2024-001 Public Relations Monroe County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller
Internal Report
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Audit of
Tourist Development Council's
Public Relations Services
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500 Whitehead Street, Key West, FL 33040 1 (305) 292-35501 Monroe-Clerkxom
Report 2024-001
February 2024
Monroe County Clerk of Circuit Court& Comptroller
Kevin Madok, CPA
Interim Internal Audit Director
Pam Radloff, CPA
Auditors
Noah Browning
Kalina Bringle
Tammie Murray
About Monroe County Clerk's
Internal Audit Department
As part of the Clerk's constitutional responsibilities, the Monroe County Clerk's
Internal Audit Department provides independent, accurate, and timely audits of
Monroe County government's business activities, operations, financial systems, and
internal controls. Internal Audit's audits and consulting services are designed to add
value, increase efficiency of operations, advance accountability, and improve
stewardship of public resources.
Monroe County's Internal Audit Department accepts confidential tips about fraud,
waste, and abuse in Monroe County government or programs through its hotline
(305) 292-5760 or at hgps://monroe-clerk.com/fraud-waste-abuse.
Clerk of the Circuit Court&Comptroller- Monroe Cotenty,Florida
February 8, 2024
The Honorable Mayor Holly Raschein Ms. Rita Irwin, Chairperson
Monroe County Board of County Commissioners Monroe County Tourist Development Council
102050 Overseas Highway, Suite 234 58901 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, FL 33037 Grassy Key,FL 33050
Email: boccdis5@monroecounty-fl.gov Email: rita@dolphins.org
Dear Mayor Raschein and Chairperson Irwin:
The Monroe County Clerk's Internal Audit Department completed an audit of the Monroe County
Tourist Development Council's(TDC)public relations Agency of Record,Stuart Newman,Associates,
Inc. (d/b/a NewmanPR) for the three-year period October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2023. The
audit focused on the August 17, 2022, agreement between Monroe County and NewmanPR including
an audit of records, assets, and activities related to the scope of services detailed in the agreement.
As part of our audit tests,we reviewed NewmanPR's requests to be reimbursed for work performed by
Graphics 71. We found that the agency could not provide any documentation to show that Graphics 71
is a legal business entity in the State of Florida. In fact, the agency admitted that Graphics 71 does not
exist. In addition to not being able to provide proof of payment to Graphics 71,NewmanPR could not
provide time records or other support for any work performed by Graphics 71.As a result,we question
the validity of the reimbursement.
In addition, the audit found repeated instances of noncompliance with the terms of NewmanPR's
agreement with Monroe County. A sampling of invoices showed that when NewmanPR requested
reimbursement for expenses, the agency regularly submitted misleading certifications that vendors
were paid in full. Our audit testing also found other issues such as invoicing the TDC before services
were actually rendered and not providing documentation to substantiate work performance.
If you have any questions,please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Kevin Madok, CPA
Monroe County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller
Cc: Board of County Commissioners
Tourist Development Council
Bob Shillinger, County Attorney
Roman Gastesi, County Administrator
Internal Audit
KEY WEST MARATHON PLANTATION KEY
500 Whitehead Street 3117 Overseas Highway 88770 Overseas Highway
Key West, Florida 33040 Marathon, Florida 33050 Plantation Key, Florida 33070
Table of Contents
Audit of
Tourist Development Council's
Public Relations Services
ExecutiveSummary.....................................................................................2
The TDC and the Agency of Record for Public Relations ........................4
Purpose and Scope of Internal Audit.........................................................8
Review of TDC's Public Relations Competitive Solicitation......................9
Questionable Nature of Graphics 71 ........................................................ 12
UnregisteredBusiness............................................................................................................... 12
No Payments Made To Graphics 71 ......................................................................................... 14
Improper Duplicate Compensation ........................................................................................... 15
Concerns Identified With Sampled Invoices ...........................................21
Misleading Certifications.......................................................................................................... 21
Actual Amount Paid To A Vendor Less Than Certilied Amount........................................................23
Checks Not Paid As Certified................................................................................................................25
Invoicing Before Services Rendered......................................................................................... 27
No Documentation To Substantiate Performance..................................................................... 29
Questionable Costs and Documentation ................................................................................... 31
Questionable Documentation................................................................................................................32
Questionable Reimbursed Expenses.....................................................................................................36
Lack of Procurement Process.................................................................................................... 38
Lack of TDC Management Oversight....................................................................................... 40
Appendix I: Monroe County-NewmaiiPR August 2022 Contract...........42
Appendix II: NewrnanPR's Bid Proposal.................................................60
Appendix III: Responses from NewmanPR to Auditor's Questions..... 126
Appendix IV: Monroe County Attorney Legal Analysis ........................ 157
Appendix V: Lower Keys/Key West Stringer Services Subcontract...... 163
Appendix VI: Public Relations Servies Subcontract...............................166
Appendix VII: Auditee Response with Clerk Rebuttal .......................... 169
i
Executive Summary
The Monroe County Clerk's Internal Audit Department recently completed an audit of the
financial records of Monroe County's Tourist Development Council's (TDC) Public Relations
Agency of Record, Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc., (d/b/a NewmanPR). The audit focused on the
August 2022 agreement between Monroe County and NewmanPR including an audit of records,
assets,and activities relating to the scope of services detailed in this agreement. The audited period
was fiscal year (FY) 2021 through FY 2023 (October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2023).
Our audit work included reviewing the TDC's most recent competitive solicitation process for
selecting its Public Relations Agency of Record. We also selected a random sample of
NewmanPR's invoices paid during the audited period to ensure compliance with the contract terms
and sufficiency of supporting documentation. This included verifying that reimbursed
expenditures were eligible and served a valid,legal, and public purpose. Finally,we also reviewed
NewmanPR's subagency contracts to ensure that the terms and conditions are consistent with the
TDC's marketing plan, budget, and Monroe County's purchasing policies.
Of greatest concern, our invoice sample included reimbursements made to NewmanPR for work
performed by a company NewmanPR presented as Graphics 71. When asked,NewmanPR was not
able to provide documentation that Graphics 71 is properly registered to conduct business in the
State of Florida. In fact, the agency admitted to us that Graphics 71 was a nonexistent company.
Further,NewmanPR admitted that any checks that NewmanPR made payable to Graphics 71 were
ultimately destroyed because no bank would cash the checks made out to a nonexistent company.
In other words,NewmanPR used a nonexistent company as a conduit to claim they made payments
eligible for reimbursement when,in fact,no payments were made for there to be valid reimbursable
expenses.
The President of NewmanPR appeared to use this nonexistent company as a method to pay himself
in addition to the agency fee NewmanPR received monthly from Monroe County. NewmanPR
asserted the work performed by Graphics 71 typically would have been subcontracted. However,
it appears that NewmanPR submitted misleading and unsupported claims for reimbursement by
certifying that they had made a payment in full to a vendor that did not exist and, as a result,
NewmanPR requested, received, and retained funds for a nonexistent expense. NewmanPR is
obligated, under the terms of their contract, to only request reimbursement for services that have
been paid in full to a third-party vendor and adhere to the County's requirements for payment.
Our audit tests also revealed that NewmanPR possibly materially breached the terms of its contract
with Monroe County. The audit findings discussed in the report include that NewmanPR: (1)
repeatedly submitted misleading certifications that their vendors were paid in full when seeking
reimbursement; (2) invoiced the TDC before services were rendered; (3) failed to provide
— 2 —
documentation to substantiate work performance; (4) submitted questionable documentation to
support reimbursement requests; (5) submitted unallowed expenses for reimbursement; and(6)did
not adhere to Monroe County's purchasing policy when subcontracting for services. The errors
and inaccuracies our audit sample uncovered in NewmanPR's invoices, when considered as a
whole, demonstrate a fiscal arrogance on the part of the vendor as well as a lack of regard for the
expenditure of public funds.
Finally, our audit concluded that the TDC's marketing director, appointed by the TDC's executive
office, did not provide the needed management oversight for the Agencies of Record, such as
NewmanPR. The marketing director failed to establish procedures within the TDC so staff were
critically reviewing vendor invoices for allowable expenses, completeness, and accuracy before
approving them for payment. Based on the serious nature of the audit's findings, the marketing
director's lack of management direction and oversight goes beyond being a simple training issue.
3 —
The TDC and the Agency of Record for Public Relations
In the early 1980's, Monroe County recognized the need to market,promote, and manage itself as
a desirable tourist destination by creating the Monroe County Tourist Development Council
(TDC). As allowed by s. 125.0104,F.S., Monroe County began levying a tourist development tax
to financially support the TDC. The tourist development tax is paid by any person who rents,
leases, or lets any living quarters or accommodations in the county for six months or less. In fiscal
year (FY) 2023 (October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023), Monroe County recorded
collecting almost $61.5 million in tourist development tax earmarked to support the TDC's
operations.
