Will the management of South Walton Tourist Development Council and the Walton County Chamber of Commerce soon be linked together, at least on an interim basis? County commissioners are to soon consider action on that possibility.
The first public discussion of oversight of the TDC by the chamber took place at the April 13 Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) regular meeting. A motion to approve the plan carried 4-1 at the meeting, in the absence of any written contract for the agreement being presented. However that motion was later withdrawn because public comment had not been taken prior to the vote.
Discussion of the possibility began when Gary Mattison, county human resources director, approached the commissioners at the April 13 meeting. Mattison asked for direction from the BCC due to his recently having received and accepted the “early retirement notice” of Sonny Mares. Mares served as TDC executive director from May 2008 until April 2, 2010.
Mattison noted that upon Mares’ departure, TDC Director of Communication Tracy Louthain was immediately put in place as interim director. “She is serving very admirably in that position,” he said. Mattison added that cooperation with other county departments was enlisted to support Louthain with her duties.
District 5 Commissioner Cecilia Jones asked Mattison to present the options for ways of moving forward.
Mattison explained that when the TDC director position was previously vacant, a search committee was created to find a new director, and candidates were sought nationwide. He estimated that it would take three to six months to get a new director on board through this process.
”We don’t want to get bogged down in looking for someone,” Jones responded. She asked if partnering with the chamber of commerce and the drawing upon the expertise of Dawn Moliterno, chamber director/CEO, for leadership and monitoring of the TDC would not be an option.
”Certainly that would be an option,” Mattison replied.
The commissioners discussed the need for strong leadership in the tourism arena at this particular time due to the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opening in less than six weeks and Southwest Airlines bringing low-cost air travel to the area at that time.
“It’s a crucial time,” County Commission Chairman Scott Brannon observed. He said he had spoken with Maurice Gilbert, TDC chairman, and had shared with him similar thoughts about an interim chamber/TDC partnership.
Brannon said he would support “pooling resources” in that way and “moving toward that critical date,” when the airport opens.
Cecilia Jones then made a motion to enter an agreement with the chamber to have the organization “oversee the operations of the TDC” on an interim basis. The motion was seconded and a vote was quickly taken. The motion passed 4-1, with District 3 Commissioner Larry Jones voting no.
During much of the discussion, Walton County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) President Bob Hudson had been standing at the front of the meeting room prepared to provide input. Hudson then objected that no public comment period had been provided prior to the vote. Brannon apologized, saying that he had not seen Hudson standing there, and Cecilia Jones withdrew her motion, negating the vote just taken.
Taking the lectern, Hudson referenced “very shocking” allegations regarding spending of (tourist) tax dollars by the TDC administration that had surfaced during the past week. “We need an effective TDC,” Hudson told the commissioners, adding that spending issues must be addressed.
In addition to the audit of TDC credit card activity recently initiated by the BCC, Hudson called for the suspension of all TDC employee credit cards until such time as adequate oversight procedures are developed, a review of all TDC contracts, and a review of TDC advisory board composition.
Hudson raised strong opposition to placing the operation of the TDC “under the control” of the chamber or any other private entity.
The Walton County Chamber of Commerce is a private organization funded primarily through memberships.
The establishment of the TDC, a public entity, was required by state law prior to Walton County initiating the collection of the tourist development tax (bed tax). County voters approved the imposition of that tax on short-term rentals south of the bay by referendum in 1986, legally establishing the Local Option Tourist Development Act in Walton County. Currently the organization has a yearly budget of approximately $12 million, with that funding being provided through the bed tax rather than ad valorem taxes.
Malcolm Patterson, Walton County’s first TDC director and one who held that position for a decade, addressed the commissioners. He urged attention to three factors with the organization: leadership, communication, and oversight. “If those are addressed, your problems will be solved,” Patterson commented. He explained that during his years at the helm, a TDC board member rigorously reviewed all directors’ and employees’ expenditures before they were submitted to the county for payment.
Patterson then expressed concern at the possibility of “turning the operations of the TDC over to a private organization” (the chamber). He observed that there are “a few” TDCs in the state that are managed by chambers of commerce. Most of these, he said, are too small to “stand alone” without the chamber.
There is a big difference between TDCs and chambers of commerce, Patterson continued, and that is that TDCs operate on “dedicated revenues” (the tourist or bed tax). While chambers may have some dedicated revenues, he said, for the most part they must raise money in order to fund their operations.
While noting that he always had excellent relations with the chamber of commerce as TDC director, Patterson emphasized that “there is a clear distinction” between a private organization such as the chamber and a “public entity” such as the TDC. He added that by law there are strict restrictions on how TDC moneys are expended….
