Longtime St. Petersburg Clearwater Convention and Visitors Bureau Office Manager Set to Retire

After 30 years with the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Office Manager Sandy Galloway has decided to retire. Over the years she has gained a wealth of knowledge, met many interesting people and has seen a number of changes in both the organization and the area. But Sandy has decided now is the time to relax and take things a little easier.

Sandy notes that it was in the late 1970s that a group of business leaders including Don Seaton, owner of several hotels in Clearwater, and Wilson Hubbard,of John’s Pass in Madeira Beach, formed what is now known as the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

At the time 24 different communities in Pinellas County were all vying individually for tourist dollars. Those business leaders thought it would be more advantageous if all the communities joined together and formed a countywide organization to promote the area. The state had just passed a resort tax, and Pinellas County became one of the first to utilize that tax to fund the organization, known at the time as the Pinellas Suncoast Tourist Development Council.  The council’s offices were located at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and consisted of three people: a director, assistant director and a secretary.

In 1981, the Tourist Development Council became known as Discover Florida Suncoast. This is when Sandy joined the organization. She admits that at the time she was simply “looking for a job” and the thought of a three-decade-long career didn’t enter her mind.

From a small office of three, the department has made many changes to both its staff and location. Today there are some 30 people working for the CVB, now located at the St. Petersburg College Epicenter in Clearwater. While there have been many changes over the years, their mission has remained the same: to promote travel and tourism to Pinellas County throughout the world.

“I’m ready to hand the baton over to a future generation. I think they can handle it well,” she said.