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Dump trucks from Florida to help D.C. dig out — but also to lure tourists here

 
Fifteen dump trucks from Florida will help Washington, D.C., clear snow — and also deliver a message. 
Fifteen dump trucks from Florida will help Washington, D.C., clear snow — and also deliver a message. 
Published Jan. 27, 2016

Fifteen dump trucks from Florida were on their way to Washington, D.C., Wednesday to help clean up the record snowfall that blanketed the nation's capital during the blizzard last weekend.

The dump trucks are wrapped in bright yellow advertisements with a message from Visit Florida, the state's tourism agency.

"Sharing the Sunshine," the message on the trucks say, with a grinning snow man who has a thumbs up and holds a sign that reads "Florida bound."

"Florida is glad to help Washington, D.C., dig out from the snow I have seen on my visit here this week," Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement. "Our state will provide 15 dump trucks with a message of 'sunshine' to encourage residents as they clean up and recover."

The Florida Department of Transportation sent 31 state workers to help with the snow removal. The trucks and personnel are from cities in the northeast, northwest and Central Florida. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is coordinating the effort in response to an emergency management assistance compact request from the District of Columbia. Last weekend's storm blanketed the region with more than 20 inches of snow.

The effort from Florida will not be paid for through Florida tax dollars, according to a statement.

This isn't the first time Florida has taken advantage of bad weather up north to lure travelers to its sunny beaches and warm weather. Last winter, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater launched a marketing campaign that put snowmen in Chicago and New York holding signs that read "Sunshine or bust!" and "Even I've had enough!" At the bottom of the signs was a URL to winterblows.com, with travel information about Pinellas County.

"While Florida is proud to help out the nation's capital in the aftermath of this storm, we also want to send a friendly reminder to our chilly northern neighbors that we have plenty of sunshine and warm weather for them to enjoy here in the Sunshine State," said Will Seccombe, president and CEO of Visit Florida, in a statement.

Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com. Follow @SunBizGriffin