Okaloosa County BOCC — February 27, 2014 — Minutes — reading text

Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department 1540 Miracle Strip Parkway Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548 Regular Meeting http://www.okaloosafl.com ~ Minutes ~ Thursday, February 27, 2014 2:00 PM Emerald Coast Convention Center Tourist Development Council Members Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Departed Chairman, Dale E. Peterson Present - - Dale E. Peterson Vacations Vice-Chairman, Present Thomas Rice - - Magnolia Grill Rachel Joyce Hampton Inn FWB Present - - Daniel Empson Harry T’s Restaurant Absent - - Thom Gossom Best Gurl, Inc. Present - - Joe Guidry Ramada Plaza Resort Present - - Tuffy Dixon Destin Councilman Present - - Charles Rigdon FWB Councilman Present - - Kelly Windes Commissioner District 5 Present - - Ed Schroeder TDD Director Present - - Lynn Hoshihara TDD Attorney Present - - Mr. Peterson called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. I. Public Comments Related to Current Agenda The chairman opened the floor to public comment related to the current agenda. No one accepted the offer at that time. II. Consider Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council Meeting Minutes (Dale Peterson- Chairman) The committee proceeded to put the previous meeting minutes’ approval to a vote. Motion to Approve December 2013 TDC Meeting Minutes RESULT: MOTION APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Rice SECONDER: Rigdon AYES: Gossom, Guidry, Windes, Peterson, Dixon, Joyce Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 1 of 9  III. Director’s Update (Ed Schroeder) TDD Director, Mr. Schroeder, continued the meeting by announcing Mr. Thomas Kraus’ impending retirement after 16 years of county service. Mr. Kraus was lauded for his accomplishments and devoted service. Next Mr. Schroeder queried the continuation of the county’s use of the Smith Travel Research occupancy and ADR trends report. The report currently evaluates 26 hotel/motel properties within Okaloosa County. However, only 18 of them are actually within the taxing district. The others are located in Niceville and or Crestview. He questioned the value of the report considering as it only includes 15% to 20% of the total properties from all venues. In response, Mr. Guidry questioned whether the same figures could be pulled from the Tax Collector’s reports. Mr. Schroeder stated there were several items that could not be found from homegrown sources. Mr. Guidry continued by saying the report is standard by which those in the industry comparatively grade their business. Ms. Joyce stated her agreement. Ms. Hoshihara further explained that the contract required in order to receive the report is in direct violation of portions of the FL Sunshine Law; most specifically, the fact the information may not be publicly shared. One way to work around this restriction would be by paying more for the republication rights to distribute. Ms. Hussong said the estimated annual STR contract cost would be $19,000 a year with full republication rights, including distribution online and in printed TDC meeting documents; and $10,000 annually without republication rights and limited use. Mr. Gossom queried if we were the only county in the state of Florida to encounter this issue. Mr. Schroeder reiterated his discussions with other CVB directors. Mr. Dixon suggested a working group, to include Mr. Schroeder, Ms. Joyce, and Mr. Guidry to further discuss the issue. The lawyers are currently working with STR to find a solution. IV. Financial Status Update (Ed Schroeder /Charlotte Dunworth) a. November and December Month End Tax Revenue Reports from the Okaloosa County Tax Collector- Ms. Dunworth briefed the TDC Council on the November and December reports from the Tax Collector’s office. November collections were up 5% and December enjoyed a 1.1% increase from the previous year. Overall, collections increased 7.6% over the previous year. b. February Financial Update- Ms. Dunworth went on to provide the TDC with a line-by- line review of the current month’s financial status. Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 2 of 9  c. Special Event & Sponsorship Funding- Ms. Dunworth reviewed the spreadsheet listing special events and sponsorship funding. Motion to Approve Financial Update as Provided RESULT: MOTION APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Rice SECONDER: Dixon AYES: Gossom, Guidry, Windes, Peterson, Rigdon, Joyce V. Convention Center Update (Bill Leaman) Mr. Leaman, Convention Center, shared the progress on the construction of the event pad, to date. The project is on schedule to be completed April 20th. A shed co-located will provide electrical outlets for event usage. Several event planners have made inquiries into its use already, with one event scheduled closely following its completion. The pad will offer an additional 30,000 square feet of space for events at the center. VI. Marketing Update (Kendra Moore-Nixon) Ms. Nixon discussed several awards and accolades bestowed on the convention center and destination as a whole. Among them were the Emerald Coast Convention Center, Reader’s Choice Award, and Best Meeting Place in the South. Additionally, Trip Advisor named the Emerald Coast one of the “Top Ten Destinations on the Rise.” FlipKey recognized Destin in the “Top 10 Best Gulf Beaches.” Mr. Rick Seevers announced that the Emerald Coast CVB received a Gold Addy Award for the 2013-14 Emerald Coast Visitors Guide cover, a Silver Addy Award for the entire Visitors Guide, and a Silver Addy Award for the Dining 2-page editorial section. The Peter Mayer Agency then reviewed the “A Very Emerald Christmas Campaign” results compiled to date; including the national coverage that ran in print and broadcast. Many stories were picked up by various national stations across the country. They went on to share the highest numbers from views, shares and responses to-date via social media during December. January numbers continued to exceed December’s. They also have a plan to begin using another social media tool, Instagram, and have high expectations for its success. The agency reassured the TDC Council the BP grant monies due to expire at the end of March have been allocated in their entirety. The agency plans to invoice the TDD by March 19 in order to complete the funding requirements before the deadline. Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 3 of 9  Attendees were then shown future advertising, to include television commercial, radio and print spots to be placed in various media for the next season. Video and photo shoots are on the schedule to be completed soon. Additionally, the UWF Haas Center will begin working on quarterly reports and economic impact reports Monday to provide a more complete picture of areas for improvement. Mr. Gossom requested a report of lessons learned from the Christmas campaign to identify how the first seasonal event went, and determine what can be done to improve the campaign if the group decides to hold it again. The agency stated they would compile the information. Ms. Joyce requested the agency ensure the partner’s inputs were solicited and incorporated in the report. Mr. Guidry stated that the RV parks are running at 100% capacity, the condos have had a soft opening this year and hotel numbers were good in January and February, but soft in March. Many accolades were received from the TDC Council on the job the agency did. VII. Sales Update (Tisha Maraj) The sales team is currently focusing efforts on drawing in more corporate events. With the drawing down of government, the team identified the need to refocus efforts. They are currently gathering leads from associations in which they are members. November and December brought two big groups that put a lot of heads in beds. Both groups are scheduled again for 2015. VIII. Old Business IX. New Business The chairman requested Ms. Moore present at this time. Ms. Leigh Moore from the Howard Group was introduced to discuss plans to widen US 98 in Destin from four to six lanes. There are currently two contiguous projects being planned by the FDOT. Her group is interested in increasing funding to accelerate the projects. Both are in the design phase with FDOT during April and August of this year, respectively. The department currently estimates the completion of the roadway by 2030. In addition to widening the roadway, the projects would increase sidewalk space, include beautification, widening of the roadway median and adding trees, as well as increasing the bike lane width. Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 4 of 9  The group would like to increase funding to expedite the project. However, support from counties and cities are pivotal. The Howard Group is spearheading the charge to show support for the project. Signed resolutions or commitments by various groups have been made, to include the Scenic