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Home My WebLink AboutTDC 062017 Agenda PackageSt.L.xie Florida F1. Pierce • Port 51. Lucie • Hwh,n n Island ST. LUCIE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL Wednesday, June 14, 2017 Third Floor Conference Room - County Administration Building 2300 Virginia Avenue Fort Pierce, FL 34982 12:30pm PLEASE NOTE LOCATION & TIME OF MEETING 1. Call to Order......................................................................................................................Chris Dzadovsky 2. Roll Call.............................................................................................................................. Tayler Hardison 3. Self-Introductions..............................................................................................................Chris Dzadovsky 4. Approval of Minutes from May 10, 2017..........................................................................Chris Dzadovsky 5. Public Comment......................................................................................................... Chris Dzadovsky 6. Financial & Web Report ...................................................................... Charlotte Bireley / Tayler Hardison a. April 2017 Revenue and P & L Report b. April Monthly Expenses vs. Revenue Comp Report c. May Website Activity Report d. May Social Media Activity Report — Tayler Hardison 7. 2018 Proposed Budget.......................................................................................................Charlotte Bireley 8. eMail Marketing Report ..................................................................................................... Tayler Hardison 9. 2017 Fish Fort Pierce Campaign.......................................................................................Charlotte Bireley 10. Facebook / Sunshine Law............................................................................................... Katherine Barbieri 11. Tourism Activity Update.............................................................................................................................. a. 2017 Tourism Showcase Follow Up — C. Bireley / Terissa Aronson b. Blogger FAM Tour — C. Bireley / T. Hardison c. VISIT FLORIDA Educational Tour — C. Bireley d. Legislative Update — Nicole Fogarty, Legislative Affairs Director 12. Other Business...................................................................................................................Chris Dzadovsky 13. Adjournment......................................................................................................................Chris Dzadovsky Please note — Meetings are recorded. Anyone with a disability requiring accommodation to attend this meeting should contact the St. Lucie Tourism Office at (772) 462-1472 or TDD (772) 462-1428 at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the meeting. ST. LUCIE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING Members present: Wednesday, May 10, 2017 0 12:30 P.M. MINUTES Chris Dzadovsky, St. Lucie County Councilwoman Morgan, City of Port St. Lucie Terissa Aronson, St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce Michelle MacNichol, Perfect Drive Vacation Rentals Chris Egan, Vistana Beach Club — Sheraton PGA Buzz Smith, The Beachfront Inn Commissioner Rufus Alexander, City of Fort Pierce Paul Taglieri, St. Lucie Mets Members absent: Clive Daem, Dockside Inn Mayor Oravec, City of Port St. Lucie Staff present: Katherine Barbieri, St. Lucie County Attorney Charlotte Bireley, St. Lucie County Tourism Tayler Hardison, St. Lucie County Tourism Mark Satterlee, St. Lucie County BOCC Wren Underwood, St. Lucie County ERD Robert Delgadillo, St. Lucie County BOCC Also present: Rick Hatcher, Treasure Coast Sports Commission Noreen Kruse, Hutchinson Island Plaza Hotel & Suites Rachael Anglin, Downs & St. Germain Research Kelsie Stickles, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Fort Pierce Kathy Gibson, Motorized Kayak Adventures Kathleen Fredrick, A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery Holly Theuns, A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery 1. CALL TO ORDER: Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky called the meeting to order at 12:40 PM. Kathleen Fredrick, the director of the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery gave a brief introduction on the museum to the Council. 