PANAMA CITY BEACH — With Spring Break looming in Panama City Beach, the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC) made a series of decisions at a meeting Thursday to prepare for the month-long college party.
With several changes on the books this year, the most significant being an earlier closing time for clubs and bars, the TDC moved to provide up to $100,000 in funds to educate breakers about the do’s and don’ts of the destination through outreach on social media and other outlets.
Although the TDC does promote a “Spring Break Responsibly” campaign on its website, board members raised concern the agency was not sufficiently getting the word out about the new rules.
“We’ve got to get the message to them before they arrive,” said board member Andy Phillips. “I think we are failing in our responsibilities if we don’t get this message out before they arrive.”
Newly elected TDC Chairman Mike Bennett agreed the TDC was falling flat in its outreach efforts.
“ ‘Spring Break Responsibly,’ I think that message needs to be out there,” Bennett said. “We need to encourage good behavior.”
Phillips initially motioned to spend $50,000 for a page on Collegiate Marketing’s popular website PCBeachSpringBreak.com outlining the rules, but it was voted down by the board.
While the TDC sponsored Collegiate Marketing’s cooperative Spring Break campaign in year’s past, the board chose to slash all funds for promoting the event this year. Where the board cut marketing, however, it is making up for in additional funding for “special event-style security” during Spring Break.
At Thursday’s meeting, the board also committed to providing $300,000 to split between the Panama City Beach Police Department and Bay County Sheriff’s Office for additional security during Spring Break’s busiest weeks, a 50 percent increase from the funds provided by the TDC last year.
“The special event-style security is not security for private enterprise having special events on the beach,” said TDC Director Dan Rowe. “It is taking it in the totality of the activity on the beach and providing that extra [law enforcement] presence whether or not a concert is happening.”
Funding for the additional security will come from a $3.9 million pot compiled from excess Tourist Development Tax revenue and other funds recognized in a recent audit.
The TDC moved to channel $150,000 of those funds toward additional beach maintenance efforts, including more frequent beach groomings and trash pickup during the busiest months for visitation, with a special emphasis on holiday weekends.
In other business Thursday, the board:
- Elected a slate of new officers. Mike Bennett will serve as the new board chairman, taking the reins from Buddy Wilkes. Phillip Griffiths was elected vice chairman and Yonnie Patronis will serve as treasurer.
- Approved a 5 percent salary increase for TDC Director Dan Rowe, bringing his salary to $187,425.
- Reported a 4.46 percent increase in Tourist Development Tax, or bed tax, collections in November. Collections for the month totaled $367,917.So far this fiscal year, which began in October, the TDC has seen a 17.5 percent increase in collections. Mexico Beach collected $13,497 in bed tax revenues in November, a 19.12 percent increase over last year. from what to what?