Okaloosa County BOCC — January 22, 2015 — Minutes — reading text

break included in school schedules. Joe Guidry stated that October was also a record month for military group reunions. d. Expenditure Transaction Report – Nov/Dec (Charlotte Dunworth) – Ms. Dunworth presented this item. e. Reconciliation of Promotional Reserves Funds – Dec/Jan (Charlotte Dunworth) – Ms. Dunworth presented this item. f. Okaloosa Island Fire District Annual Report (Charlotte Dunworth) - Ms. Dunworth presented this item. g. Film Commission Reports – Nov/Dec h. Visitor Center Top 10 States – Nov/Dec i. Airport Enplanements & Deplanements (VPS by carrier) – Oct/Nov j. Airport Enplanements & Deplanements (Airports Comparison) – Dec k. ECCC Sales Marketing Reports – Nov/Dec l. Group Sales Marketing Reports – Nov/Dec – Rachel Joyce requested the formula used to measure the economic impact. Ms. Dunworth referenced Pages 151-153 at $266 per day for each individual group. Ed Schroeder also referenced numbers used from Leisure Travel. Ed Schroeder also clarified there are some flaws in the formula in that the number of visitors doesn’t necessarily mean the same number of rooms, as it isn’t possible to track individual rooms. Actual impact figures need to be better and will become more refined. The strategic marketing plan is totally revamped and includes co-ops and a new pricing structure. m. Transfer to BP Account – AG Audit Corrective Action (Charlotte Dunworth) - Charlotte Dunworth explained tourist development tax funds have been transferred to be used under the BP funding agreement. Lynn Hoshihara clarified that BP grant funds used for promotional funds must be used for something not ordinarily used, so monies were shifted to cover non-compliant TDC tax dollars spent to correct the audit findings. n. Tentative FY 2016 Budget Schedule (Ed Schroeder) – Mr. Schroeder presented this item. Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 4 of 6 January 22, 2015  III. Public Comment (3 minutes each) Commissioner Ketchel stated the proposed airport name change will be brought up at the Commissioner’s meeting. Ms. Ketchel asked for thoughts as to the merit of using Destin in the new name. Joe Guidry mentioned he has received phone calls regarding ‘international’ in the name. Ms. Ketchel noted it may be short-sighted not to include international in the name. Mr. Guidry stated it would improve the stature of the airport image. Martin Owen noted it’s not really important worldwide to be called international, but officially it must be able to accommodate customs. The main concern is not to assign the Destin / Fort Walton Beach name to a regional or municipal airport only. Mike Anderson noted that websites such as Expedia don’t recognize Destin in search engines and the label VPS doesn’t relate to Destin / Fort Walton Beach. Joe Guidry said that would make two airports with the same name, i.e. Destin Executive Airport. Martin Owen commented that airport names are typically ego-driven. The main concern is how to promote the airport in search engines to include Destin. Ms. Ketchel said the issue started when Panama City Beach renamed their airport, causing confusion when searching for Northwest Florida. Ed Schroeder has been asked by the Airport Department when the TDC’s name change recommendation will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners. Dale Peterson wanted to give him the preferred name to present to the Commission. Sandy Williams of Boomer Aviation gave a brief history of the airports in Fort Walton Beach, and stated his willingness to change the name of the local airport for the better good of the area. He noted the airport in Navarre across from Walmart on Hwy 98 was named the “Fort Walton Beach Airport” many years ago, which is often confusing. Dale Peterson agreed that the Destin/Fort Walton Beach name is a larger draw than Northwest Florida. Ed Schroeder stated the Airport’s willingness to support the name change from Northwest Florida Regional Airport to include Destin/Fort Walton Beach. Motion to Change Northwest Florida Airport Name to include Destin/Fort Walton Beach RESULT: MOTION APPROVED [5:2, 1 Abstain] MOVER: Tom Rice SECONDER: Martin Owen AYES: Joyce, Gossom, Peterson NAYES: Guidry, Anderson ABSTAIN: Ketchel IV. Next TDC Meeting (Dale Peterson) a. Thursday, February 26, 2015 2:00 p.m. Emerald Coast Convention Center (Tentative) V. Adjourn (Dale Peterson) Meeting adjourned at 4:01 p.m. by Chairman Peterson. Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 5 of 6 January 22, 2015  APPROVED: APPROVED: By: By: Name: Dale E. Peterson Name: Ed Schroeder Title: Chairman Title: Director, Tourist Development Dept. Date: Date: Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 6 of 6 January 22, 2015