2. ROLL CALL: Tayler Hardison called roll. Tourist Development Council Meeting 0 May 10, 2017 3. GUESTS INTRODUCED THEMSELVES: Guests introduced themselves. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from February 8t" and March 17th, 2017 were approved. 5. PUBLIC COMMENT: No public comments. 6. Financial & Web Report: Charlotte Bireley began the financial report by giving the monthly P & L reports for February and March. For the month of February, Tourism was within $1000 of last year's bed tax at $96,610. She explained that the two higher expenses in February were due to the printing of the St. Lucie Travel Guide and the advertising costs that are picking up as Tourism starts marketing planning for the off-season (summer.) For the month of March, Charlotte reported that our bed tax was flat compared to last year at $115,320. Commissioner Dzadovsky added that 2016 was a record breaking year for bed tax. She then presented the year to date and explained that we are about 3/4 of the way through our budget. Charlotte then went over the web report. She reminded the council that research shows that the majority of new site launches take a hit on the web views at the beginning, as did the Tourism site. Michelle MacNichol commented that the web visits seemed high for a new site launch. Social Media Activity Update Tayler Hardison began the social media report for March & April by going over the new way the statistics are organized. She explained that for the month of April, Facebook numbers were up do to a "Spring in St. Lucie" ad campaign. The campaign was targeted to Floridians, with a budget of $375. She explained that the ad showcased all of the spring activities going on in St. Lucie and pushed visitors to the new website. Due to this campaign, the new tourism site received over 1,200 clicks and the post alone reached 38,925 people. Tayler reported that numbers for Instagram and Twitter are slowly but steadily increasing due to platforms like Crowdriff and with the help of the Visit Florida Twitter Chats each month. 7. Visitor Tracking Study -Second Quarter Report Rachel Anglin from the Downs and St. Germain Research Firm opened the presentation by giving the Visitor Study snapshot for months, January 2017- March 2017. The sample size over this quarter was 1000 people, which was significantly high. She Page 2of4 Tourist Development Council Meeting 0 May 10, 2017 explained that interviewers had been at several main events in St. Lucie over the quarter including the Fort Pierce Farmer's Market and the Spring Training Games conducting in -person surveys. She presented that the estimated total economic impact for the quarter was $274,346,800 with an approximate visitor count at 325,709. Some highlights of the presentation also included: • The average visitor profile remained closely the same as to last quarter, the average age at 57 with a 50% split male and female • 53% of our visitors came from Florida, New York, Canada, New Jersey & Connecticut • 46% of our visitors use paid accommodations, which is up 4% to the last quarter • The average visitor spent 6.9 nights in St. Lucie County • Approximately 1 in 3 visitors to St. Lucie were day-trippers • The number one reason for visiting St. Lucie was to relax and unwind followed by beaches and to visit friends and family remained the same from last quarter • 92% claimed that they would visit St. Lucie County again and visitor gave St. Lucie a 9.0 as a good place to vacation. • The average visitor spent $297 a day averaging a total of $2049 per trip (per person) • The majority of visitors had a household income of $78,500 which is slightly higher than last quarter • 14% of visitors also considered