Finalists Named For Visit St. Pete/Clearwater President

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County Administrator Barry A. Burton announced the names of the two finalists for the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater president and CEO position.

They are: Steve Hayes, Visit Pensacola president and CEO; and Jeffrey Seifried, president and CEO of Branson Lakes/Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

Christopher Barrett, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau president and CEO, has withdrawn his candidacy.

“We expanded our nationwide search and found extremely well-qualified talent in these candidates,” said Burton. “I’m again counting on our community to meet our finalists and provide feedback to assist in my selection of our next tourism leader.”

Burton invited members of the tourism industry and the public to a meet-and-greet event with the three finalists Monday, Sept. 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort. Those interested in attending can RSVP online or call Della Klug in Administration at 727-464-3485.

Hayes has led Visit Pensacola since 2013, where he developed the Destination 2020 tourism strategy for the Greater Pensacola Bay Area. Prior to his current job, he spent 25 years working for Visit Tampa Bay in various management and leadership roles including serving as executive vice president.

Seifried has been at the helm of the Branson Lakes/Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau since 2015. In this role, he oversees the overall tourism vision and strategic plans, and has managed brand repositioning and new messaging strategies. His previous roles include management of regional development at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and a stint as director of a financial institution.

In January, former Visit St. Pete/Clearwater CEO announced that he was resigning.

After a search, the Pinellas County Commission announced plans in April to hire Jim Dean, who previously held leadership positions at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld, but Dean later decided to accept another job offer.

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater is the tourism bureau for all of Pinellas County.