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Capitalizing on tourists — Some call for slashing advertising
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA
Citizen Staff Writer
Key West and
Key Largo have long been popular tourist destinations, drawing travelers
from around the world — Key West for its architecture, history, culture
and quirky festivals, and Key Largo for the world-class diving that
awaits just offshore.
But the 100
miles of islands between the two aren't as recognizable to the
international tourism market, creating an advertising dilemma for the
Monroe County Tourist Development Council, which has the job of
marketing the Keys.
Some are
calling on the government agency to spend less on advertising —
especially in Key West — and more on projects geared toward upkeep of
the museums, galleries and beaches that attract millions of tourists
each year.
Key West City
Commissioner Harry Bethel recently told fellow commissioners that he
feels the island is "maxed out" and the TDC should ease up on
advertising.
A New Jersey
resident who owns a time-share in Key West and has been visiting the
island for the past 15 years said she doesn't like the direction things
are going.
"A lot has
changed in the past two years," Janet Flatley told a panel April 28 at
the environmental group Last Stand's "Keys in the Balance" discussion,
which included Florida Keys Council for the Arts Director Monica
Haskell, Key West City Commissioner Ed Scales, Key West Chamber of
Commerce Chair Michael Browning, travel writer and Old Town resident
Rosalind Brackenbury and Last Stand board member and local activist
Elliot Baron.
"I used to sit
on my porch and read and now I can't concentrate because of the noise
.... We would go down for the Sunset Celebration, but now it's too
crowded. The trolley drivers are rude. For the first time in 15 years,
we are thinking of going somewhere else," Flatley said.
TDC Marketing
Director Harold Wheeler said the county's tourism agency gets blamed for
drawing all tourists, even those the TDC does nothing to attract.
Wheeler
emphasized that the TDC does not advertise to spring breakers or cruise
ship passengers, whose large numbers generate much debate among Key West
residents who say they favor visitors who will stay longer on the island
and spend more money.
TDC history and funding
The Tourist
Development Council collects 3 cents out of every dollar of taxes from
hotel rooms throughout the Keys. The money is split, with 70 percent
going to advertising, marketing and administration and 30 percent being
spent on capital improvement and cultural preservation projects for
nonprofit groups and government agencies.
A fourth penny
of the so-called bed tax goes directly to the general revenue fund of
the county — and a small portion to Key West — and for land acquisition
in the Keys.
The TDC was
set up in 1981 and focused only on Key West. It expanded to other Keys
in 1984. Nine council members are appointed by Monroe County
Commissioners and their recommendations, including those regarding
budget changes, are forwarded to the county commission for final
approval.
The bed tax
fund reached almost $21.79 million in the 2002-03 fiscal year, with
about $6.42 million going to advertising, $823,060 going to sales and
marketing, $933,000 to public relations, almost $2.38 million to special
events, nearly $3 million into an emergency fund and almost $5.85
million on capital improvements and cultural projects. The remaining
money went to legal fees and other administrative expenses, according to
the 2003-04 preliminary budget.
There are five
District Advisory Councils throughout the Keys — Key West, the Big
Pine/Lower Keys area, Marathon, Islamorada, and Key Largo. The councils
are made up of community members who either are involved in tourism or
selected at-large. Each District Advisory Council makes recommendations
to the TDC about spending on capital projects and special events in
their area.
Money is
apportioned among the five advisory councils by the number of hotel
rooms in each district.
Key West
receives 54 percent of the money, Big Pine 5 percent, Marathon 14
percent, Islamorada 13 percent and Key Largo receives 14 percent of bed
tax money, Wheeler said.
Spending is
dictated by state statute, which says that money can only be used by
municipalities or nonprofit agencies.
TDC spending
on capital improvements jumped from 10 percent to nearly 30 percent in
2000. In the 2002-03 fiscal year, TDC money went to upgrades to the
White Street Pier, Red Barn Theater and East Martello fort and museum,
all in Key West; projects at Mote Marine Laboratory on Summerland Key,
Island Dolphin Care in Key Largo and Dolphin Research Center on Grassy
Key; and more than a dozen other projects throughout the Keys.
In the 2002-03
fiscal year, the TDC spent almost $1.14 million in Key West, $155,470 in
the Big Pine Key and Lower Keys area, $282,470 in Marathon, $468,592 in
Islamorada and $613,365 in Key Largo, TDC records show.
Survey says
In response to
heated debates about tourism in 2000, the TDC sent surveys to 47,190
registered voters, with 11,419 returning completed questionnaires. The
study found that "tourism is a very contentious issue in the region."
"Residents
generally request lower funding for the TDC and more funding for local
infrastructure, especially infrastructure related to environmental
amenities," the report stated.
Just over half
of those questioned, 51.7 percent, believed that the county should
attract fewer visitors, 28.4 percent preferred the same number of
visitors, and 14.4 percent wanted more visitors, the study stated.
The most
preferred tourists were repeat visitors, followed by visitors who stay
for long periods of time, families, high-income tourists, eco-tourists,
fishermen and then cultural and historic visitors. Daytrippers were
among the "least desirable" visitors, the report stated.
"Eighty
percent didn't get what they want and less than 15 got what they want.
That's not democratic rule," said Baron, a local restaurateur. "We have
had an increase of 300,000 tourists, a 50 percent increase in cruise
ships. Where's our government been on this? They get a survey by their
residents telling them what they want and they do exactly the opposite."
Wheeler and
TDC District Advisory Council chairs are adamant that the TDC does not
market to cruise ship passengers or spring breakers. They blame much of
Key West's overcrowding on cruise ships and the city's inability to
manage the industry.
"The city
seems to think that the cruise industry is the magic bullet for the city
budget and how to keep property taxes low," said Julie Fondriest, owner
of the Key Lime Inn and Merlin Guest House and TDC district chair.
"There are many negative effects from it."
Fondriest and
Wheeler said the city has never publicly divulged all of the actual
costs — maintenance, public works and security — from hosting cruise
ships and their passengers, and city officials shy away from saying how
disembarkment fees are used. City financial department officials have
said the city does not make money off cruise ships and that all fees go
back into maintenance and security.
Capital dilemma
While some in
Key West clamor for lowering the advertising budget and pumping more
money into improving facilities, TDC records show that some districts
can't spend all the capital improvement money given to them each year.
Last fiscal
year, Marathon didn't spend $273,913 of the money it could have spent on
capital improvement projects, said Rita Irwin, the Marathon District
Advisory Council chair.
As summer
approaches, the TDC's five advisory councils will be faced with
considering grant applications for capital projects and determining
which are best suited for the funds. Those recommendations will be
forwarded to the TDC for approval, and then to the county commission.
The District
Advisory Councils will hold workshops on how to apply for capital
improvement grant money at their regular meetings later this month.
The Key Largo
meeting is at 10 a.m. May 25 at Marina Del Mar; Islamorada at 2 p.m. May
25 at Cheeca Lodge; Big Pine at 6 p.m. May 25 at Lower Keys Chamber of
Commerce; Marathon at 9 a.m. May 26 at Holiday Inn Marathon; and Key
West at 3 p.m. May 26 at Sheraton Suites.
tohara@keysnews.com |
