by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
With a too-close-for-comfort 3-2 vote, the Duval County Tourist Development Council agreed Thursday to extend a $602,000 grant to help the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee offset game-related cost overruns.
Funded through the 6 percent bed tax, that money will be added to the other $1.2 million worth of bed tax dollars that will likely be used to pay off vendors and, most notably, parties involved in operating cruise terminals during the week of the game. The City Council is currently in the process of deciding if that transaction will take place.
“Right now we’re really just delighted the TDC has recognized that the Super Bowl was a tremendous success for Jacksonville, despite these overages,” said Kerri Stewart, a Mayor’s Office policy director.
But two TDC members, travel agent Vicki Bridges and hotel general manager David Potts, never warmed up to the idea that Potts called “bailing out the City and the Host Committee.”
“I just think it’s wrong to do this,” said Potts, who manages the Holiday Inn on Baymeadows Road. “For us to only be using bed tax dollars to offset these costs is unfair to the TDC.”
Potts said money the TDC gave in the past to help execute the game should be enough. According to Council auditors, the TDC has given in excess of $800,000 to the Host Committee and the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau to pay for “Super Bowl-related events.” Only $225,000 was directly given to the Host Committee.
“Why should we pay for anything else?” he said.
City Council President Elaine Brown, who chairs the TDC, said the request for TDC dollars was fair and reasonable.
“The goals the City set for the Super Bowl were all met and because of that we’re in line to get another one,” she said. “And in some cases these costs we’re looking at were unavoidable. Without the cruise ships we couldn’t have done it.”
TDC member Warren Grymes, who opted not to declare a conflict of interest despite being a former Host Committee volunteer, said he also was prepared to support the Host Committee.
“The Super Bowl has done so much for Jacksonville,” he said. “The exposure we were able to get on a national and international level will market us in a way that shows Jacksonville is a city that has arrived.
“I’m proud of that and because of the impact the Super Bowl as made, I support this.”
But if the TDC had shied away from donating those dollars, the City would have had to dip into its well-reported limited general fund. Knowing that, the Council recommended this week that the TDC be asked to help.
“Has anyone looked to those TDC dollars as an option?” City Council member Art Shad said at Monday’s Finance Committee meeting. “This, to me, looks like a perfectly legitimate expense that they could help cover. I know they support events that promote tourism in the area and you would think that the Super Bowl is the largest event of that nature that has ever been in Jacksonville.
“The TDC should look into doing something especially now that we face a more restrictive budget this year.”