HERE COME THE HOGS: Emerald Grande to host 2010 Harley Rally (UPDATED with PRESENTATION VIDEO)

When Florida’s Harley Davidson owners come to town next year, the rising tide will lift everyone’s boats, members of Okaloosa County’s Tourist Development Council say.

“These people come with nothing on their bike, so they buy everything,” including food, beer, and ice chests, TDC member Lino Maldonado said at this week’s meeting. “Everybody benefits.”

Rental-owners too, Maldonado said, estimating the rally will require 7,000 room-nights worth of rentals next October.

The county announced Wednesday the Florida Harley Owners Group’s decision to hold the rally here, with Emerald Grande as the host site.

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To read about local businesses' reaction to the news, click here.

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Florida HOG has never gone further into Northwest Florida than Tallahassee, but the group’s Bruce Fuller told The Log this summer that the Destin/Fort Walton Beach area was a strong contender for next year’s rally: The roads are great for riding; it will be new terrain to many of the bikers; and the Emerald Coast has the lodging available for thousands of bikers and lots of activities for when they dismount from their Hogs.

Even though the group’s selection committee recommended the Emerald Coast to the membership, the TDC took no chances when it came to the presentation at this year’s rally in St. Augustine.

The TDC’s Sherry Rushing told the TDC board that she, TDC member Kathy Houchins and four others had made the trek to St. Augustine where they presented a DVD put together by local videographer Kevin Almodovar. The DVD spliced together shots of sailing, golf, dining out, beaches and the Gulf, with pounding music in the soundtrack.

The rival DVD from St. Petersburg, Rushing said, was black and white with a droning narrator; the St. Petersburg TDC representative didn’t even attend the presentation.

“After only five minutes, they made a decision they wanted to come to Northwest Florida,” Rushing said.

Houchins said it didn’t hurt that the TDC has already raised $63,000 in sponsorships, more than double what the rally usually receives.

Houchins said Florida HOG believes that because Okaloosa County is so far west of past rally sites, it will bring bikers from Texas and New Mexico to the event. She said many of the Floridians told her that because they’ll have to drive further to reach Destin, they’ll probably stay for a week rather than just the four days of the rally.

Fuller told The Log in June that despite the negative image of Harley riders, Florida HOG’s members are upscale professionals.

“You can’t get any more ‘family’ than our organization,” Fuller said. “I’m retired Army, 22 years; my wife, prior to becoming a Realtor, was general manager of a major oil company.”