli, who is organizing the event that reportedly drew nearly 2,000 people to the Hyatt Regency hotel in August. She blames politics because people don’t want to go.
“I’ve never seen the kind of pushback since all of (Florida Gov. Ron) DeSantis’ regulations have been coming down,” he said.
This includes the Parents’ Rights to Education Bill and the six-week ban on abortion law.
“My own staff felt incredibly insecure going to state,” Anelli added. “There are travel advisories in several of the LGBTQ groups. The Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP are issuing travel advisories. We didn’t feel comfortable going forward and also contributing to the state’s tax dollars when this was happening.” .
Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond said the cancellations affect tax dollars and jobs locally.
“I’m disappointed to hear that, because it has a huge impact on Orange County,” he said.
Three other organizations also canceled their conventions because of the policy, including a women’s and non-binary technology group, a nurses’ convention and a gathering of black engineers:
2024 AnitaB.org Grace Hopper Celebration2027 AORN (Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses) Global Surgical Conference & Expo2024 National Society of Black Engineers
“You want to see them putting money into the economy and into the pockets of Orange County workers,” Diamond said.
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Visit Orlando said hotel bookings from June to August were up 15 percent compared to this time last year, but they have received calls from concerned travelers.
“We have been connecting with each customer individually to discuss their concerns and educate them about both our welcoming and inclusive destination and specific legislation,” they said in a statement.
Joshua Wallack, owner of Mango’s Tropical Café, spoke about the possible loss of business.
“You never want to lose business, but we also want to make sure we understand that, and we hope to see them again next year when we get it approved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anelli said he is now in a fight with the hotel because they want to charge him a $50,000 cancellation fee.
“We’ve brought hundreds of thousands of people to the state. We love Orlando, we just wish this didn’t happen,” he said.