As provided by s. 125.0104(4), F.S., the TDC is an advisory council appointed by the Monroe
County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The TDC has nine members who serve
staggered four-year terms. The TDC contracts with a not-for-profit corporation, 3406 North
Roosevelt Boulevard(d/b/a Visit Florida Keys), to operate the TDC's executive office.
The TDC executive office is referred to as the TDC's executive director in Monroe County Code.
As the executive director, Visit Florida Keys serves at the pleasure of and is subject to removal by
the BOCC. Monroe County Code Section 23-199((d) states, "[t]he executive director shall carry
out the policies and programs established by the council and shall be in charge of the day-to-day
operations of those policies and programs." Visit Florida Keys contracts with an executive
manager, referred to as the marketing director, who is responsible for implementing the TDC's
policies and programs as well as managing the day-to-day operations of TDC.
Since the inception of Monroe County's TDC in the 1980's, Stuart Newman, Associates, Inc.
(d/b/a NewmanPR) has been the TDC's Public Relations Agency of Record. In the marketing
profession, an Agency of Record is the consultant that provides specific professional services and
is given final creative control on behalf of the TDC for their area of expertise. Monroe County
contracts with NewmanPR to be the TDC's Agency of Record for public relations.
The County's vendor contracts contain a clause that advises the contractor that they are required
to maintain their books, records, and documents directly pertinent under the agreement in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Also, because it is important to ensure
that the public funds used to pay the contractor support a valid, legal, and public purpose, the
County's contracts also contain a Right To Audit clause. As allowed by the contract, the Monroe
County Clerk's Internal Audit Department conducted a review of the financial records of
NewmanPR. The audit focused on the August 17, 2022 agreement between Monroe County and
NewmanPR including an audit of records, assets, and activities relating to the scope of services
detailed in the August 2022 Agreement.
— 4 —
Taking a historical look, initial services provided by the first contractual arrangement between
Monroe County's TDC and NewmanPR in the early 1980's included advertising promotion,public
relations, and marketing services. Compensation for all services totaled approximately $500,000,
with$44,000 dedicated for public relations. By 1986, services provided by NewmanPR no longer
included advertising but rather focused exclusively on public relations, publicity, and press
relations with compensation of $100,000 plus reimbursable expenses. As of 2023, NewmanPR
continues to provide public relations services, with an annual agency fee of $733,688 plus
reimbursable expenses. Appendix I provides a copy of Monroe County's current contract with
NewmanPR. Table 1 summarizes the annual agency fee and the amounts reimbursed to
NewmanPR for the last five fiscal years.
Table 1
Fiscal Year Payments To NewmanPR
Fiscal Annual Reimbursed Total Paid To
Year Agency Fee Expenses NewmanPR
FY 2023 733,688 1,170,834 1,904,522
FY 2022* 682,500 896,743 1,579,243
FY 2021* 682,500 553,523 1,236,023
FY 2020* 650,000 885,374 1,535,374
FY 2019 650,000 1,213,417 1,863,417
*The global pandemic impacted the Florida Keys'economy and TDC's public relation activities beginning in
March 2020 and ending during FY 2022.
The contract requires NewmanPR to serve as a ". . . full-service public relations agency for the
Monroe County TDC and County." The contract details the key personnel and minimum staffing
to be provided for performing these professional services as well as other detail services including,
but not limited to:
• Assign a Senior Account Supervisor who will give priority basis to the County's account.
• Assign staff to manage communications to develop an awareness as well as to promote a
favorable image and goodwill for Florida Keys' tourism.
• Establish and maintain contacts with print, internet, and broadcast media.
• Coordinate the development and distribution of news materials for trade and consumer
media.
5 —
• Develop and coordinate media familiarization tours and itineraries of the Florida Keys and
assist the media, including travel bloggers and social media influencers during their visits.
• Develop the public relations section of the TDC's annual marketing plan.
• Establish and manage agreements with subagencies for international, specialty, and other
public relation markets and/or programs.
• Provide content support for the TDC's website and social media channels.
• Provide publicity before, during, and after selected special events.
• Develop and maintain video and still image libraries.
• Provide a measurability process to evaluate the TDC's public relations programs.
In addition to receiving an annual agency fee, the contract permits NewmanPR to be reimbursed,
at cost, for a variety of expenses. The list of allowable reimbursable expenses has continually
expanded over the years; items that were originally covered by the agency fee shifted to being
defined as reimbursable expenses. For example, NewmanPR's initial 1982 contract limited
reimbursable expenses to travel-related expenses. In contrast, the five-year 2012-2017 contract
defined reimbursable expenses as:
"The FIRM will be reimbursed at cost for all actual expenses incurred for media materials,
postage, FedEx, clipping services, special event support, research, website maintenance,
promotional items, seminars or show registrations, sub-agency Agreements, entertainment
of media, broadcast support, photography, broadcast production, travel expenses and all
other projects or production materials that are necessary for the fulfillment of this
agreement and have been approved in advance by the TDC and according to Monroe
County Procurement Policies. The firm's telecommunication services are included in their
professional fees."
In its October 2017 contract,which coincided with Visit Florida Keys appointing a new marketing
director responsible for managing the TDC's Agencies of Record, NewmanPR's contract
expanded the definition of reimbursable expenses to include contracted staff without a
corresponding reduction in its agency fee. Historically,the public relations staffing costs,whether
employees or contractors, were covered by the annual agency fee. When seeking the BOCC's
approval for this re-negotiated five-year agreement, the TDC did not present any economic
justification to the BOCC for revising the contract terms to allow NewmanPR to be reimbursed
for its contracted staff. This is especially troubling since this definitional change appears to conflict
with the minimum requirements NewmanPR is expected to perform under its agency contract.
— 6 ^-
NewmanPR's most current five-year contract, negotiated in 2022, again expanded the definition
of reimbursable expenditures to:
"The Contractor will be reimbursed at cost for all actual expenses incurred for contracted
staff,media materials,postage, shipping,clipping services, special event support,research,
website maintenance, promotional items, seminars or show registrations, sub-agency
Agreements, entertainment of media, broadcast support, photography, broadcast
production, other video and audio projects, travel expenses and all other projects or
production materials that are necessary for the fulfillment of this Agreement and have been
approved in advance by the TDC Fiscal Year Marketing Plan or budget according to
Monroe County Purchase Policies. The Contractor's telecommunication services are
included in their professional fees with the exception of Zoom and other virtual conference
programs."
For Monroe County's most recent fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 (October 1, 2022 through September
30, 2023), the BOCC approved $1.5 million for the public relations portion of the TDC's annual
marketing plan. As indicated in the above passages,the reimbursable expenses must be consistent
with the content of the approved plan and corresponding budget.
— 7 —
Purpose and Scope of Internal Audit
The Monroe County Clerk's (Clerk)Internal Audit Department completed an audit of the Monroe
County Tourist Development Council (TDC) for the five-year period October 1, 2018, through
September 30, 2023. Our audit procedures included examining adherence to policies and
procedures by the TDC's executive office, 3406 North Roosevelt Boulevard (d/b/a Visit Florida
Keys). Because of the audit's findings, the Internal Audit Department's audit work was expanded
to include a review of the financial records of NewmanPR, TDC's Public Relations Agency of
Record. The audit focused on the August 17, 2022 agreement between Monroe County and
NewmanPR including an audit of records, assets, and activities relating to the scope of services
detailed in this agreement.
The audited period was FY 2021 through FY 2023.
The scope of the audit included:
Reviewing the TDC's most recent competitive solicitation process for selecting
NewmanPR as its Agency of Record to ensure compliance with Monroe County's
procurement policies and procedures;
Randomly sampling NewmanPR's invoices paid during the audited period to ensure
compliance with contract terms and sufficiency of supporting documentation;
• Verifying that reimbursable expenditures were eligible transactions that were properly
supported and served a valid, legal, and public purpose; and
• Reviewing the terms of NewmanPR subagency contracts to ensure that the terms and
conditions are consistent with the TDC's marketing plan, budget, and Monroe County's
procurement policies and procedures.
. 8 —
Review of TDC's Public Relations Competitive Solicitation
An argument can be made that an over forty-year tenure with a contractor has its benefits - the
contractor has acquired extensive experience and understanding that is particular to the entity being
provided services such as NewmanPR's experience and knowledge for promoting the Florida
Keys. But it can also be argued that such longevity also runs the risk of creating a sense of
complacency between those executing oversight over a contractor and the contractor themselves.
In turn, the likelihood of essential checks and balances risk being eroded because the long-term
relationship that develops may be at odds with an arm's-length business relationship. To avoid
compromising the contractual relationship as well as to instill public trust in its business decisions,
it is critical that the TDC take all precautions to fully comply with established policies and
procedures when managing these long-term relationships.
For example, given that public funds are involved in the contract, the TDC is expected to ensure
that they regularly conduct a competitive solicitation for public relation services by following the
County's purchasing policy. The County's purchasing policy is ". . . intended to promote actual,
honest, and effective competition and protect the taxpayers from collusive contracts, favoritism,
fraud,extravagance, and improvidence."' The purchasing policies and procedures are governed by
Florida statutes and Monroe County Ordinances, codified in Monroe County Code. The contract
between Monroe County and TDC's executive office, Visit Florida Keys, as well as the TDC's
Operations Manual,requires Visit Florida Keys to adhere to Monroe County's Purchasing Policy.
