TDC Minutes 06/17/2025MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COTJ}ITY
TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSION CHAMBERS
Tuesday, Jlune 17 ,2025
LET I1' BE REMEMBERED the Collier County Tourist Development Council, in and for the
County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date 9:00 a.m. in REGULAR
SESSION at 3299 Tamiami Trail East, 3'd floor, Naples, FL 341l2 with the following members
present:
Commissioner Chris Hall, Chair
Clark Hill, Vice-Chair
Susan Becker
Laura Radler
Nancy Kems
Michael McComas
Edward (Ski) Olesky-(excused)
Bill Kramer (arrived 9:07am)
Darrin Palumbo (Zoom)
ALSO PRESENT:
Jay Tusa, Collier County CVB, Tourism Director
Sandra fuos, Collier County CVB, Public Relations Manager
Colleen Greene, Collier County Attomey's Office
Kristen Murphy, Paradise Advertising, Vice President Account Strategy
Audrey Clifford, Paradise Advertising, Associate Director of Content and Social Media
Amanda Townsend, Collier County, Museums Director
Buzzy Ford, Collier County CVB, Digital and Social Media Coordinator
Andy Miller, Collier County, Coastal Zone Manager
Nick Faricy and Matthew Avila, Hunden Partners (via Zoom)
James Brendel, Downs & St. Germain, Data Analyst (via Zoom)
Brandon Faust, Paradise Advertising, Digital Advertising Analyst (via Zoom)
Erin Murphy, Lou Hammond Group, Account Manager (via Zoom)
Any person who decides to appeal a decision of lhe Tourist Development Council will need a
record of the proceedings perlaining thereto, and therefore may need to ensurc thot a verbalim
record of lhe proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon
which the appeal is to be based, Neither Collier Count! nor the Tourist Development Council
shall be responsiblefor providing this record.
CALL TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
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3. ROLLCALL
Roll was taken by staff. A quorum was present with 6.
4. AGENDAANDMINUTES
Clark Hill moved to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Nancy Kems
Motion passed 7-0
Nancy Kems moved to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Susan Becker
Motion passed 7-0
PRESENTATIONS
None
PUBLIC COMMENT - from: fuchard Blonna regarding Hideaway Beach Restoration
6. TOURISMDIRECTORREPORT
6a. Tourism Director Update and TDT Tax Report (2025-1403)
Jay Tusa, CYB, Tourism Director
r April 2025 collections totaled \$8.42 million, slightly ahead ofprojections.o Year-to-date collections now total \$32.16 miltion.r Occupancy increased by 4.2o/o comparcd to the previous year, reaching 67%o.o Intemational visitation saw a decline of1.9o/0, attributed primarily to reduced travel from
Canada.r A budget workshop with the Board of County Commissioners was announced for July to
review annual performance and funding strategies.
Mr. Kramer arrived, setting the quorum to 8 participants.
7. CONSENTAGENDA
All consent items were approved unanimously
8. NEWBUSINESS
8.A. Recommendation to approve the submittal of the Local Govemment Funding Request
(LGFR) Beach Project Applications to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
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Clark Hitt moved to allow Mr. Palumbo to participate in the meeting on Zoom. The motion was
seconded by Nancy Kems. The motion was approved 6-0. The quorum was updated to 7.
(FDEP) for Fisc al Year 2026/2027 , and lo approve a Resolution supporting the County's
applications to FDEP and make a finding that these items promote tourism. This action
maintains the County's eligibility for State Cost Share Funding for future renourishment projects
(202s-207e)
Presented by Andy Miller (in person)
Motion to approve by Clark Hill
Seconded by Commissioner Chris Hall
Motion passed 8-0
8.8 add-on item
Recommendation to authorize the expenditure oftourist development tax funds for a not to
exceed amount of$200,00 by issuing a Work Order under contract 21-7885 for an On-Call
Urgent Services beach fill project on Vanderbilt Beach; and make a finding that his item
promotes tourism (Project 90067).
Motion to approve by Commissioner Chris Hatl
Seconded by Nancy Kerns
Motion passed 8-0
9. OLI) IItTSINIiSS
9.A. Recommendation to accept the Tourism Impact Study for the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon. lzozs-
2046)
Presented by Nick Faricy and Matthew Avila with Hunden Partners via Zoom .
Highlights of the study include:
Projected to generate between $5.6 million and $6.3 million in economic impact over the
next 30 years.
The park's appeal as a family-friendly amenity supports ovemight stays during shoulder
season and enhances the destination's value proposition for younger families.
