Adding up tourism dollars is a numbers game. And if visitors don’t come, those dollars are bound to decline. A months-long outbreak of red tide seems to be factoring heavily into this equation, according to an article published in The St. Petersburg Times.

Motels and hotels along Florida’s Central Gulf Coast appear hardest hit, with VACANCY signs continually illuminated on motel billboards. Lack of visitors also has a trickle-down effect that cuts into the income of other businesses that depend on tourist dollars.

FS