Throughout the years, TDC has conducted the required competitive solicitations for public
relations services by requesting proposals from interested public relation firms. This is oftentimes
referred to as a Request For Proposals (RFP) procurement process. The RFP process requires the
TDC to issue an RFP solicitation request that details the TDC's needs, terms, and conditions of a
public relations agency. A selection committee evaluates and then scores each proposal as the
method for selecting the firm that best meets the TDC's needs. Once the committee selects a firm,
the committee's recommendation is first presented to the TDC Board for approval. If the TDC
approves, then the selection committee is tasked with negotiating a contract with the selected
vendor before the recommendation is presented to the BOCC for approval. After being approved,
a formal contract is executed that uses the detail from the proposal to define the scope of services
and the method of compensation.
Because both the TDC and the BOCC rely on the selection committee's recommendation to make
their decision to approve a vendor's proposal, the selection committee plays a critical role in the
integrity of the RFP process. Monroe County's purchase policy recognizes this and requires the
following:
i See Monroe County Purchasing Policy,Revised 4/19/2023,p.4.
— 9 —
Selection committees shall be comprised of no less than three(3), and no more than seven
(7)members.
Each selection committee shall have at least one member who is employed by the
Requesting Department and at least one member who is not employed by the Requesting
Department. Depending on the technical information that may be contained in the
solicitation, the Department Director may appoint several members from his department
but no more than 2/3 of the members may be from the same department. There shall be no
consultants contracted by the County and no County Commissioners on a selection
committee. Generally, no County Attorney shall be a voting member of a selection
committee unless the County Attorney's office is the Requesting Department.2
The selection committee is a key internal control by acting as a gatekeeper to ensure that the
solicitation is not only competitive for all vendors but also to ensure that there is an objective
review of the proposals. The ideal make-up of the selection committee members would typically
be individuals who can maintain their independence and objectivity as well possess a degree of
knowledge regarding the topic being evaluated. They are also well-positioned to add value to and
to protect the best interests of the County during the contract negotiations with the vendor.
Further,it is important that the selection committee's work clearly demonstrates a serious effort to
seek the most competitive proposal. Otherwise, future RFP solicitations unknowingly could be
compromised because vendors may perceive that the County is not interested in, or open to,
considering all available options. As a result, qualified vendors may choose not to invest the time
or cost of preparing a proposal when the County seeks future solicitations.
The last RFP issued by the TDC for public relations services was in 2022. As described in the
solicitation document, TDC required interested vendors to prepare a proposal that was separated
into 12 sections to give respondents an opportunity to provide specifics about their proposed
services including,but not limited to, detailing the qualified and experienced staff that they would
dedicate to the TDC account, the annual agency fee needed to cover administrative costs for all
staff, the agency's administrative facilities, the financial stability of the agency, and the agency's
vision for promoting the awareness and image of all the Florida Keys' destinations.
Contrary to the County's purchasing policy,the two vendor proposals submitted in response to the
RFP were evaluated by a selection committee consisting of three long-time TDC Board members.
After evaluating and scoring the proposals, the three TDC Board members then made a formal
recommendation to the full TDC Board which included themselves. There is no documented
evidence that they recused themselves from the TDC's decision giving the appearance that there
was no arm's length evaluation of the vendor proposals. Moreover, the evaluation committee did
Ibid., see Chapter 3, Section B,Item 9,pp. 17-18.
_ 10 —
not consist of members that would provide the needed assurances to the public that the proposals
were objectively evaluated with the proper professional expertise.
To ensure that future competitive solicitations promote, both in appearance and in substance,
actual, honest, and effective competition and protect the taxpayers from collusive contracts,
favoritism, fraud, extravagance, and improvidence, we recommend that, rather than being
implied, the section in Monroe County Purchasing Policy on the selection committee be revised
to explicitly prohibit committee members, like a TDC board member, from participating on
selection committees. Since the TDC members ultimately play a decision-making role on
approving the final vendor proposal, it is important that they also are not involved in vetting the
selections for consideration.
For these reasons, as well as other issues identified later in the report, we also recommend that the
TDC conduct another competitive solicitation for public relation services immediately rather
than wait until the current NewmanPR contract expires on September 30, 2025. This will allow
the TDC to conduct a solicitation with a selection committee that complies with Monroe County
Purchasing Policy. Further,re-doing the competitive solicitation will demonstrate that the TDC is
willing to take the steps needed to build public trust and confidence in both the TDC's processes
and the TDC's willingness to maintain arm's length contractual relationships.
Conducting a competitive solicitation for public relation services immediately will also address
other concerns identified during the last solicitation. Namely, in their proposal (Appendix II),
NewmanPR listed Visit Florida Keys' marketing director as a business reference in addition to
including a quote of support from the marketing director. Given that the marketing director
participated in the contract negotiations with NewmanPR, raises questions about the arm's length
nature of this business relationship.
^ 11 ^-
Questionable Nature of Graphics 71
The TDC tasks the Visit Florida Keys' senior executive, the marketing director, with the
responsibility to, "manage and monitor all TDC related advertising, website and public relations
activities with the contracted agencies and sub-agencies."3 This includes establishing processes so
that appropriate Visit Florida Keys' personnel are reviewing and approving all vendor-related
invoices for these services to ensure that the invoice includes sufficient documentation to support
that the payment is legitimate and for an approved and valid public purpose.
Our audit testing found that NewmanPR regularly submitted invoices to the TDC requesting
reimbursement for payments they certified were made to a vendor named Graphics 71. According
to the invoices reviewed, Graphics 71 provided production, production supervision, distribution
supervision, and photography services. When submitting a reimbursement request related to
payments made to Graphics 71, NewmanPR led the TDC and the Clerk's Office to believe that
Graphics 71 was an independent entity authorized to do business in the State of Florida. Exhibit
1 provides an example of a typical Graphics 71 invoice submitted by NewmanPR when requesting
reimbursement. Our audit testing revealed questionable practices involving NewmanPR's use of
Graphics 71 as summarized below.
Unregistered Business
During our audit testing,we found that NewmanPR represented,through its invoices,that Graphics
71 was an independent third-party vendor that NewmanPR regularly conducted business with on
behalf of the TDC. To confirm that Graphics 71 was a legitimate business, we traveled to the
address listed on Graphics 71's invoice and found that:
• Graphics 71's office suite 203-B did not exist in the building;
• Graphics 71 was not listed as a business in the building's directory; and
• Graphics 71 was not listed as a tenant by the building's landlord.
Because we could not identify a company operating at the location, we researched the State of
Florida's records available on www.sunbiz.org and discovered that Graphics 71 is not an entity
registered to do business in the State, and the business name was not listed as an alias for a
registered Florida business. We also could not find business tax payment records with Miami-
Dade County for Graphics 71. We also could not find that Graphics 71 advertised its business
using a website. We next reviewed NewmanPR's website and most recent bid proposal (see
Appendix 11), to no avail, for information on possible references about Graphics 71.
s Exhibit A Marketing Director Job Description from Marketing Director Employment Agreement for Visit Florida
Keys.
— 12 —
Exhibit I
Example of Graphics 71 Invoice
Graphics 71.
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2140 South Dixie Highway,f:rr'udn 2V4.
Miami,FI.. 3313
J108 DA,'C' lab''7 IN
Grounddeveli as W irriagoiyand a ron,o jinagi1 direri,(on of 014 Seawmi,Maoa v,J a+aaaaetals on�hn,Ili
,r."0 ,forrr'�M�tlsu4Y4�Oon is As'�smiated�rps� ,' RY oit�rs.Ageirvu::e F=ra:e�oo n'rr�esse �d'y Irmiages,}Fees
ritedlraa,Keys wa;aradM irna^arrfiau pl aafwm,and tudd4k)maf outBl�t.a.
rmmn DcScIRuWa'io" "ANT41Ty Wtb T Met SUS TOTAV.
Die1iCal rraansrrAifli RentW h $75,00 $7500I
r
Given the lack of any information on the company, we asked the President of NewmanPR to
provide additional information. He stated that this was a company owned and controlled by him
and was created 35 years ago for services he provided directly to the firm. In a written response to
our follow-up questions, the President of NewmanPR provided additional information, stating:
"Graphics 71 was initiated as a separate entity within Stuart Newman Associates to
properly document work done by the outside the scope of work detailed in our client
contracts not only with Monroe County, but others as well. Specifically, it focuses on
photography, print production and an occasional video production project, that would
otherwise be done by an outside vendor."4
4 October 26,2023 Written Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,page I (see Appendix IV).
— 13
As Exhibit 1 shows, Graphics 71's invoice did not indicate that it had any affiliation to, or was a
division of, Stuart Newman Associates, Inc. The County requires that all vendors be properly
registered to do business in the State of Florida as well with the Internal Revenue Service. The
County and the public must have full trust and confidence that the TDC's Agency of Record for
Public Relations will faithfully adhere to all laws and regulations as it carries out the TDC's public
relations goals. Using a nonexistent company to request reimbursement suggests NewmanPR
regularly demonstrated a general disregard for the expenditure of public monies.