Improvements to infrastructure and programming are expected to increase regional visitation,
with spillover benefits to hotels, restaurants, and local attractions.
Council members expressed strong support for the role the facility plays in diversifoing the
destination' s tourism offerings.
Motion to approve by Commissioner Chris Hatl
Seconded by Clark Hill
Motion passed 7-l (Laura Radler)
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9.B Recommendation to accept the Tourism Impact Study for the future phases of the Paradise
Coast Sports Complex conducted by Hunden Partners . (2025-2102)
Presented by Nick Faricy and Matthew Avila with Hunden Partners via Zoom .
Key takeaways include:
Motion to approve by Commissioner Chris Hall
Seconded by Nancy Kems
Motion passed 8-0
10.
None
TEN MINUTE I]REAK
Sports Complex Quarterly Report
Presented by Adrian Moses, JP Terrasi & Michael Lieberman (in person)
Event Volume & Attendance:
The complex hosted over 50 sports events during the past quarter, including youth soccer
toumaments, lacrosse showcases, and regional track and field meets. Total attendance
exceeded 30,000 participants and spectators, with peak activity during weekends and
spring break weeks.
Tourism Impact & Hotel Nightsl
Events held at the complex generated an estimated 5,200 room nights across local hotels
during the quarter. This contributed directly to local economic activity, including restaurant,
retail, and transportation spending. cvB stalfnoted strong alignment with shoulder-season
marketing goals.
Facility Enhancements:
Phase II development updates were shared, including progress on additional multi-purpose
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o Anticipated to significantly boost sports tourism, particularly during off-peak months.
. Projected to generate consistent year-round visitation from regional and national youth sports
toumaments, collegiate events, and training camps.
o Expanded facilities would increase ovemight hotel stays and weekday visitation, supporting
local business during slower tourism periods.
o The complex has already demonstrated ROI from previous phases, and further development
is projected to multiply that impact.
o A Council member raised concems about the long-term management of the complex, noting
that having multiple entities oversee different components could complicate operations and
undermine long-term success. It was suggested that a unified management approach be
considered.
II. AGENCY PARTNER REPORTS
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fields and permanent concessions/retail plaza. Improvements are aimed at aftracting larger
multi-day toumaments and providing a more self-contained visitor experience.
Operational Updates:
o Management continues to focus on expanding partnerships with national and regional
sports organizations. Recent contracts have been signed lor retuming annual events
lltro:ugh 2027 , supporting year-over-year growth and calendar stability.
o Staffalso reported improvements to site logistics, including enhanced signage,
expanded parking coordination, and streamlined athlete registration services.
Community Engagement:
The complex has grown its partnership with local schools and non-profits, hosting free youth
clinics, coaching workshops, and family recreation nights. A summer league program was
also launched for local athletes, supporting off-season field use.
Challenges & Future Planning:
o Council members discussed the operational structure and oversight ofthe facilitl'.
While the complex is generating positive tourism retums, concems were raised about
having multiple management entities overseeing different areas (fields, events,
maintenance, etc.).
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There was general agreement that the long-term success ofthe complex may benefit
from a unified management approach and a comprehensive oversight strategy to
ensure consistency, quality, and efficient resource use.
The Council expressed appreciation for the continued success ofthe Paradise Coast
Sports Complex and requested that future quarterly reports continue to include
metrics on economic impact and visitor origin tracking.
Downs & St. Germain -Market Research
Presented by James Brendle, Downs & St. Germain, Data Analyst (Zoom)
o Tourism metrics down Soh, day visitors up 3o%. Decrease in day trippers in April. April
visitors that came stayed longer. More room nights per visitor.
o Direct spending visitor is re-shifting where spending is at.
o Not much has changed in fiscal year metrics
o With more rooms in the market, it is hard to keep a high daily room rate. With that said, we
still have one ofthe highest daily rates in the competitive set and in atl of Florida.
o Top visitor origin is still the Mid-west followed by Northeast
o International down in April because ofdecrease in Canadian visitation but because ofthe
broad array ofvisitors we had, we had increase from Europe and south America.
I Potential Areas ofconcem - group hotel bookings are still the 3'd highest in the competitive
set but group demand fell 3.3%. This could be due to the way the holiday fell.
o Forecast- April like what we saw in March
r April visitors down slightly, room nights up slightly and visitor days up stightly.
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Laura Radler - do you have data on when Easter was in April the last time, maybe 2022.
Easter was late this year. When did we spend the last Easter holiday?
James Brendle - April hotel occupancy up and hotel RevPAR up. Naples has the largest
YOY 7o increase in demand with transient visitors.
