A lot has changed in Jacksonville in the past 38 years.
The Duval County Tourist Development Council heard Thursday about something that hasn’t changed: The Duval County Tourist Development Plan.
It caused quite a discussion when it was learned the tourism council hasn’t been adhering to the plan, which was created by ordinance in 1978.
The plan was mandated by the state when the county began collecting the Tourism Development Tax on overnight accommodations, commonly referred to as the “bed tax.”
It clearly defines how bed tax revenue is to be spent, limited to promotion and expansion of convention activities, marketing of tourist-oriented facilities and attractions, and building or improving convention, sports and entertainment facilities owned by the city.
Since the plan was adopted, the hospitality and tourism industries have changed. So have the ways Jacksonville is marketed as a business and leisure travel destination.
Over the years, the tourism council has responded to the market and technology changes, including awarding grants to organizations to cover costs involved in having a meeting.
The tourism council also established Visit Jacksonville to serve as its sales and marketing arm.
The issue is that offering grants for anything other than conventions and subcontracting a sales force aren’t allowed under the 1978 ordinance, said City Council Vice President Lori Boyer.
And, after researching the legislation back to its origin, “I couldn’t find an amendment,” she said.
“Clearly, Visit Jacksonville’s contract doesn’t fit in this and there’s also no authority for grants,” Boyer added.
A major issue is the responsibility borne by the chair of the tourism council. That post is held each year by the president of the City Council, who signs documents that certify grants that tourism council members approve.
“The council president has to sign off that grants conform to local and state statutes,” Boyer said. “And that’s a hard thing to do when you know it doesn’t.”
The tourism council has complied with the state statute regarding the bed tax, but not with the local ordinance, and that’s easy to remedy, Boyer said.
“There’s an easy solution,” she said. “It’s time to update and adopt a new plan.”
Until the tourism council deliberates and suggests changes in the plan to council, the 1978 plan can simply be waived, Boyer explained.
The tourism council will meet at noon Wednesday in the council suite at City Hall for a three-hour session to identify all permissible uses of bed tax revenue, evaluate how other counties appropriate their bed tax revenue and recap how Duval County has spent its bed tax revenue for the past 10 years.
In other business, the tourism council approved 12 grants totaling $78,725 for 12 organizations bringing national and international conventions to Jacksonville from June (Special Forces Association International Conference) to July 2018 (National Auctioneers Association annual conference and Dada Bhagwan International Gurupurnima Celebration).
Combined, the groups guarantee booking 25,823 room nights.
Also approved was a $100,000 grant to U.S. Soccer for the U.S. Men’s National Team versus Trinidad and Tobago match Sept. 6 at EverBank Field.
Sports and Entertainment Officer Dave Herrell predicted a $10 million economic impact from the match, based on the anticipated regional draw of the event.
The match is a qualifying game leading to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow.
“It will be the only chance in the Southeast for people to see the U.S. men,” said Herrell.
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