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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTDCTHE NEXT TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON Wednesday, February 11, 2015 AT 12:00 PM. THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT Oxbow "co -Center 5400 NE St. James Drive Poet St. Lucie, 3498 PLEASE CALL 772.462.2130 WITH ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. Anyone with a disability requiring accommodation to attend this meeting should contact the St. Lucie County Community Services Director at (772) 462-1777 or TDD (772) 462-1428 at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the meeting. st.wde Florida Ft, (Fierce - Port 5t. Lucie Hutchinsou Island ST. LUCIE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL Wednesday, February 11, 2015 Oxbow Eco-Center 5400 NE St. James Drive, Port St. Lucie, 34983 12:00 p.m. Call to Order....................................................................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky RollCall...............................................................................................................................Darius McPhall 3. Self-Introductions............................................................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky 4. Approval of Minutes from January 14, 2015...................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky 5. Public Comment.......................................................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky 6. Financial & Web Report....................................................................................................Charlotte Bireley a. December 2014 Revenue and P & L Report b. December 2014 Monthly Expenses vs. Revenue Comp Report c. January 2015 Website Activity Report 7. East Coast Greenway & St. Lucie County ............................... Herb Hiller, East Coast Greenway Alliance 8. St. Lucie/Martin Regional Waterways Plan .........................Kim Delaney, TC Regional Planning Council 9. Proposed Event Grant Program.........................................................................................Charlotte Bireley 10. Other Business....................................................................................................Commissioner Dzadovsky It. Adjournment....................................................................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky VISION STATEMENT By 2017, the St. Lucie County Tourist Development Council will provide a greater impact in promoting St. Lucie as a top Florida destination for Eco/Adventure/Agri Tourism; amateur/professional sports; and other known assets, allowing for increased overnight stays. Please note — Meetings are recorded. Anyone with a disability requiring accommodation to attend this meeting should contact the St. Lucie Tourism Office at (772) 462-2130 or TDD (772) 462-1428 at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the meeting. COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT Wednesday, January 14, 2015 0 1:30 P.M. Lii7Plgttpt Members present: Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky, Chairman Marilyn Minix, Roadrunner Travel Resort Chris Egan, Vistana's Beach Club — Sheraton PGA Clive Daem, Dockside Inn Michelle MacNichol, Perfect Drive Golf Villas Vice -Mayor Linda Bartz, City of Port St. Lucie Members absent: Commissioner Rufus Alexander, City of Fort Pierce Staff present: Heather Young, St. Lucie County Attorney Charlotte Bireley, St. Lucie County Tourism & Venues Darius McPhail, St. Lucie County Tourism & Venues Also present: Linda Fasano, Arts and Cultural Alliance SLC Ted Burrows, St.Lucie Historical Society Linda Hudson, City of Fort Pierce Mayor Joy Washauer, Realtor Rick Hatcher, Treasure Coast Sports Commission 1. CALL TO ORDER: Commissioner Dzadovsky called the meeting to order at 1:34 PM. 2. ROLL CALL: Darius McPhail called roll. 3. GUESTS INTRODUCED THEMSELVES: Guests introduced themselves. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from December 10, 2014 were approved. 5. PUBLIC COMMENT: No public comments. 