No Payments Made To Graphics 71
Under the contract provisions, NewmanPR is entitled to be reimbursed for expenses that are
included as part of the annual public relations budget approved by the TDC and the County.
Moreover, per the contract, "[t]he Firm shall have all expenses placed on invoices that have the
proper approved purchase order account number, have been paid for by the agency before being
submitted for reimbursement with product or services delivered, and follow other County
requirements for payment."'
Our sampled invoices included signed certifications by NewmanPR stating that the agency paid
for services rendered by Graphics 71 which NewmanPR certified were paid in full, via check.
However, when we asked for evidence of the cancelled checks,NewmanPR stated:
"[fJor the past several years, Sandy has been processing bills from Graphics 71, as with any other
vendor. But the check is not cashed. Our bank will not accept a check payable to Graphics 71, so
she destroys the checks."'
Stated differently, NewmanPR knowingly submitted erroneous requests for reimbursement to the
County. NewmanPR's bank would not accept a check payable to Graphics 71 because it was a
nonexistent company. Therefore, NewmanPR requested, received, and retained funds for a
nonexistent expense.Monroe County's False Claims Ordinance specifically prohibits the County's
vendors or others from ". . . knowingly causing, assisting in causing, or attempting to cause the
county to pay claims that are false, fraudulent, or inflated . . ."7
It appears that NewmanPR submitted materially misleading and inaccurate claims for
reimbursement by certifying that they had made a payment in full to a vendor that did not exist.
NewmanPR is obligated, under the terms of their contract, to only request reimbursement for
services that have been paid in full and adhere to the County's requirements for payment.
Section 3,Part B of the August 17,2022 Agreement Between Monroe County,Florida and Stuart Newman,
Associates,Inc.,page 4(see Appendix 1).
e October 26,2023 Written Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,Appendix III,page 123,and Updated
October 26,2023 Written Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.Appendix III,page 127.
'Monroe County Code Article IX.
— 14 ^-
Improper Duplicate Compensation
We reviewed the County's contract with NewmanPR and found that while photography and
production are listed as reimbursable expenses, these services are reimbursable regarding third-
party vendors. Since the contract's definition of Key Personnel includes Mr. Newman as both the
President of NewmanPR and the TDC Account Supervisor, and Mr. Newman is also solely
responsible for work performed by Graphics 71, it is unclear how Graphics 71 services and
NewmanPR services are distinguishable. Moreover, NewmanPR's President/TDC Account
Supervisor is solely responsible for determining when he will work as the TDC Account
Supervisor and when he will work under the Graphics 71 banner. This is especially concerning
since NewmanPR has admitted it does not follow Monroe County's purchasing procedures when
selecting vendors to perform services (please see report section,Lack of Procurement Process).
When asked why the services provided by Graphics 71 are not covered by the scope of services in
the contract (and the associated agency fee), NewmanPR's President argued that the services he
provides under Graphics 71 are services that are not included in the contract. Specifically:
"it focuses on photography,print production and an occasional video production project,that would otherwise
be done by an outside vendor. It is not commonplace for a PR firm to include photography and production
charges within a contract, because it is extremely difficult if not impossible to predict what is going to be
required within a budget year.To be clear,our contracts with Monroe County have never included producing
photography,print production and video production."s
It should be noted that prior contracts between the Monroe County and Stuart Newman Associates,
Inc. did contain photography and videography provisions. Specifically, the 1989 contract required
`fuflhnent of requests for stories and photographs" and "compensation...for...photographic
development." Similarly, the 1994 contract required the agency to `provide...research for, story
and still, video, and TVphotographic development"and "distribution ofstories,photographs and
TV materials. "
As one example of Mr. Newman's possible blurring of the lines between his role as the TDC
Account Supervisor versus his work under Graphics 71 is the July 2023 coverage of the
Hemingway Days Festival in Key West.As shown in Exhibit 2,NewmanPR submitted a Graphics
71 invoice for reimbursement for 16 hours of work: 4 hours on July 20; 8 hours on July 22; and 4
hours on July 23 at a rate of$155 per hour,plus a digital transmitter rental of$225 for a total bill
of$2,705. The Graphics 71 work was for news photography of the event plus distribution to news
wire sources and social media platforms.
s Ibid.,page 1.
— 15 ^-
Exhibit 2
Graphics 71 Invoice for 2023 Hemingway Days
Graphics 71
2140 South Dixie tl;°fip hwvaryr'S41itr,201-S
hw`F anli,F1,311.:13
(305).16�-3300
crwnt: 'rDC% July 25,2023
e m iw Stuart Newman A sociales in volte T 1953
2140 South Davie Ifighwey,Suite 2,0
Miami,Ft. 3,3133
JOB DESCMPTIONI
News prtlrclallralw',y 02323 Weurrirugway Days acalrslties in Key @8 OM,,lolly 20-21 Sf ool,lx)sl..
process 1r1+1 rliflf Owe to npws wire Acrur s jacluedur lh e Assn pat Press„7Vucresoii Reuters,
Ageruce France Pre e,rnoeir+e wires,Greys moida warp for sccrrl merlin platforms.Also iorcla des
video eclol c1 final!lorok-alikae round far,social rmadiia.July 201 4 kruWS,,Jarly 22:8 hruarrs� July 23:4
hours,
'TYPE OF SERY+'" FrOUM,.. RATE PER HOUR FEE
rTEM r1ESCRtlPTtle.Nd QUA9WT T Y UMT PRICE SUB TOTAL.
D glt,al Transmitter RerreW 3 $75.001 $225,00
Video Illnkl
hP s:1Mww fac»eB,Da'ok,
oorWroulMD845,8834091348
rw
GRAND TOTAL.'=1105-00
Separately, in his role as the TDC Account Supervisor, Mr. Newman submitted a request for
reimbursement for his travel to Hemingway Days Festival for the same four-day period that was
listed on the Graphics 71 invoice: July 20-23, 2023. As shown in Exhibit 3, his travel
reimbursement request totaled $1,207.14 and consisted of. $941.64 in hotel costs, $100.50 in
mileage reimbursement, and $165.00 in meals. As further evidence, Exhibit 4 shows the invoice
description provided by NewmanPR to justify the reimbursement of travel expenses as public
relations-related.
— 16
Exhibit 3
Travel Reimbursement for Hemingway Days
STATE OF FLORIDA E Androw 60CA�,SECIJPYTY N,5,
VOUCHER FOR REIMSURSIEM ENT fwvc, _Newman
OF TRAVELING EXPENSES FlOr;d&
':-A 00ftval 01-amporawy DEPARPvv hliam,nbrtda
1""Ci'Aw
Aro M"
hslwr,,,00�S to Mwa�h�ii C.'e,I xv de."Ikls P 50 Alm T2,67 —,,,I
....... -- --------------
a' ------ ------------- -------------
.............. .................... .......
-------------
77mr lzbw� 7r
1171; ------------------ 90W=
C"'M PIN01919mPy Vag,,H,41m" M 5WwWAU
—----------
771-711-1717 7777� w,m�at � P"W ,aYr
.............................................
37"1"............ K,
——----------------------------------------------------------- -------------—------------
-------------------
------------
..........
.................
j01 A
EYE ME
'AaJJLWNA'UkF: 4h,111M
------------------
4, rmx
sullr'ka.'M""VONAPAW'
Ur'',
Exhibit 4
NewmanPR Invoice 12016
n NEWMANPR Invoice
SOCIAI -MEDIA-MA"KET�NO
Stuart Newman Associates
2140 S. Dixie Hwy.,Ste.209-Miami, FL 33133
phone(305)461-3300 Yvww,newrnanpr.corn ED te
...................
W'Cm py F",.X,rkpt
Kay Wea,H 33040
1:L
Description Amount
P—hk—,dar nw0mr.B K),I 024XV02,186 SERV WV LICE NUMBER
PUMAC REVA I'll W FMT,NSVS PROMUVON A[,,
AM)Y NEWMAN TRAW1,10 VAKXXS LVOW5,WLY I I AND)ULY20 23
Po EX.-M V.ki W106
mkar" hA9,14
OpM K,7;A Wy K-aun lWy 20 2S
941,64
17 —
In response to our questions about determining the hourly rate charged by Graphics 71,
NewmanPR stated:
"The hourly rate is only for actual time spend shooting,editing,and digital post-processing,
transmission or in production. I don't bill travel time, lunch time, etc."9
It appears that NewmanPR received improper duplicate compensation for Mr. Newman's
attendance at the Hemingway Days Festival. Mr.Newman worked the festival as the TDC Account
Supervisor at the same time he was working as an employee of Graphics 71.