Jensen Beach, Vero Beach and West Palm Beach when choosing where to vacation • 1 in 3 visitors claimed they would visit St. Lucie more often if there were more upscale hotels on the beach • 11 % had seen or heard advertising on the St. Lucie area and 16% recalled Visit St. Lucie as the sponsor • 4% of visitors have used the Visit St. Lucie app, according to Downs and St. Germain research with other destinations, this number is average 8. Ecotourism FAM Tour Charlotte Bireley then went over the Ecotourism FAM Tour invitation included in the packet. She explained that the letter was sent out using a PR software that identifies writers in the outdoors and ecotourism fields. She explained that Tourism has budgeted for approximately 10-12 writers, but that we are not expecting more than 8 writers on the tour. Charlotte mentioned that the schedule included is subject to change based on the responses to the invite. 9. Tourism Showcase Charlotte Bireley went over the Tourism Showcase flyer. She explained how St. Lucie County Tourism is partnering with Indian River and Martin Counties so that the event will be bigger and better than previous years and giving the entire Treasure coast more exposure. She announced that the Florida Highwaymen will be there live painting and selling their artwork and that the Fisher family will be there giving a Page 3 of 4 Tourist Development Council Meeting 0 May 10, 2017 presentation on treasure hunting on the Treasure Coast. Charlotte urged those attending the meeting to attend and exhibit their Tourist attraction/hotel. 10. Other Business Terissa Aronson talked about the 21st annual Fishing Frenzy taking place May 11t" and 12t" in Fort Pierce that the St. Lucie Chamber is hosting. 11. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 2:00 PM. Page 4 of 4 TDC April 2017 Variance P & L Report Actual Budget Budget Bed Tax Revenue $75,166.27 $ 54,000 Carry Forward $ 37,878 $ 37,878 Interest $ 42 $ 42.00 Total Revenue $ 113,086 $ 91,920 Direct Expenses Personnel $ 23,940 $ 15,791 Contract Services $ 2,695 $ 5,000 Software Support $ 9,619 $ 2,717 Travel $ 474 $ 583 Communications $ 74 $ 150 Postage $ 731 $ 1,000 Printing $ - $ 2,083 Materials Center $ - $ 83 Promo Items $ 2,713 $ 333 Promo Activities/Entertainment $ 264 $ 1,667 Promo Advertising $ 8,291 $ 17,500 Office Supplies $ 37 $ 125 Dues & Memberships $ 35 $ 333 Aid (TCSC) $ 39,500 $ 39,500 Training & Seminars $ - $ 167 Equipment $ - $ - G & A $ 5,156 $ 5,156 Tax Collector $ 1,218 $ 1,218 Total Direct Expenses $ 94,748 $ 93,406 Net Income $ 18,338 16% 39% 0% 0% 23% 52% -46% 254% -19% -51% -27% -100% -100% 715% -84% -53% -70% 0% 0% -100% 0% 0% 0% 1% YTD as of 04/2017 Annual Variance P & L Report Actuals Budget Budget Bed Tax Revenue $ 517,955 $ 600,000 -14% Carry Forward $ 265,146 $ 454,534 -42% Interest $ 294 $ 500 -41% Total Revenue $ 783,395 $ 1,055,034 -26% Direct Expenses Personnel $ 110,840 $ 189,497 -42% Contract Services $ 16,827 $ 60,000 -72% Software Support $ 26,102 $ 32,600 -20% Travel $ 2,400 $ 7,000 -66% Communications $ 408 $ 1,800 -77% Postage $ 4,998 $ 12,000 -58% Printing $ 17,279 $ 25,000 -31% Materials Center $ 130 $ 1,000 -87% Promo Items $ 4,916 $ 4,000 23% Promo Activites/Entertainment $ 2,816 $ 20,000 -86% Promo Advertising $ 91,287 $ 210,000 -57% Office Supplies $ 527 $ 1,500 -65% Dues & Memberships $ 3,157 $ 4,000 -21% Aid (TCSC) $ 186,500 $ 215,000 -13% Training & Seminars $ 598 $ 2,000 -70% Equipment $ - $ 22,000 G & A $ 36,092 $ 61,868 -42% Tax Collector $ 8,526 $ 14,616 -42% Total Direct Expenses $ 513,403 $ 883,881 -42% Net income $ 269,993 34% TDC Website Visitor Summary www.visitstlucie.com 2015 Jun - Jul LAug _ Sep Total Visits 14,865 15,849 18,593 10,851 10,572 18,151 11,410 11,793 10,472 11,492 10,711 11,821 156,580 Pageviews 36,667 37,505 42,836 25,700 24,525 33,831 27,491 26,869 24,112 26,482 25,124 28,690 359,832 Bounce Rate 59% 61% 64% 63% 63% 73% 59% 60% 57% 57% 57% 56% 61% Avg Time 1:59 1:48 1:41 1:44 1:46 1:17 1:54 1:50 1:52 1:52 1:59 1:56 1:48 New Visits 83% 84% 86% 84% 83% 85% 73% 70% 65% 