WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. — A day after Hernando County's legislative delegation voted unanimously to pursue disbanding the city of Weeki Wachee, some in the city expressed concern about the effect that legislative move could have on area tourism.

No one can dispute the masses of tourists that come to Hernando County each year.

"Tourism keeps this whole area in business," said Jon Cone, owner of The Kayak Shack. "From the river to the restaurants to Pine Island Beach, there’s not all that much to do in Hernando County, so coming to the river is a big draw for us.”

What is in question, though, is how that industry could see an impact if Weeki Wachee is no longer considered a city.

“I just think it would be a shame for the economic interest in the county to lose the tourism attraction that we have in the city of live mermaids," said Joe Mason, city attorney in Weeki Wachee. "Just saying ‘The Weeki Wachee mermaids’ doesn’t have the cache that ‘The City of Live Mermaids’ would have when you're talking to people outside of the area.”

Mason says he plans to push back against the decision to move forward with plans to disband the city, which state lawmakers made Monday night.

“I think it’s very important to separate any conflict of interest between those that are running a city and that are also tasked with protecting this natural resource,” said Turbeville. 

He says he’s happy to see this moving forward, since this is a historic area that he says should be protected. 

We spoke with business owners in the area, who say they aren’t concerned this will impact tourism at all. 

“I think if people did their research and realize that it’s just the city, not the state park that may or may not be disbanded, I don’t think it will affect anything," Cone told us. "People just need to do their research, read, and ask questions."

The county declined to comment, saying the topic has not yet been discussed by commissioners.

A final decision will be made in Tallahassee during this coming legislative session.