Pinellas County tourism leader steps down

Steve Hayes has resigned from his post as president and CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, the destination marketing agency for Pinellas County, after four years.

A news release issued by Pinellas County government on Tuesday does not cite a reason for Hayes’ departure but says Brian Lowack, special assistant to the county administrator, will lead the agency on an interim basis while the county conducts a search for a permanent replacement.

Courtesy photo

“Pinellas County and the VSPC team remain fully committed to supporting the hospitality and tourism industries, and the communities and companies that make up our destination,” County Administrator Barry Burton states in the release. “We are grateful to Steve for his years of service to Pinellas County and wish him success in his future endeavors.”

Burton adds, “We are confident in the ability of our team members to continue to deliver exceptional results for our industry partners and drive growth in visitation during the leadership transition.”

Hayes came to VSPC from Visit Pensacola, where he served as president. He led that organization from 2013 to 2019.

At VSPC, Hayes spearheaded several innovative tourism marketing campaigns, such as “Life’s Rewards,” a TV series that was streamed on Amazon Prime Video and spawned a second season, which Sarasota-based travel marketing company Miles Partnership helped produce.