The Graphics 71 invoice and Mr. Newman's overlapping travel reimbursement request clearly
demonstrate Mr. Newman's duplicative efforts during the 2023 Hemingway Days Festival. For
example, on Thursday, July 20, Mr. Newman left Islamorada at 2 pm to travel to Key West as a
NewmanPR employee. At some point on July 20th, Mr. Newman turned into a Graphics 71
employee for four hours but then reverted back to a NewmanPR employee to be reimbursed for
supper and lodging. This comingling of roles that are not interchangeable occurred throughout his
four-day stay in Key West.
Mr. Newman advised us that he bills his time under Graphics 71 based on start and finish times:
"I track the hours based on a start time and a finish time. Several times,if the project goes beyond a
reasonable timeframe due to factors beyond my control—such as weather,etc.—I don't bill for hours
not working. Other vendors do because they are on the job and have committed to the time."10
However, when asked for copies of his timesheets,he stated:
"I do not do written time sheets for Graphics 71 invoices." 11
As a result,there is no documentation to support the hours charged by Graphics 71 or other support
that the invoices that are submitted are legitimate. Consequently, there are no records available to
justify the use of public funds to reimburse NewmanPR for Graphics 71 work.
We also inquired how Mr. Newman's determined the current$155 hourly rate for his time that is
charged on the Graphics 71 invoices. In response, Mr. Newman stated:
"the hourly rate is determined based on market rates examining other shooters with the
same level of experience and knowhow." 12
Ibid.,page 2.
10 Ibid.,page 3.
11 November 17,2023 Written Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,Appendix III,page 152.
12 October 26,2023 Written Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,Appendix III,page 123.
— 18 —
However, when asked for copies of the market analyses, Mr. Newman stated:
"I have never performed a market rate analysis. I believe our rates are more than fair." 13
Clearly, as TDC's Public Relations Account Supervisor,Mr.Newman is negotiating with himself,
hiring himself, supervising himself, and paying himself when he decides to hold himself out as
Graphics 71 to do work for TDC.
Put differently,NewmanPR could provide no objective justification for the rates or hours charged
by Mr. Newman and could provide no evidence that NewmanPR made any effort to ensure that
the County was given the best pricing for the services provided. It is also worth noting that Mr.
Newman charges the same rate for any service provided under Graphics 71, whether it is
photography,production, or distributing images to the media or social media platforms.
Through the issuance of a legal analysis (see Appendix IV)14, the Monroe County Attorney is of
the view that the services NewmanPR performed under the guise of Graphics 71 are reimbursable
because the agency's contract with the County specifically lists photography and videography
expenses as reimbursable. However,this limited legal analysis focused solely on debating whether
or not photography and videography services fall under the definition of being a reimbursable
expense and failed to address the more troubling issues involving Graphics 71:
• Using a nonexistent company as the conduit, NewmanPR claimed to have made payments
eligible for reimbursement when, in fact, the agency made no payments and, therefore,
there were no valid reimbursable expenses.NewmanPR requested reimbursement from the
County for nonexistent payments made to a nonexistent company.
• NewmanPR is not following Monroe County purchasing policies to ensure that the most
qualified and cost-effective third-party vendor is providing services for the TDC; and
• Graphics 71 is not registered as a fictitious name for NewmanPR or registered to conduct
business in the State of Florida.
These appear potentially to be material breaches of contract. The lack of oversight by Visit Florida
Keys' marketing director likely created an atmosphere that led to NewmanPR submitting improper
and unjustified requests for reimbursement. It is imperative that steps be taken to address the
3 November 17,2023,Written Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,Appendix III, page 152.
4 In a December 8,2023 article,the Key West Citizen reported that at the December 6,2023 Monroe County District
1 Advisory Council meeting,the President of NewmanPR reported that,". . . an opinion issued by Monroe County
Attorney Bob Shillinger and vetted by the Florida Attorney General's Office had absolved him and his firm of any
wrongdoing regarding the double billing alleged in Madok's audit." As discussed in this report, the County
Attorney's limited legal analysis did not absolve NewmanPR of wrongdoing. Moreover,we could find no opinion
issued by the Florida Attorney General absolving NewmanPR of any wrongdoing.
— 19 —
mismanagement that has occurred under the marketing director's watch including how to handle
the potential improper claims submitted by NewmanPR as well as eliminate all appearances of
self-dealing. It is essential that the BOCC and TDC take the needed steps to restore the public's
trust and confidence in the TDC's business operations. A positive first step in that direction was
the suspension of the marketing director.
In an effort to continue improving the public's confidence in the TDC, we recommend Monroe
County take steps to address the materially irregular claims submitted by NewmanPR such as
work with an outside public relations consultant to oversee the re-bid the TDC's Public
Relations Agency of Record contract.
— 20 —
Concerns Identified With Sampled Invoices
The TDC tasks the Visit Florida Keys' marketing director with the responsibility to, "manage and
monitor all TDC related advertising, website and public relations activities with the contracted
agencies and sub-agencies."15 This includes establishing processes so that appropriate Visit
Florida Keys' personnel are reviewing and approving all vendor-related invoices for these services
to ensure that the invoice includes sufficient documentation to support that the payment is
legitimate and for an approved public purpose.
As part of our audit procedures, we selected two random samples of NewmanPR's types of
invoices: (1) a sample of invoices for the public relations agency fee for FY 2022 and FY 2023;
and (2) a sample of expense reimbursements for FYs 2021 through 2023. Overall, we found that
NewmanPR does not adhere to the terms and conditions of its contract. As summarized below,we
found issues with the supporting documentation that was provided as well as issues with the
allowability of some of the expenditures that we sampled.
Misleading Certifications
As previously mentioned, some of NewmanPR's invoices submitted to the TDC are requests to
reimburse expenses. It is the County's standard practice to require vendors seeking reimbursement
to provide proof of payment as part of the supporting documentation before payment will be made.
Specifically,the County does not reimburse an expense until the vendor has provided either a copy
of a cancelled check, a bank statement, credit card statement, or a bank wire confirmation. The
reason that proof of payment must be presented before the County will pay a vendor's
reimbursement request is to ensure that the vendor has properly followed through and paid the
expense they incurred. In other words, the proof of payment is irrefutable confirmation that the
vendor has fully honored the obligations they incurred on behalf of the County before receiving
public funds.
However, over time, this strict documentation requirement was loosened for NewmanPR when
they sought reimbursement of expenses. In lieu of proof of payment, NewmanPR was allowed to
provide a notarized statement certifying that the vendor invoices submitted for reimbursement had
been paid in full. As stated in Section 3(B) of NewmanPR's contract with Monroe County, the
agency cannot request reimbursement of an expense until "[a]ll reimbursable expenditures . . .
have been paid for by the agency to the vendor before being submitted for reimbursement with
product or services delivered and follow other County requirements for payment."
"Exhibit A Marketing Director Job Description from Marketing Director Employment Agreement for Visit Florida
Keys.
— 21 —
For a number of years, both the TDC and the Clerk's Office have relied on the truthfulness of
NewmanPR's notarized statements as proof that the checks listed were cashed and cleared the
bank. Exhibit 5 provides an example of such a certification. It is not clear when the decision was
made or who made the decision to no longer require NewmanPR to provide actual proof of
payment.
Our sampling found that most certifications were misleading. In addition to the destruction of
checks made payable to Graphics 71, we found instances where checks were not paid in full as
certified and instances where the actual amount paid to a vendor were less than the amount certified
as paid.
Exhibit 5
Example of Notarized Certification
Stuart Newman .ssoci ttes„[tic.
2140 S Dixie Higlk%vay Ste 209
Coconut Grove,FL 33133
Seplenalaer 20,2023
Vin uaeaf111iet''MonrereCounty("'raaurthouse
Key West,H= 33040
]tl,.MCTDC h1vraice
11is is to ceri.fy that the vendor invoices submitted arnder 12067„ 1206S, 12069, 12070,
12071,, 12072, 12073, 1.2074, 12075,12076, 12077 have I)eei�a lraw in Full by tine cbcCks
denoted d blowy. Also,tluis is to codify that any in-laouse itioms,inclu od on tlaesae invoices
laavebeen satisfiad"hril,y 1>rrarlueed and au4ilized in fufflilnaent of fwonroc (."o mAy Uouri�s,d
Development Council public relations and Promotional ptgs ects,
Andrew Newman
i''a•rTsirlc;rcak
Sworn laetbre mnc this 20tta clay of September,2023.
�t�nd a,l,4 taaulrbq Nola t uata6i� �
My oaarnaauussaeal�, xlaav� March 1Ab„24727 4®rue
— 22 —
Actual Amount Paid To A Vendor Less Than Certified Amount. Our testing revealed that
NewmanPR regularly requested the TDC to reimburse the full invoice amount billed by its
European subcontractor, KBC, despite NewmanPR paying less than the full amount. For example,
as shown in Exhibit 6, NewmanPR submitted four invoices to the TDC dated August 16, 2023
and August 23, 2023, requesting to be reimbursed for payments made to KBC. Exhibit 7 shows
how much NewmanPR wired to KBC on August 16, 2023, to pay for these invoices.