Clark Hill - it is becoming more and more obvious how important marketing and
advertising are. We are high in comp-set, which is incredible and I am proud ofthat. Thrilled
with the results we are getting with the increase marketing Paradise is doing. We need to
continue to advertise. We will have a tough summer, and it will take everything we can do
not to lose share and increase our visitation.
Paradise Advertising - Marketing Performance
Presented by: Paradise Advertising, Vice President Account Strategy
. There is a 30:1 retum on ad spend from supplemental marketing investments. Efforts were
focused on competitive market analysis and high-intent audience targeting. The media plan
integrated travel search trends and performance data to refine placements and messaging.
o Florida remained the top visitor region, followed by New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Outreach to northem and midwestem feeder markets is expected to intensifu.
o The focus groups, six ofthem total in three different markets found the image ofthe woman
alone on the beach and the couple near the tiki hut by themselves offthe charts appealing and
all creative was immediately updated.
. Expectations, exceptional, and any word starting with E tested well in these focus groups.
o Eco is another trend doing well.
o In total we spent about $1.4 million across March and April, which was asked for by Laura
Radler at the last meeting.
o We are holding strong March at an $18 retum on ad spend and $12 for April.
Nancy Kerns commented that the moon rising is of interest
o We see overall alcohol sales are skewing down across the board.
r People on GLPI are not ordering as much food in restaurants.
. They are looking for more outdoor recreation while on trips.
. Grandparents taking their grandchildren on trips is popular but doing it their way
o Destination dupes are also popular.
Digital Advertising & Website Engagement:
Presented by Brandon Faust, Paradise Advertising, Digital Advertising Analyst ( via Zoom)
o Website sessions increased 607o year-over-year.
r Engaged sessions rose 300/0, indicating higher-quality traffic.
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Visitors were spending more time on fewer pages, signaling improved targeting and landing
page efficiency.
The "Deals" page showed a 172o/o increase in views, indicating a strong correlation between
promotional content and trip planning behavior.
Commissioner Hall left the meeting, changing the quorum total to 7.
Paradise Advcrtising - Dark Skies Campaign
Presented by Audrey Clifford, Paradise Advertising, Associate Director of Content and Social
Media
o Focused on positioning Big Cypress National Preserve as a destination for astro-tourism.
r Campaign launched during Intemational Dark Sky Week in April.
o A 7-minute short film was produced, with a trailer distributed online.
o The YouTube video alone reached 80,000 views in under one month, largely through organic
engagement.
o A visually immersive landing page supported the effort, featuring travel tips, educational
articles, and trip planning tools.
o Interactive elements (such as a digital giveaway poster) were used to collect emails and
retarget engaged users.
. Phase 2 of the campaign will launch in fall, aligned with Big Cypress's in-person Dark Sky
workshops.
Lou Hammond Group - Public Relations
Presented by Erin Murphy, Lou Hammond Group. Account Manager
Recent placements include Cond6 Nast Traveler, Kayak, USA Today, Yahoo Life, and other
outlets featured Paradise Coast destinations in April and May.
Stories focused on baby moon travel, sustainable culinary tourism, and hidden gems for
group travel.
Coverage included Naples. Everglades City, and new culinary talents like Chef Kayla of
Bicyclette Cookshop.
Joumalists hosted for future stories include contributors to Savour M agaz)ne, Four Seasons
Magazine, and the Boston Globe.
A multi-page food feature is scheduled for release in Savour Magazine's October 2025 print
edition.
The team emphasized that long-lead editorial planning is key, and PR strategy continues to
prioritize high-quality, evergreen features with first-person storytelling.
Collier County Museums
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Presented by Amanda Townsend, Collier County, Museums Director
. The Marco Island Historical Museum drove year-over-year attendance increases.
. Naples Depot Museum renovations have begun, with the facility expected to reopen by early
2026.
. A temporary exhibit celebrating the history ofNaples Beach and local tourism is on display
in the chambers.
13. COUNCILMEMBERDISCUSSION
A member voiced concerns on the record regarding the operational structure ofthe Paradise
Coast Sports Complex. The member expressed opposition to the current multi-entity model and
advocated for a single dedicated operator to manage the facility efficiently and with long-term
strategic focus.
14. NEXT MEETING
l4a. The next meeting of the Tourist Development Council is scheduled for July 15, 2025
T5. AD.IOI]RNI],D
There being no further business, the meeting was adjoumed I l:20am.
COLLIER COUNTY
TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Chris Hall, Chairman
Thesc Minutes were approved by the Council on 1-t5-a5
as presented v or amended
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