MPO merger Senior Games Benfica Scallops Season

1:41:51organization that serves as the MPO for the Tri County Orlando Urban Area encompassing Orange, Osceola and Souvenir County. So Um I'd like you to you're all gonna get an invitation to that um bus. We'll have I can't make it. Okay. Well answered to them. But um Uh there'll be elected officials from all three counties and cities uh going over to Orlando for a special day. So uh if you can make it that would be really good. That Pasco

1:42:22has some some um representation. Um so uh Tourist Development Committee, um we again were selected for the Florida Senior Games. Um Then that's for the next four years. It's an Olympic style event for individuals age fifty at plus to compete and it will take place all through the county.

1:42:45Fifty is a senior?

1:42:47Yeah.

1:42:50So h so here's the sad thing. We don't have to buy anymore or more. You're still in. Go for it.

1:42:58So they cannot do They cannot do softball here. They have to go to Ocala because we don't have a softball here.

1:43:09We do not have enough softball fields for their tournament. So

1:43:12you're the only senior not um you know

1:43:15And swimming. The swimming takes place in another county because we don't have the the enough of the Olympic style swimming pools. So we'll have most of the stuff, but Heads up, some of this stuff has to to leave our county. Um uh Benfica Academy has opened their first residential academy in the United States at Saint Leo. It's one of the most well known Portuguese professional football clubs globally. Is that cool or

1:43:45what? But it has a large international following. So the prestigious academy will welcome players from around the world to train, develop, and compete at the highest level here in Pasco County. So which foot

1:43:57American football or soccer?

1:43:58It's soccer.

1:44:00Yeah,

1:44:01football. So there's a whole bunch of towns here where they're coming from. But uh Florida Sports Coast is partnering with Benfica to have on-site and digital presence to create destination awareness for visitors. and players who will be coming over because of that. With the Scallops Season Fam Tour, we had a travel influencer, Melina Lopez, 1.8 million followers. That's a lot. Out out on the water with other top

1:44:31content creators and journalists showcasing uh Pasco County activity. They also spotlighted the eco-friendly scallops. order tool. Um, initiative from Sea Grant Florida. I got one of those, those little and um an ifus and um they returned the undersized scallops to the water which is so important. I made my husband throws them back. Uh the reports I'm getting, I haven't had time to go but once. Um and it wasn't in Pasco County. My husband and Dewey

1:45:01Mitchell went out, they was said it was really good in Pasco County.

1:45:05Everyone I've talked to, and I've talked to several, several people, they have getting record counts super fast and the sculpts are huge too, so it's been a great, great season for scalloping.