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TDC Minutes 12/12/2025 (draft)December 12, 2025 Page 1 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING December 12,2025, Naples, FL LET IT 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, 3rd floor, Naples, FL 34112 with the following members present: Chair: Commissioner Chris Hall (Excused) Vice -Chair: Clark Hill Susan Becker Laura Radler Nancy Kerns Michael McComas (Zoom) Edward (Ski) Olesky (Excused) Council Member: Bill Kramer Councilor: Darrin Palumbo Also Present: Jay Tusa, Tourism Director Scott Teach, County Attorney’s Office Buzzy Ford, Digital & Social Media Coordinator December 12, 2025 Page 2 Any person who decides to appeal a decision of the Tourist Development Council will need a record of the proceedings pertaining thereto, and therefore may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based, neither Collier County nor the Tourist Development Council shall be responsible for providing this record. 1. Call to Order – The meeting was called to order at 9 A.M. 2. Pledge of Allegiance – The Pledge was recited. 3. Roll Call - Roll call was taken and a quorum was established. Absent - Chris Hall, Edward Olesky Present - Clark Hill, Michael McComas (Zoom), Darrin Palumbo, Susan Becker, Nancy Kerns and Laura Radler. Motion to allow Mr. McComas to attend virtually by Darrin Palumbo; Seconded by Nancy Kerns - Carried 6/0 Motion to approve today’s meeting agenda by Darrin Palumbo; Seconded by Nancy Kerns – Carried 6/0 4. September 16, 2025, Meeting Minutes Motion was made to approve the minutes Susan Becker; Seconded by Darrin Palumbo – Carried 6/0 5. Public Comments – no public comments 6. Presentations – no presentations. 7. Tourism Director Report a. Chris Hall was recognized, and a Certificate of Appreciation was presented for his leadership and efforts. b. Tourism Director Update & TDT Tax Reports I. Revenue for October was $1,750,690 II. YTD 49,827,500 December 12, 2025 Page 3 III. Revenue per available room increasing 6.4% to $114.64. IV. Out-of-state visitors account for up to 51% of trips yet generated 85% of total spending. V. Chicago with the top DNA for visitor spend. VI. October, the CVB secured 25.3 million media impressions, valued at $113,693, with coverage in outlets such as TV Atlanta Journal-Constitution. German market generated 16 new media placements, reaching a combined reader value of $58,000. VII. UK and Ireland coverage from the Dream Group trip resulted in a total circulation of 4.7 million, valued at $2,007,000. VIII. Group sales activities included participation in Global Travel Trade events featuring 40 meetings at Brand USA Travel Week Europe, reinforcing a strong international recovery and introduced Brand USA’s "America the Beautiful" campaign. The destination sent out 32 RFP leads and hosted an IMAX Buyer's Breakfast. Notably, there were recent branding updates to reflect Synergy’s rebranding. IX. Email marketing efforts achieved a 20% open rate across 55 of 60,00 leisure subscribers, with strong click-through rates on the Stone Crab Tasting Tour feature. Our extensive PR and partner outreach initiatives included presentations to the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors, Leadership Collier, the Chamber Leadership Alumni Luncheon, and the Arlington Men's Coffee Club. 8. Consent Agenda A. Recommendation to execute a Work Order with Humiston & Moore Engineers to provide professional engineering services for the State required Annual Monitoring of Collier County Beaches and Inlets for 2026 under Contract No. 18-7432-CZ for time and material not to exceed $161,547 and make a finding that this item promotes tourism (Fund 1105, Project No. 90536). B. Recommendation to approve a Work Order with Humiston & Moore Engineers, PA, under Contract No. 18-7432-CZ, to provide professional engineering services for Maintenance Dredging of Doctors Pass for a lump sum fee of $56,247 and make a finding that this item promotes tourism (Fund 1105, Project No. 90549). December 12, 2025 Page 4 9. New Business A. Recommendation to accept the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Governance Restructure Study Report and make a finding that the recommendations therein promote tourism. • A presentation commissioned by County Manager Amy Patterson was delivered by Jack Wert, of Wert Marketing Group, and John Lambeth, in partnership with Civitas Advisors. • Question & Answer Session – Government Model Organization (GMO) & Destination Market Organization (DMO) • John Mullins, Director of Communications – Read a statement from Chris Hall and mentioned that this is the 1st stop on this recommendation. I. Would the County Commissioners ultimately control the 503c Destination Marketing Organization? Yes. II. It was suggested that it be taken into consideration that the City of Naples proper, excluding those areas of Collier County that have a Naples address but that aren’t part of the City itself, supports a major portion of the activities, events and locations that draw tourism to Collier County, and that additional tourism could also cause additional stress on the City’s resources. III. It was asked if the presenters could provide numbers that would reflect the benefit of utilizing a DMO versus a GMO. While there wasn’t a measurable increase in revenue, there was an increase in efficiency, and an improvement in the talent pool and the ability to adjust and react quickly when needed and those aspects and benefits align more with Collier County’s vision. IV. Concern was expressed that there could be an increase in lodging contributions and it was noted that it is too early to determine if that would be thew case in these early stages of development. December 12, 2025 Page 5 V. The ability of a BMO to find new sources of revenue and the flexibility of using private source dollars was emphasized. VI. Outpacing and overwhelming existing infrastructure may be more closely associated with the increase of seasonal residents in the area when compared to the 14,000 hotel rooms that are in our community. VII. While it is desirable to create and maintain a beautiful Destination Community, it is just as important to remember to maintain the quality of life for the people that live here, and not to put an undue burden on them. VIII. One of the benefits that may occur would be having industry leaders on the Board of the BMO with their expertise and ability to alleviate declining tourist revenues during offseason and eliminate the need for businesses closures. • Public Comment – The following individuals representing various organizations spoke in support of the BMO sighting enhanced efficiency, rapid adaptability, consolidated vision and collaborated effort. Jenny Gezella – Chair Steering Committee Convention and Visitors Bureau. David Lindberg – Director of Sales, Chubb Classic. Kevin Smith – Director of Major Gifts, Artis – Naples. Steve Dorcy – Local President, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. Kara Laufer – Director of Business Development, Naples Botanical Gardens. Elysia Dawn – CEO, United Arts Collier. Chris Lopez – Regional Director, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. Motion to move forward with the BMO structure by Darrin Palumbo; Seconded by Nancy Kerns - Carried 7/0 10. Old Business – No Items to consider. 11. Ten Minute Break – Not taken 12. Agency Partner Reports – Directed to review reports in packets provided. A. Agency Partner Reports December 12, 2025 Page 6 13. Tourism Staff Reports - Directed to review reports in packets provided. A. Tourism Staff Report 14. Council Member Discussion Councilor Palumbo - Appreciated the new meeting format, rebuilding the Naples Pier, working in collaboration within communities, and the beneficial impact of Tourism on local economies, businesses, charities and families. Coach Bill Kramer - expressed the importance of supporting local charities and the impact they have on the lives of the not so fortunate in our community; the wonderful aspects of the Community, the commitment of the leaders and volunteers of the Community that make it all possible. 15. Next TDC Meeting Date - January 20, 2026 16. Adjourn – Meeting was adjourned at 10:35A.M. ***** There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:35 am COLLIER COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ____________________________________ Chairman Chris Hall The Minutes were approved on _______________________________________, (date of approval) as presented __________ or as amended _________.