62% 65% 65% 75% Visits 15,433 14,475 15,109 13,008 13,391 18,662 18,088 15,139 13,896 57,074 10,457 11,012 215,744 Pageviews 37,689 35,205 36,253 30,731 31,847 37,874 35,929 32,152 27,750 140,230 22,789 24,066 492,515 Bounce Rate 55% 55% 57% 56% 55% 64% 63% 52% 52% 47% 57% 57% 56% Avg Time 1:59 1:57 1:47 1:55 2:08 1:29 1:26 1:40 1:29 2:13 1:43 1:41 1:47 New Visits 69% 68% 68% 64% 60% 68% 71% 64% 61% 60% 56% 57% 64% 2017 Jan Feb Mar Apr Visits 13,532 12,169 12,262 9,722 10,803 58,488 Pageviews 30,923 27,296 30,834 23,071 26,117 138,241 Bounce Rate 57% 57% 51% 51% 55% 54% Avg Time 1:45 1:43 1:45 1:28 1:37 1:39 New Visits 61% 62% 66% 72% 70% 66% Social Media Activity A B C D E F G H I J K L M N 1 2 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Totals 3 4 Faceboo 5 New Likes 1,570 82 34 126 97 16,139 6 Total Reach 40,168 43,865 202,933 132,468 22,223 28,721 39,270 28,702 88,395 44,061 66,312 18,867 755,985 7 Post Engagement 6,433 5,933 7,811 29,517 5,641 5,811 6,828 4,607 8,358 9,500 11,042 4,549 106,030 8 Video Views 8,383 7,625 911 1,814 747 19,480 9 10 Instagram 11 Engagement 940 1,045 1,656 1,429 1,539 1,027 1,400 1,970 2,100 2,589 3,411 1,940 21046 12 New Followers 124 102 82 73 68 31 67 55 328 200 207 166 1503 13 14 Twitter 15 Mentions 93 69 79 78 86 231 85 54 54 101 97 72 1099 16 New Followers 170 105 76 80 55 43 30 64 41 53 47 36 1,335 17 Impressions 25,800 30,600 44,500 54,100 46,500 32,700 33,000 39,000 40,400 60,400 58,900 47,600 513,500 18 Profile Visits 2,238 3,012 2,855 3,022 2,442 2,195 1,739 1,703 1,828 2,539 2,459 600 26,632 19 20 Reach/Impressions Number of how many people viewed our posts Engagement Likes/favorites, comments and/or shares New Follower A new user that can see all Visit St. Lucie posts on their feed Mention Someone tagged @VisitStLucie in their own post Page Likes Someone on Facebook has liked the Visit St. Lucie page 21 22 23 24 25 0 FY 2018 Proposed Budget Tourist Development Council I" @ MOM -A :ww cie Florida St LU Ft. Pierce -• .Part.5t, Lucie -. r • Hutchi-nson Is -land Tourist Development Tax Allocation St. Lucie County has a 5 percent tourist tax collected on accommodations rented for six months or less. The funding is allocated in the following manner: • First & Second Cents - Operation and maintenance of St. Lucie County's Sports Complex (First Data Field) • Third Cent - Promote Tourism • Fourth Cent - Pay debt service on bonds used to finance the reconstruction and renovation of the St. Lucie County Sports Complex (First Data Field) • Fifth Cent - 67 percent of the 5th cent tax is allocated to pay debt service on bonds issued to finance the renovation and reconstruction of the St. Lucie County Sports Complex (First Data Field). The remaining 33 percent of the 5th cent tax is allocated for capital facilities that promote tourism located north of Midway Road. Estimated Annual TDT Revenue $312250#000 — Collection total (5%) $6451000 —Total for TDC Promotion (10.11ro) Reserves Policy In 2013, the TDC directed staff to implement a budgetary practice of maintaining a reserve amount that was equal to 3-4 months of tourist tax revenue. $645,000 annual rev / 12 mo. _ $53,750 avg monthly revenue $53,750 x 3 or 4 months = $161,250 to $215,,000 reserves 2018 Budget Highlights • Annual revenue based on 5-year revenue analysis (conservative) • Maintaining reserves amount as per policy • Slight decreases in postage, printing, software support, & promotional entertainment • Slight increases in personnel & travel • Substantial increase in promotional advertising • Proposed decrease in funding to Treasure Coast Sports Commission • No new funding for procurement of dedicated tourism vehicle 0 Proposed increase of funding for General Administration Estimated TDTTax Revenue Estimated Fund Balance Forward Budgeted Expense 2017 $ 600,000.00 $ 454,534.00 Tota 1 $ 1,054,534.00 2018 $ 645,000.00 $ 449,830.00 $ 1,094,830.00 Personnel $ 189,497.00 $ 208,742.00 Contract Services $ 60,000.00 $ 60,000.00 Software Support Service $ 321,600.00 $ 30,000.00 Tra ve 1 $ 7,000.00 $ 8,500.00 Communications $ 1,800.00 $ 1,800.00 Postage $ 12,000.00 $ 91,000.00 Printing $ 25,000.00 $ 17.1500.00 Materials Center $ 11,000.00 $ 1,000.00 Promo Items $ 41,000.00 $ 4,000.00 Promo Activities/Entertainment $ 20,000.00 $ 17,000.00 Promo Advertising $ 210,000.00 $ 225,000.00 Office Supplies $ 11,500.00 $ 11,500.00 Dues & Memberhsip $ 41,000.00 $ 4,000.00 Aid (Treasure Coast Sports Commission) $ 2151,000.00 $ 1851-000.00 Training & Seminars $ 2,000.00 $ 2,000.00 Equipment $ 22,000.00 $ - G & A $ 611,868.00 $ 1371,696.00 Tax Collector $ 14,616.00 $ 14,616.00 Total Budgeted Expense $ 883,881.00 $ 927.354.00 Reserves $ 170,653.00 $ 1671476.00 { Discussion _ -��; _ —.r ... _. _ -_ .. i. _ -�_ _ - �. .- " _ —arc �-.� 1 .� y'�ia'$ � 7!► _ -�•�aY� � ��'+�r ��..,� :4' -•.' %• ,-F _ - r. ^._ _ _ 1' �'; *�..%r.- w _ �r « �r aw- i =wit " rV' r r� Jl. ji .. -. _.�_.�. c '___ . %� + '• .. - . .e _ -��' +�. � � � � �•yf * i�•jir'`.. ��'" �:-: _,��, ,r_ t�1�ry,.:��.". s. .:i�� •�- AWL S . , � K' � a . � • , • � � �a • - �- r, - `'s.• �* � ��. .y.,�.:. y � �,� - rar � 1 •.w� � � X�e•r} r .-ram': - ,�� r _ n►IL _ Ar '' SPRING 2017 Em a st Ike su Its �/.rif St.Lucie Florida Ft. Pierce • Part St. Lucie Hutchinson Island .410, CONb-fA'NTCONTACT *Email marketing software *Unlimited emailing • Real-time tracking & reporting • Customizable email templates *Training, webinars & live support • Email automation & scheduling *Social email marketing Cost: $1416 (annually) BLAST- CONTENT FLcrrida Fi. PiBt{9 • Rol S 51. LLi.IC Huitchinsum ISIAIId 6-104 AL, RESULTS SUM M A RY '43, 845 Emails Sent '34,437 Successful Deliveries 078% Delivery Rate Deployed: May 5, 2017 at 4:OOPM OPENS • 16% Open Rate •Industry Average:13.8% (Marketing & Advertising) • 7,604Total Opens '5-,46oUnique Opens Opens: 24 h r. Pe rfo rm a nc e no 500 493 400 300 200 146 Zoo Lel 61 53 g 12 37 13 16 o�� 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ti' VC o tio' ti' �' ,�. tio' ti• 1' Opens: Weekend Performance 5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 693 574 500 n 4503 1275 Friday Saturday Sunday Monday CUCKS • 56 Travel Guide Requests • Click Rate:6% • Industry Average: 1.4% (Marketing &Advertising) 429Total Clicks 330 Unique Clicks FORT ST. LUCIE I FORT PIERCE HUTCHINSON ISLANO WISITSTLUCIEFLA.COM r� iJ-r r1] _ , r)] _ TRAVEL GUIDE TOPCUCKS Travel Free-ly Discoverthe top FREE things to do in St. Lucie during your stay! Nature hikes, free admission to the Aquarium, parking at our gorgeous beaches & more. COMPARISON REPORT March 2017 • 42gTotal Clicks 330 Unique Clicks • 16% Open Rate • 7,604 Total Opens •5-,46oUnique Opens May 2017- Constant Contact • 525 Total Clicks • 336 Unique Clicks • 10.3% Open Rate • 5,786Total Opens •3,862UniqueOpens 20th .inn l versezry coolo brutrcon f� Siltiir�'"' -,, nAig • Email Webinars • A-B Testing • New Content Subject Line Changes • Research Our view: Board members should wise up, keep government business off Facebook Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board 4:43 p.m. ET May 25, 2017 (Photo: LEAH VOSS/TCPALM) Here's what happened: Three members of the same public board discussed potential government business on a social media site. If the three were doing the same via email, or talking in a hallway or by conference call, there would be no question Florida's Sunshine Law had been violated. Yet some doubt whether the law is abrogated when public officials converse with one another on social media. It's time to end the speculation. "If they're talking back and forth about an issue, that's a meeting; and by law, it has to be announced beforehand and be open to the public." So said Barbara Petersen, president of the Florida First Amendment Foundation, the Tallahassee -based nonprofit dedicated to open government. State law prohibits two or more members of an elected or appointed board from discussing matters that may result in foreseeable action outside of a public meeting that has been duly noticed. Petersen's comment was in reference to several social media conversations between three members of the South Florida