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Visit Florida, the state’s tourism agency, has a nationwide advertising campaign ready to launch but not enough money to get it off the ground. BP is promising 25 million dollars for the campaign but as Whitney Ray tells us, the state is still waiting on the money.

A week ago Monday BP CEO Tony Hayward delivered this message to Florida.

“What we have decided today is to allocate a grant of 25 million dollars to Florida for advertising,” said Hayward.

But the state is still waiting for the money, and with every passing day, tourists that would have ended up on Florida’s beaches are booking vacations elsewhere.

State Senator Al Lawson says with each day BP holds out, the state’s economy suffers.

“We need the money right way to get the message around all over the US that the oil has not hit our coast yet,” said Lawson.

But not everybody is waiting on BP. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is using its own money to buy radio and newspaper ads. A full page ad will begin running in USA Today Tuesday. Two radio commercials will also begin circulating throughout the southeast.

“It’s very frustrating. Like we had said before, Yesterday is too late, and we are a month into this and we do not have anything up yet,” said Carol Dover, President of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Visit Florida dipped into a state emergency fund to release an ad. Another titled “Open for Business” is expected to launch this week, but the real campaign starts as soon as BP lives up to its 25 million dollar promise. At tomorrow’s state cabinet meeting Visit Florida will layout its plan for a media campaign to run on radio, TV and internet nationwide.