6. FINANCIAL REPORT & WEB REPORT: Charlotte Bireley reported that the tourist tax revenue for November 2014 was $201,085.00, which is 5% percent higher than the tax revenue from last year November 2013. The bed tax portion of the tourist received was $40,217.00, which is 41 % higher than what was originally budgeted. Tourist Development Council Meeting 0 January 14, 2015 Charlotte then addressed the expense vs. revenue report and gave background on the negative net income figures due to aid from previous months being billed in total in the month of November. Charlotte reported an increase in website activity of the St. Lucie County Tourism web site for the month of December also in comparison to prior months there was an increase and to December of last year there was increase. She reported that the website visits for the 2014 was 124,000 and in 2013 was only 103,000. 7. 300th Anniversary of Spanish Treasure Fleet: Mayor Linda Hudson began the presentation by giving some background history and the significance of the Spanish Treasure Fleet that sunk during a hurricane in July 1715. Then she introduced Ted Burrows who continued the presentation with a more in-depth description of the fleet's history and the history of the Treasure Coast. Burrows concluded the presentation with asking the Tourist Development Council for support of future endeavors with the historical society and events associated with the recognition of this historic event. 8. Tourism Promotion Activities Update: Charlotte Bireley started her presentation with a reference to a hand out in the TDC packet that highlighted that Saint Lucie County Equestrian events have doubled at SLC fairgrounds. The events are responsible for attracting over 50% more visitors to our area. Charlotte also highlighted how the improvements at the fairgrounds have contributed to attracting the horse community. In addition, Charlotte mentioned IPW is offering a FAM tour of travel writers and bloggers that are coming to one of the biggest travel shows in Orlando. After the IPW conference those writers have been invited to stay after and visit some of the selected travel destinations of Florida. Charlotte stated that if SLC is chosen to host the group it could be very beneficial for receiving positive publicity. The SLC annual FAM tour this year will focus on the city of Fort Pierce and the following year will focus on the city of Port Saint Lucie. The theme this year is Fort Pierce for fishing and families. Charlotte then gave some proposed ideas on how the FAM tour will tie the families and the fishing professionals together thus appealing to both targeted groups. Charlotte also gave an update on the letter of support that was written on behalf of the TDC supporting the rezoning of North Hutchinson Island beach property as a commercial resort area. Page 2 of 3 Tourist Development Council Meeting 0 January 14, 2015 Bireley concluded her presentation with informing the council of a recent golf writer from Sweden that writes for an online publication. He golfed extensively in Saint Lucie County and noted that the courses were some of the top in Florida. Charlotte also gave an update on the local webcams. She reported that 2 of the 3 cameras are up, but are not publicized. They are currently waiting on the installation of a dedicated hard line at the third location. 9. Other Business: Commissioner Dzadovsky reiterated the initial mission statement of the council. He also expounded on how successful the council had been thus far on promoting the tourism. Paul Taglieri gave an update on the state of the art gym facility. The facility will be open for possible use. 10. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 2:45 PM. Page 3 of 3 TDC Dec 2014 Variance P & L Report Actual Budget Budget Bed Tax Revenue $ 50,417 $ 38,000 33% Carry Forward $ 19,602 19,602 0% Interest $ 42 $ 42 0% Total Revenue $ 70,061 $ 57,644 22% Direct Expenses Salaries $ 4,975 $ 5,366 -7% Benefits $ 1,796 $ 2,202 -18% Other Contract Services $ 2,519 $ 1,667 51% Software Support $ 3,900 $ 1,792 118% Travel $ 626 $ 583 7% Communications $ - $ 83 -100% Postage $ 198 $ 1,000 -80% Printing $ 135 $ 1,833 -93% Promotional Activities $ 1,858 $ 250 643% Promotional Entertainment $ 96 $ 1,083 -91% Office Supplies $ - $ 83 -100% Dues $ 2,803 $ 100 2703% Aid $ 7,500 $ 12,500 -40% G & A $ 5,156 $ 5,156 0% Materials Center $ - $ 83 -100% Promotional Advertising $ 6,067 $ 13,750 -56% Tax Collector $ 1,218 $ 1,218 0% Total Direct Expenses $ 38,845 $ 48,750 -20% Net Income $ 31,216 45% YTD as of TDC Year to Date 2014 12/31/2014 Annual Variance P & L Report Actuals Budget Budget Bed Tax Revenue $ 127,139 $ 500,000 -75% Carry Forward $ 58,806 $ 235,225 -75% Interest $ 126 $ 500 -75% Total Revenue $ 186,071 $ 735,725 -75% Direct Expenses Salaries $ 15,629 $ 64,390 -76% Benefits $ 5,502 $ 26,420 -79% Other Contract Services $ 3,578 $ 20,000 -82% Software Support $ 18,900 $ 21,500 -12% Travel $ 1,545 $ 7,000 -78% Communications $ 10 $ 1,000 -99% Postage $ 1,216 $ 12,000 -90% Printing $ 135 $ 22,000 -99% Promotional Activities $ 1,858 $ 3,000 -38% Promotional Entertainment $ 96 $ 13,000 -99% Office Supplies $ 125 $ 1,000 -88% Dues $ 2,803 $ 1,200 134% Aid $ 42,500 $ 150,000 -72% G & A $ 15,468 $ 61,868 -75% Materials Center $ - $ 1,000 -100% Promotional Advertising $ 21,670 $ 165,000 -87% Tax Collector $ 3,654 $ 14,616 -75% Total Direct Expenses $ 134,689 $ 584,994 -77% Net income $ 51,382 28% F-0 r-" Vlt J CMS M N xx �} Ln n m m N en H 14 W b O M h OI ttnn ct a x N M M � o a m o N a M N oN V oo m oo v oo U a h 1 . of a uS 0 m m m oo m to O ai o0 v m m W O N 01 0c1 M a x M N O w (n M N te7 tt M a) Chi h h O1 ei z a w m a m > > N O C t\O tNl1 O M M m V M M to n Ln > a of of ri Q �c lx g M 0\0 a � L; to a; fnoo M M Lnn M oo M O h a to o v a Lnn Go oo co x m o oo 14 m w °C O oo to In n n N N Ln a mV n m W LL \ w \ Ln \ \ h h to tD lD 01 oo cn d a m v m o< ko N oo H m M In co co v a Ln m Ww o \ n m O w N h h m Mal a m a Lnn M 1-1 M Q O N O 0 9 a w M ei rm T 2 n O N n K n O M N N 1 oo O M M m c► Ln oo a l�D T N Q w o a o z in to m h to v ai ri a m N M m Ln ea N M V to lD h W Ol O 'i Q E E E O LJ N @ L 4— O .41 v 7 Ln Y to � 3 u 3 N 00 0) ° Ln \ k N (, ° O ° ! 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C O C a 0 O w V s. s a r .,', W _ v1 wMZu.c9i� ai O P k a c a rr I L -°0 a0 i -C C d 0k t 0 [Date of issue] 2015 Mr. Billy Hattaway. Secretary District One Florida Department of Transportation 801 N. Broadway Avenue Bartow, Florida 33830-3809 Dear Secretary Hattaway: For the year 2014, St. Lucie County RV sites and condo rentals, which f< taxes. According to the Florida Dep< Report of October 2, 2013, hospitali percent of the county work force. i'inventory,,of 4,934 hotel, motel, generated'$3 million in room t of Economic Opportunity leisure, jobs account for 13.4 Among visitors, the county sees;"an increasing, number who arrive by bicycle and who, otherwise arrivingbyair. and/or, by car, ride bicycles during their stays. St Lucie County constitutes a vital link for the East Coast Greenway along ,its' -Maine -Florida route. ,.Data for the economic impacts of bicycle,touring are summarized at http://www.adventurecycling,.org/route=and-maps/us-bicycle-. routesystemlimplement=a=us-bike-routelbenefits-and-buildina- Accordingly, St. Lucie County has invested in many ways to market to the bicycle touring market. The county in 2010 developed a Bicycling & Trails Master Plan.It has built almost five north -south miles of its proposed network to AASHTO standards, which miles have been designated by the Greenway Alliance. The County Transportation Planning Organization has been first among thel3,counties of the Greenway through Florida to request that signs for the Greenway be posted along its entire route that traverses FDOT right of way. Indeed, the TPO is at work now with FDOT District 4 for permitting these signs. FDOT can provide additional important assistance for touring cyclists by allowing the posting of East Coast Greenway way -finding signs at intervals along through its entire 13-county Florida route. Such signage programs are now in place through most of the 14 Greenway states north of Florida to Maine, These signs are important for more than cyclists' safety: They tell cyclists that Florida is part of a national trail system that generates word-of- mouth marketing to the cycling world. Cyclists know they're welcome in Florida. They find back-up from cycling pages on the VISIT FLORIDA website, from a comprehensive trails website under compilation by the Department of Environmental Protection, from Florida pages at www.greenway.org., and from www.flgreenway.org. The St. Lucie County Tourist Development Company urges FDOT to permit the installation of signs along the entire route of the East Coast Greenway. Co-partners will work with FDOT to help fund these signs, their posting and maintenance, including county government offices,'tourism authorities such as ours, foundations and the private sector. The St. Lucie County Tourist Development Council welcomes FDOT's further leadership in facilitating this program. /signature of TDC chair/