Water Management District's Water Resources Advisory Commission (/story/news/local/indian-river-lagoon/health/2017/05/19/south florida water management district facebook sunshine-law/101714052/): Nyla Pipes of Port St. Lucie, Newton Earl Cook of Tequesta and Mikhael Elfenbein of Englewood. On at least five occasions in the past two months, the trio chatted on Pipes' Facebook page about the reservoir the Florida Legislature funded in Senate Bill 10. ADVERTISING The reservoir, to be built south of Lake Okeechobee, will help reduce discharges to the estuaries east and west of the lake. The Water Resources Advisory Commission, as its name suggests, advises the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, which will work with the federal government to design and build the reservoir. Pipes and Cook told TCPalm they don't think Sunshine Law applies to Facebook. They are wrong. Elfenbein declined to comment Equally telling is the revelation by Pipes, who is active on social media, that the district didn't warn her about Facebook. To this point, information provided by the district to incoming commission members only warns against discussions "in person, by phone or by email." These three categories are illustrative, but not complete. Sunshine Law applies to discussions between two or more board or commission members in any medium that facilitates conversation, including Facebook. Of the commission trio, Petersen said they can express their opinions on social media, but "they just can't talk with each other on Facebook about commission business." Pagel of 3 An April 2009 opinion by former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum echoes this conclusion. There are a few lessons here. First, if you are an elected or appointed official, DO NOT CONVERSE with another member of the same board or commission about potential government business on social media sites. Second, the water management district needs to adequately train board members to navigate social media. And it's not just the district. The rapid growth of social media puts additional responsibility on all local governments to obey Sunshine Law while their members participate in electronic conversations. Editorials of Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPaim are decided collectively by its Editorial Board. To respond to this editorial in a letter to the editor (http.//static.tcpalm.com/forms/?wid=o1ikscldlv7h87e), email up to 300 words to TCNLetters@TCPalm.com. Nyla Pipes about a ,month ago I'm grateful Floridians are beginning to come together to find compromise and work toward solutions for the future of all of us! The Everglades Agriculture Area Reservoir that began in the 90's can now be completed, and, when combined with the other projects, we will finally begin to see relief. It ALL needs done! Keep your foot on the gas pedal, everyone! Guardians of the Glades ;+ Community Organization . 609 Likes May 2 at 53pnn Months of advocating for the Glades community and explaining the lives and happenings of the Glades to legislators and those outside of the community have paid ... See More Share [View the above Facebook post in a new window. (http://www facebook com/pipinghotdesigns/posts/10211816704080603?pnref—story)] Nyla Pipes about a, rnonth ago Well, Everglades Trust is already putting their spin on this... I guess someone should tell this guy that it wasn't sugar that "fought" this Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir the first time around, but indeed, it was lawsuits by the environmentalist's that stopped it, and then they got distracted by the bad Crist deal for disconnected parcels of land and 20 year lease -backs to sugar... Sheesh! Can you say revisionist history?! Good thing some of us know better... Here, for your "reading pleasure", the latest spin piece by fundraisers posing as environmentalists... State Finally Passes Everglades Restoration Reservoir Bill Aft... There is no more obvious symbol of the sugar industry's stranglehold over Florida, or its wa... M1AII!1P1FVV iP ES:. 3➢( is 12 Page 2 of 3