Exhibit 6
NewmanPR Invoices
Requesting Reimbursement for Paid KBC Invoices
n NEWMANPH Invoice
SOCIAL.-MEDIA-AInARXt TING
Stuart Newman Assracrakes.
2.140 S.Dix
Ia Hwy.,Ste 20 Ft 9-Alanmi, -331'3i3 .—
phone(30S)rd6l-33i)i)•www.newnian�pr.coirn � MI. nraoCram#
'211 A"ApfZ7 L"AUT.E
Irui to
Wiirv�irrw 4.nir.....FYS,...,.m.,n.........................................—
Prisarrau�Q':neenl4'I'unuiax•.n R uepr�.
Kq W,nmI,P,, AMC)
............................... ......... ..........................................
Description Amount
.........�. .m.„m......_.. . .... ....... ....�,,,,,,.m.,,.m..
I° r,er4r m.anlai It JrnutV2;Y+XY�Wr4NTv I W1'1[;I I I Np>tiAN➢6`vrtu
1%1 141 GPI AArR ON I%I tl ti"l.ti':G'NI V I S.MONMG.?n I il14'9-:S
M.'R141,dr,K"'Wue A,M ka""j AN 142, I'Gin,4rim '--I. pM„+h11,Cgp
,,,� NEWMAN R Invoice
x ldlA SOCIAL•MEDIA•MARKETING
Stuart Newman Associates
2140 S.Dixie Hwy.,Ste,209•Miami,FL 33133
phone!(3055)461-3300•www.newmanpr.coumT
i IYSp49
FWT.
hAemvem�Gia!�rtw
MMIt (hruert;y ri.—YkPI
VScy W�V,PI.,9}1Vµn
FmxapGl ....,.......m...... riYu
Dsscrt talon Amount
r"rs+ fyr I-.1 1.. '._ ..... ..'�.
'�ItiT•1.4Td'S•WHkwYd�l E4 B&+ItYNC:C:4,hME;fYdJA1AE�,k'
f1IPI17.14".KN4 M'r4KYN1 Rl%NSIS^11W AM1t PRY45NAI
Klna^F°mb9it @YJ65AiennM A tlAae�4xrtu4wA Exne.LN V.241w ddkm W Gt A 1$M
CCm11Y�ifn9y YWuwlmfmkeysaarvls.Wtiwu H'A.#"P
rn£°7m8xtlin-Ik„0wnim+na A Nprerkau"nWY 4.Nnd.fNW'-7A'A64:WiMi+'iwr VCM4'^4'+4YeM hU.]�U214
tMurvruttuusk rrdugrLhrlya@rurAr.:',mnlfieuv niu�rfin rxvY'�fl F Wx'rp dn'2,ti
"I'rciuR IRsr6nlwveya4ro4n ISudneuv..rarr 10.,T"JZAT
— 23 ^
Exhibit 6(con't)
NewmanPR Invoices
Requesting Reimbursement for Paid KBC Invoices
nt;., N NPR EWMA Invoice
SOCIAL-MEDIA-MARKETMG
Stuart Newman Assodates
2140 S. DIxw Hwy,,Ste,209*Mharnl,FI.33133
-3300 vvwvv,newvnanpr.Con1
phone(305)461
an,
RM Tal
K,,y W"I WL ANHQ
Description aaratlTf
...........
PUM W RUAM I VXPb-N%S PRM1010"Al
KRC KIM,I841011. LBi VIV VV91 G.—d Vq—
Invoice
.nNEWMANPR
,,,,,, SOCIAL�MEDIA.MARKFtING
Stuart Newman AssadaW,
2140 S IDixfe Hwy., Ste.209-Miami,FL 331,33
F T
phorie,(305�)461-3300-www.newillariprx".
K Y,kv"",14 Uolo
-—--------
...............
Dos,orlpfion Amount
r1uZ'77,dw n fl,r,F1,711),100 00029M6 Mr,RVINI IANrk73IWille;';
11tl:111,1('EI�t,VI KKK EXIVINSES PROMMU)NAL-
ELK,P,M Rclmio—R Kbffktli,g L0 n,,V 24 I14jen—Njpvi— 4,09.0
Exhibit 7
August 16, 2023 NewmanPR Bank Wire To ICBC16
BAN K OF A M ER ICA BAKK U S.Mhl .,A.
-F'Err WAY M6 500-64-0$
A. Ak%07
IMEKA A—MnATNS INC.
"40` '-T EI'E I"MIMI, WI, A113Y-2464
BIRR-r INQUERIMS TO,
too 6 729 9473 PTr.9 2
1 --=
THE FOLL�, M4)WYRR WAS DREMM71ADAY, UfD AMOMM 152,472,61
TRANSACTION RZF, !Mflll=RSF: 01�14
REUTV,PRY,
ORIOXNATIA, STUAR7 NEW"N AV"ClhT93, Mr. IRv XXXXXYX
IN TR-TINIG NANK; C�, %V.RR Ip;
BEiEYFPILIANWr MIC PR.MURIDM Vm XD�
UNKFICIARV9 DANXv XSWC UK ANX PLC ID
I MERMED1 KRY BANK, UB , PJA.N9 YU,RE HUY NI;
RICRIVINO BMW, RSBC DANY ME, NA XD,
PAYMUT PHZATE,, pzl KEYV Mp KEY WRIT p.V 4DpV1.ArM11 ff1XpUN$K11
16 Detailed banking account information was redacted from Exhibit 7.
— 24 —
As Table 2 shows, KBC's invoices billed to NewmanPR agreed with the amount NewmanPR
invoiced TDC. While the TDC reimbursed NewmanPR for the full amount KBC invoiced, the
amount NewmanPR actually wired to KBC was less than the invoiced amount.
Table 2
KBC Invoices
Amount Invoiced
NewmanPR To TDC For
Invoice Number Reimbursement
12032 $ 18,750.00
12034 411.58
12034 10,209.48
12038 18,627.52
12039 4,909.09
Amount Billed To TDC By NewmanPR S 52,907.67
Amount Wired To KBC By NewmanPR 52,872.67
Amount Overbilled By NewmanPR $ 35.00
We found that NewmanPR retains $35 from every wire sent to KBC to recoup the banking wire
fee. While this appears to be an agreed-upon arrangement between NewmanPR and KBC, it is not
an agreed-upon arrangement between NewmanPR and the TDC. Banking charges of this nature
are not an allowable cost reimbursed by the County. This is a cost of doing business that
NewmanPR is expected to assume and not pass on to the County for reimbursement. Submitting
an invoice for reimbursement with an inaccurate amount is not transparent and could be construed
as an intent to mislead by NewmanPR.
Checks Not Paid As Certified.From our sample,we found a recurring pattern where NewmanPR
requested TDC reimburse expenditures that were not yet paid in full even though NewmanPR
certified that they were paid in full. To provide an example of this prevalent practice, Exhibit 8
shows that NewmanPR certified that their invoice 11878 was paid in full at the time they submitted
the request to the TDC for payment.
— 25 ^-
Exhibit 8
Certification That Invoice 11878 Was Paid In Full As of February 28, 2023
SW X-vnlan A.s nmlcs. 111Q,
140 S Oi:m me I sjj^:I09
Coconut Q'covv,Fl, 33133
Vcbi'uar� 2N,20,--11
Hnance CoUrOnitt"'c'.
Kxy West,1"j, 3-;040
Rt,:14C U LK,invoice
ni., u,to urjfu tP,tj jj,,velldor mvoicei soibmitted 4Pmkr 1 J867, 11868 1 1871b,
11871„ 1 N72, 1 W3, 1 18'74 118753 iWb, 8 IN77. H878, 1 Wl) 11890, fl18Ni, jjg,42,
1 t8gl. 11884 have beloitivid mn 610 by the
111'al',Im in-house imll�;indkided oN lhc""'C invomccs hav�!been, ,alk1ku
61% prodwwed and
lifibled in kd ill m4Mt of N'loproc ("clunty rourim Dev'e1o11rrmTaaat
and promodowd vri'jevr- Comled pubhe rdmions
As Exhibit 9 shows, NewmanPR's invoice 11878 was dated February 28, 2023.
Exhibit 9
NewmanPR Invoice 11878
nNEWMANPRl Invoice
SOCIAk.-MEDIA*MARKETING
Stuart Newman Associates
21'40 S.Dixie Hwy.,Ste.209.Ml
p am,FL 33133
hone(3105)461-3300 www,nevwmanpr,com
]]Vs
...........
a0l Tu
Mdnmrtiru
Kq, F W40
Description Amount
)-K)-lon XXMJ7.04'NWICVIJNI^Nk Nmwm I
""qogrq y,W,,—%L md Ihhp,W I kc
-02321 Dlmv
"Y'M mmp,wdVS.nI,dm,1,b 20f
",ow, "=J'00
I"p['d A—O'k Bp'wl 00
— 26 —
Exhibit 10 shows that the date of the check written to NewmanPR's vendor was February 28,
2023 while the cancelled check shows that this invoice was not negotiated until March 15, 2023;
fifteen days after the date that NewmanPR certified the check being paid.
