May 26, 2026

Live From IPW: Visit Florida Keys' Kara Franker on Balancing Record Numbers and Real Limits

24 minutes

Welcome to a special IPW 2026 series of View From Afar. In this episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Visit Florida Keys and Key West president and CEO Kara Franker sits down with Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to talk about leading a record-breaking destination on a fragile string of islands—and why "better tourism" matters more than "more tourism."

Kara joined Visit Florida Keys in 2024 after leading Visit Estes Park in Colorado, and she came in at a pivotal moment. Key West International Airport saw more arrivals in 2025 than ever before, and 2026 is tracking strong. But the Keys are 120 miles of islands with one road in and one road out, a reef that protects them from hurricanes, and a deeply local culture that doesn't always love being shared. Kara's challenge: how to keep welcoming the world without loving the place to death.

In this conversation, Kara and Billie discuss

How Kara rebuilt her team from 12 staff to 30 in under two years, and why she recruited from outside the tourism industry

The shift from "spray and play" broadcast marketing to messaging that asks visitors to respect the reef, the key deer, and the locals

A new artificial reef being built so divers can practice before they touch the real thing—and how visitor tax dollars are funding it

Why the Keys are physically finite, what that means for residents trying to reach the grocery store on Memorial Day weekend, and the air taxi idea Kara has her eye on

What the recent Monroe County decision to stop using tourism tax dollars to fund LGBTQ events means for Pride in 2027—and why the community is already rallying

The "Come as You Are" tagline, the Conch Republic's rebellious spirit, and what it means to become a "freshwater conch"

Plus: stone crab vs. key lime pie, the only place in the world with crocodiles and alligators in the same place, and a pitch for adding lionfish to the menu.

Resources

– Visit Florida Keys website

– John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

– Fantasy Fest

– Afar guide to the Florida Keys and Key West

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome to View From Afar

00:01:30 Rebuilding the Team From Scratch

00:04:00 Better Tourism, Not More

00:06:30 Investing in the Community

00:11:00 Come as You Are

00:12:00 Pride, Politics, and the Path Forward

00:17:30 The Joy of the Keys

00:20:00 Becoming a Freshwater Conch

Stay Connected

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This IPW 2026 special series was recorded live. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media's podcast network (email ⁠[email protected]⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.

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