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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-12-2014 TDC MinutesST. LUCIE COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING Wednesday, November 12, 2014 ◊ 1:32 P.M. MINUTES Members present: Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky, Chairman Commissioner Rufus Alexander, City of Fort Pierce Marilyn Minix, Roadrunner Travel Resort Chris Egan, Vistana’s Beach Club – Sheraton PGA Clive Daem, Dockside Inn Terissa Aronson, St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce Members absent: Paul Taglieri, St. Lucie Mets Vice-Mayor Linda Bartz, City of Port St. Lucie Michelle MacNichol, Perfect Drive Golf Villas Staff present: Katherine Barbieri, St. Lucie County Attorney Charlotte Bireley, St. Lucie County Tourism & Venues Darius McPhall, St. Lucie County Tourism & Venues Also present: Laura O’Brien, PSL Civic Center Linda Fasano, Arts and Cultural Alliance Cathy Gibson, Motorized Kayak Adventures Francesca Tyler, Hilton Garden Inn Leyla Karacan, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, PSL Millie Feliciano, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, PSL Raymond J. Nau, Consultant 1. CALL TO ORDER: Commissioner Dzadovsky called the meeting to order at 1:32 PM. 2. ROLL CALL: Darius McPhall called roll. 3. GUESTS INTRODUCED THEMSELVES: Guests introduced themselves. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from October 08, 2014 were approved. 5. PUBLIC COMMENT: No public comments. 6. FINANCIAL REPORT & WEB REPORT: Charlotte Bireley reported that September 2014 revenue was 15% lower compared to Tourist Development Council Meeting ◊ November 12, 2014 September 2013. In 2014 we collected $26,413.00, which is 39% percent higher than what we budgeted. Charlotte Bireley reported that based on the P and L for the whole year our bed tax revenue was $602,981.00 which is 27% percent higher than what we budgeted She also highlighted that we were within 500 dollars of spending the proposed 2013/2014 tourism budget. Charlotte stated that she was researching the 15% decrease in bed tax revenue for the month of September in comparison to the year prior and once the information was gathered she would present her findings in a future meeting. Overall the TDC budget reported a 16% percent increase in comparison to last year’s end of fiscal year budget. During Charlotte’s finance report Commissioner Dzadovsky asked for the 5 cent report to be given at the next TDC meeting. She further highlighted that the expense vs. revenue report for the month of September was middle of the road in comparison to the expenses and revenues during this time last year. Charlotte reported a decrease in website activity of the St. Lucie County Tourism web site for the month of October in comparison to September however, in comparison to October of the last year there was increase of about 1300 new visitors that clicked on the tourism website. 7. Introduction of County Administrator: Howard Tipton gave a brief introduction of his experience with tourism. His career started in Volusia County and later moved to Orange County where he worked with Disney and professional baseball. Howard Tipton also stated that he has a very grounded and has in-depth knowledge of tourism and looked forward to improving the area in all aspects. 8. New Creative: Charlotte began the presentation giving a recap of what our current ads and campaign looked like in the past. Then she introduced the concept of the new campaigns through the eyes of the visitor. The point of view of the campaign is by seeing the ad through the eyes of the visitor, the visitor may connect to the ad on a more personal level thus sparking an interest to want to come visit the area. Charlotte further explained that the campaign used the ads to highlight the different assets of Saint Lucie County, thus hoping to appeal to a diverse audiences. Page 2 of 4 Tourist Development Council Meeting ◊ November 12, 2014 Charlotte also presented the TDC with new photography that the ads will feature. She explained that with each of the different pictures of the ads there was a different advertising concept. Charlotte concluded her presentation with a viewing of the new TV commercial. Charlotte highlighted special features of the commercial that she thought was beneficial for the tourist industry in our area. 9. Tourist Development and activity report: Commissioner Dzadovsky first began with giving the vision statement and mission statement of the Tourist Development Council. He then proposed the question to the council, did they feel like the TDC in its current state was meeting the initial vision and mission. He then passed the funding allocation explanation to Charlotte in which she highlighted how the different percentages of the 5% tourism tax were being allocated to fund tourism and development in Saint Lucie County. Charlotte continued with occupancy and ADR reporting. Charlotte stated that ADR was one of the major driving forces on why Saint Lucie County has seen so much growth in tourism over the last couple of years. Charlotte also presented the council with past events that are responsible for significant economic impacts. Commissioner Dzadovsky highlighted that this is something he works specifically with to bring large events to the area. He also touched on the Club Med Sandpiper impact on tourism. Commissioner Dzadovsky further explained the importance of having the ability to host large events that appeal to international audiences. Dzadovsky discussed the importance of having a larger facility that could house such events. Dzadovsky explained to the council that in order to market to the large audiences there has to be ample housing and zoning for venues of that caliber. Commissioner also explained that in order to make projects like this obtainable, the need for county and city support is vital. Highlighting the importance of municipalities supporting the growth not only for jobs in the area but tourism growth. Motion was made by Terissa Aronson to write up a letter on behalf of the TDC in support of the zoning and land use change. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Rufus Alexander. Motion passed unanimously. 10. Other Business: Commissioner Dzadovsky asked the board if they were interested in having someone else chair the board or would they have him to continue to chair the Tourist Development Council. According to Terissa Aronson, she stated the general feeling Page 3 of 4 Tourist Development Council Meeting ◊ November 12, 2014 of the council was that Commissioner Dzadovsky continues to chair the board due to his passion and knowledge of the tourism industry. Terissa Aronson also brought to the board, the idea of supporting the event district around the Fort Pierce Jetty and the possibility of bringing paid parking to the area as a revenue generator and a means to provide turn over parking for businesses. Commissioner Dzadovsky stated that they were unable to charge for parking in the area due to specific Florida Community Trust grant dollars that were given to the project when it was built for the community usage. Lastly Commissioner Dzadovsky brought up concerns of the Backus Museum’s scope of the project that was initially approved, and then the project that was presented at the last TDC meeting. Dzadovsky stated that is something that we need to advise to the county commissioners and let them make the final decisions on how they would like to handle the possible problem of a change in project. The board asked to be presented with the initial project plans against the new proposed plans to make a decision on how much the project scope has changed. 11. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 2:58 PM. Page 4 of 4