Exhibit 10
NewmanPR Check 1278 Cashed March 15, 2023
Check number: 1278 l Amount: $600.00
o
WNYP Ti*"��^.,tiF k-0ce4k«�kM,tlYMUWSb
CM^
ti
.Nak'ws'UatM ', d .,rw .www.. ww, ,•¢kb U^41 '
'CMJ'1 LAMCK�mmti'�rsm9W�W"'&%V'�PuCrcM
Checks
Data [heck# Amount
03/06i23 1276 -800DO
03/115/23 1278* -6 S 0
After the audit turned up repeated instances where NewmanPR's certifications were unreliable,
the Clerk's Office took immediate action to require all TDC's vendors requesting reimbursement
of expenses,including NewmanPR, to comply with the County's proof of payment documentation
requirements. Given the materiality of this audit's findings, the Clerk's Office will no longer
accept NewmanPR's signed certification as evidence payments were made to vendors in full.
Moving forward, we recommend the TDC critically review NewmanPR's reimbursement
requests to ensure that NewmanPR is requesting reimbursement for only expenses that have
been paid in full and is requesting reimbursement for only allowable expenses. Further, we
recommend the BOCC take appropriate actions to address NewmanPR's potential breach of
contract for submitting unallowable reimbursement requests for payment.
Invoicing Before Services Rendered
NewmanPR is paid a monthly public relations agency fee. This fee represents compensation
for the performance of all public relations staffed services outlined within the Scope of Services
as defined by this Agreement and the approved fiscal year Marketing Plan . . ."17 The contract
17 Section 3,Part A of the August 17,2022 Agreement Between Monroe County,Florida and Stuart Newman,
— 27 —
further states that NewmanPR ". . . shall submit to the TDC monthly billings in arrears for one-
twelfth (1/12) of the annual agency fee."" In FY 2023, the annual agency fee was $733,688, or
$61,140.67 monthly.
Our review of invoices found that NewmanPR frequently requested payment of the agency fee
earlier than allowed by the contract. Moreover, as shown in Table 3, some invoices were sent
weeks early.
Table 3
NewmanPR Agency Fee Billings
Invoice Month Services Actual Earliest Allowable Days Invoiced
Number Provided Invoice Date Invoice Date Early
11435 November 2021 11/10/2021 12/01/2021 21
11709 September 2022 09/07/2022 10/01/2022 24
11770 November 2022 11/01/2022 12/01/2022 30
11969 July 2023 07/05/2023 08/01/2023 27
12050 September 2023 09/01/2023 10/01/2023 30
When asked why NewmanPR does not submit their agency fee in arrears as required,NewmanPR
replied that it has been their practice to invoice for the monthly fee in the middle of the month so
they will be paid by the end of the month. However,their desire to be paid by the end of the month
before services have been fully rendered is in direct conflict with the terms of their agreement with
the County.
Our sample found other instances where NewmanPR regularly submitted reimbursement requests
before services were fully rendered; primarily, the monthly stringer/web editor services. Stringer
services are services provided by correspondents who provide writings on assigned markets of the
Florida Keys (e.g.,Lower Keys/Key West, Upper Keys/Middle Keys, LGBTQ+market). The web
editor is responsible for overseeing the editorial content of the TDC's website and social media
accounts.
Of the 21 stringer and web editor reimbursement requests sampled, NewmanPR submitted 15
requests (71.4 percent) before the services were delivered. As shown in Table 4, NewmanPR
regularly submitted these subcontractor invoices several days before services were delivered.
Associates,Inc.,page 4(see Appendix I).
is Ibid.,page 4.
— 28 —
Table 4
NewmanPR Requests for
Reimbursing Stringer Services
Invoice Month Services Actual Earliest Allowable Days Invoiced
Number Provided Invoice Date Invoice Date Early
11196 November 2020 11/17/2020 12/01/2020 13
11269 March 2021 03/16/2021 040/1/2021 14
11298 May 2021 05/11/2021 06/01/2021 20
11551 April2022 04/13/2022 05/01/2022 17
When asked why NewmanPR submits these subcontractor invoices before services are fully
rendered,the response was identical to the pre-billing of its agency fee. Basically,it is the agency's
standard practice to ensure that they are paid by the end of the month that the services were
provided rather than waiting to be paid in arrears. However, this is in conflict with the terms of
NewmanPR's contract with Monroe County.
It is not clear why NewmanPR is allowing its subcontractors to invoice before they render services.
Allowing their subcontractors to pre-bill gives the appearance that NewmanPR is not properly
managing these subcontractors.It leaves the impression that NewmanPR is simply rubberstamping
these invoices for payment. Submitting the stringers' invoices before services have been rendered
demonstrates a level of complacency on behalf of NewmanPR and, as a result, the appearance
agency may not even be confirming that services have been performed or have been performed
sufficiently.
As TDC's Public Relations Agency of Record, the County expects NewmanPR to be critically
managing and evaluating the performance of these subcontractors including verifying that they are
properly performing their services before making payment. Once NewmanPR verifies services
have been fully delivered, the agency should then pay these subcontractors. Once it can
demonstrate that the services have been rendered and paid in full, NewmanPR is then entitled to
request reimbursement from the County.
The TDC needs to ensure that its Public Relations Agency of Record is fully complying with the
terms of its contract including ensuring that services are fully rendered before requesting
reimbursement. We recommend that TDC require NewmanPR to bill in arrears, provide
evidence that services have been fully rendered, and have been paid in full before requesting
reimbursement from the County.
No Documentation To Substantiate Performance
In accordance with the contract between Monroe County and NewmanPR, the agency is to
subcontract with Keys-based individuals to provide for an Upper Keys/Middle Keys stringer,
— 29 —
Lower Keys/Key West stringer, and an LGBTQ+ market stringer. In addition, NewmanPR
maintains a subcontract with a social media/web editor. We reviewed the contracts between the
stringers/web editor and NewmanPR.
Each subcontract requires reporting:
• The LGBTQ+ contract requires monthly reports of all activities expended on behalf the
TDC.
• The Lower Keys/Key West stringer contract requires a monthly report of all activities and
hours expended on behalf of the agency.
• The Upper Keys/Middle Keys stringer contract requires contributions to the agency's six-
week report of all activities expended on behalf of the TDC.
We requested copies of the reports for the Keys stringers for October 2022 through October 2023
and the LGBTQ+ stringer for January 2022 to April 2023. The response from NewmanPR's
President/TDC Account Supervisor stated:
"In order to streamline the process and keep our stringers engaged in work that benefits
TDC,we no longer require monthly reports from them. Rather,we meet via Zoom twice a
week to evaluate the status of projects and work needed and completed.In the end,all work
is reflected in our six-week reports to the TDC and District Advisory Committees." 19
We next reviewed the information contained within the TDC meeting packets and found that,while
there are passing references to stringers and the web editor, there is not sufficient information to
identify the work performed by each contractor to substantiate their performance or the number of
hours worked.
This is concerning since two of the subcontracted stringers serve in dual roles. The Upper
Keys/Middle Keys stringer also is subcontracted to serve as TDC's social media/web editor.
Likewise, the Lower Keys/Key West stringer is engaged by NewmanPR also to be TDC's Senior
Account Executive. As required by Section 2(A) of its contract with Monroe County,NewmanPR
is obligated to provide key personnel, such as a Senior Account Executive, as part of its agency
fee.
Even more concerning is that the scope of services required of the Lower Keys/Key West stringer
(see Appendix IV)is almost indistinguishable from the scope of services required of NewmanPR's
Senior Account Executive (see Appendix V). If there is no documentation of hours expended to
support the duplicative work performed under each of these subcontracts, it is difficult to
understand why any of the work performed would qualify as reimbursable.
19 November 17,2023 Written Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,Appendix III,page 152.
— 30 —
As part of our standard audit procedures, we requested copies of NewmanPR's payroll records as
allowed by the terms of its contract with Monroe County. However, NewmanPR was not able to
provide the requested time records or related payroll records as explained by NewmanPR's
attorney:
"All of NewmanPR's employees are salary/exempt and do not turn in payroll timecards. .
Additionally,Key Personnel assigned to the NewmanPR clients or jobs do not maintain time sheets
or job cards where they identify time associated with performing tasks for specific clients and the
contract with the County does not require them to do so."20
Despite NewmanPR's conclusion that their contract with the County does not require them to
maintain time sheets or job cards, Section 7 of the contract specifically states, "Contractor shall
maintain all books,records, and documents directly pertinent to performance under this agreement
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. ,21 Payroll records that were
requested for this audit are a standard expectation of any contractor who does business with the
County.
Moreover, without sufficient records, we were unable to determine if the County is receiving a
reasonable amount of work for the contracted amount and if the dual roles/contracts are a
reasonable business decision. In addition,NewmanPR is required to maintain: "subcontract files",
"correspondence", and "any other supporting evidence...to substantiate charges related to [the]
agreement."The absence of records related to the agreement appears to be a material breach of the
contract and, in turn, provides the appearance of unjustified compensation.
We recommend the TDC require NewmanPR to provide supporting time records and activity
reports for its subcontractors that clearly document and differentiate the work of the dual-role
staff. We also recommend the TDC consider discontinuing the practice of allowing NewmanPR
to be reimbursed for staff who also perform similar duties paid for through its agency fee.
Questionable Costs and Documentation
As part of our testing, we reviewed the expenses reimbursed to NewmanPR to verify allowability,
reasonableness, and whether they served a valid public purpose. Further we reviewed the
documentation submitted by NewmanPR to confirm that the documentation supported the
expense. Our review found instances of questionable documentation used to support the
reimbursement request as well as instances where reimbursed expenses appeared to be not
allowable.
2°December 21,2023 Email Response from Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,Appendix Ill,page 148.
21 Section 7 Contractor's Financial Records and Right to Audit,August 17,2022 Agreement Between Monroe
County,Florida and Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,page 6(see Appendix I).
— 31 —
Questionable Documentation. Our review included an example where NewmanPR submitted a
reimbursement request for a hotel stay in Key West for two nights. The purpose of the two-night
stay was for NewmanPR's media manager to assist a travel writer which is an expected and
reasonable expenditure to be incurred and subsequently reimbursed.
As shown in Exhibit 11,NewmanPR originally submitted an invoice to the TDC to be reimbursed
$774 for the media manager's lodging. On October 5, 2023, the TDC submitted this lodging
invoice to the Clerk's Office for payment. The lodging invoice was dated October 1, 2023, for
occupying the hotel's Green Room. The Clerk's Office sent the invoice back to the TDC
questioning why the lodging invoice did not have the media manager's name as the room's
occupant. The guest's name on the lodging invoice was neither the name of the media manager
nor the travel writer.
On October 6, 2023, the TDC resubmitted the reimbursement request to the Clerk's Office with a
revised invoice with the media manager's name as shown in Exhibit 12. Upon review of the new
submission, the Clerk's Office discovered that the invoice was an exact replica of the original
invoice with the only change to the guest's name as evidenced by the confirmation code being the
same as the original invoice submitted. The guest's name was changed from the unknown person
to the media manager's name. The re-submitted receipt left the impression that the original receipt
could have been improperly altered.
Exhibit 11
Original Supporting Documentation
Guest Invoice
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32
Exhibit 12
Revised Lodging Invoice— Second Submission
Guest Invoice
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Adding confusion, when reviewing the trip itinerary provided by NewmanPR, it was discovered
that the lodging invoice's confirmation code was listed as being another party's room and a
different confirmation code was assigned to the media manager. This discrepancy suggested that
the invoice was not actually the media manager's invoice. Neither NewmanPR nor the TDC
provided any explanation or documentation for the changes in the name,why the individual on the
original invoice was not on the itinerary, and why the itinerary reflected a third person who should
be on the invoice. Moreover, no proof of payment was provided. The invoice was returned for a
second time.
To gain an understanding of what may have transpired for this lodging stay,we contacted the hotel
directly to ask how they do reservations and invoicing. We also asked the hotel if they could
confirm whether NewmanPR's media manager stayed at their hotel on the dates indicated.
The hotel stated that their system only identifies who reserved the room, not who stayed in the
room. Therefore, any invoice generated would not reflect the actual lodger's name if they did not
make the reservation. We also discovered that the name on the invoice was the hotel's public
relations agent and, when asked, the hotel confirmed that the agent made the room arrangements
on behalf of NewmanPR and the travel writer. The hotel explained they provided one
— 33 —
complimentary room and one room at a discounted price. The hotel could not identify which
individual stayed in which room. Thus, it appears as if the invoice was modified to reflect
NewmanPR's media manager rather than the unaffiliated party. Again, it appears that the lodging
invoice was altered.
On December 7, 2023, the TDC resubmitted the reimbursement request a third time. This time, a
different lodging invoice was submitted for the media manager's stay (see Exhibit 13). As part of
this submission, NewmanPR also provided evidence that the agency had an actual out-of-pocket
expense of$669.72.
The resubmitted lodging invoice, dated as being issued on December 4, 2023, now showed that
the hotel's Yellow Room, rather than Green Room, was occupied by NewmanPR's media
manager. The revised invoice also showed a different confirmation code from the previous lodging
invoice. This time, the confirmation code matched the confirmation code listed for the media
manager on the trip's itinerary. More importantly, the resubmitted lodging invoice reflected a
charge of$669.72 which is $104.28 less than the original invoice submitted by NewmanPR.
Exhibit 13
Revised Lodging Invoice— Third Submission
Guest Invoice
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34
In another example of problematic documentation, NewmanPR submitted a reimbursement
request for a $20.08 gratuity paid by one of its media managers for a dinner for a social media
influencer (Exhibit 14). The documentation indicated this dinner was on September 12, 2023,
from 8 PM to 9:08 PM.
Exhibit 14
NewmanPR Gratuity Reimbursement Request
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The second receipt,which does show payment of a gratuity,is dated two days later, September 14,
2023, at 3:58 PM (Exhibit 16). The $20.08 receipt supports the purchase of a sparkling water for
$1.08 and a $19 tip. However, the credit card number on the second receipt is not the same card
number as the first receipt and the first receipt already reflects a$1.08 charge. NewmanPR did not
provide an explanation for all the noted discrepancies and inconsistencies as part of its
reimbursement submission.
Rather, on a separate NewmanPR invoice, we subsequently discovered a brief explanation of the
circumstances surrounding the September 12th meal:the social media influencer did not understand
that a gratuity is expected when given a complimentary meal. After being contacted by the
restaurant, NewmanPR agreed to cover the gratuity. While this explanation appears reasonable, it
also confirms that the gratuity is not an allowable reimbursable expense. The influencer's itinerary
for the trip specifically states that tips and gratuities are the responsibility of the influencer,not the
County. It is not the responsibility of the County to cover the oversights and mistakes made by
NewmanPR's staff or the social media influencer.
— 35 ^-
Exhibit 15
Meal Receipt dated 9/12/2023
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ble 82/I 9:08 PM
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iprint#:I
ispy Cheese 15.00
et Coke 4,00
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Afee(2 @4.00) 8.00
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erk Chicken
occofinI 11.00
ibtotal 95.00
)rnplimentary -94.00
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We want to emphasize the main issue is not the amount of the questionable reimbursement request
but NewmanPR's willingness to submit questionable receipts to support their requests for
reimbursement rather than simply provide a transparent explanation for unusual or extraordinary
transactions.
Questionable Reimbursed Expenses. Our invoice testing also uncovered instances where
NewmanPR was reimbursed for unallowable costs per the contract with Monroe County or per
NewmanPR's contracts with its subcontractors. These unallowable costs ranged from minor to
material. For example, NewmanPR's subcontractor agreements specifically state that insurance
costs for rental cars are not reimbursable. However, NewmanPR regularly reimbursed its
subcontractors for this type of expenditure.
— 36 —
Another example is where a NewmanPR's subcontractor attended a conference and billed both the
conference registration fee plus $608 in meal per diem for the duration of the conference. In turn,
NewmanPR sought reimbursement for these expenses from the TDC. However, upon further
review, the conference's registration fee included all meals. Florida statutes clearly prohibits
payment of per diem if the cost of the meals is covered by the registration fee.
Similarly, NewmanPR inappropriately and regularly invoiced the TDC to be reimbursed for the
LGBTQ+ stringer's attendance at Key West Business Guild events. The contract between the
LGBTQ+ stringer and NewmanPR pays the stringer a flat monthly rate of $2,350 to perform a
variety of duties including representing NewmanPR at meetings of the Key West Business Guild.
Since attendance at the Key West Business Guild meetings is clearly identified under
NewmanPR's scope of services as a service to be provided as part of their annual agency fee,these
expenses should not have been reimbursed by the TDC.22
A final example of unallowable costs was an expenditure related to a contract NewmanPR signed
in June 2022 for a TV show to film an episode in the Florida Keys. The contract included
reimbursement for a meal per diem of up to $55 per day for six people for six days which is a
maximum expense of$1,980. However,the company billed NewmanPR for seven people at a rate
of$75 per day for a total of$3,150. Beyond the meal per diem expense, the company also billed
NewmanPR for parking ($142.66) and one extra airfare ($408.59). Because NewmanPR did not
adhere to the terms of its contract with the production company, the agency invoiced and was paid
$1,721.25 in unallowable costs.
In isolation the issues discovered in our sampling may appear to be of no significance. However,
the errors and inaccuracies our audit sample uncovered in NewmanPR's invoices,when considered
as a whole, demonstrate a fiscal arrogance on the part of the vendor as well as a lack of regard for
the expenditure of public funds.
Further,the intent of randomly sampling NewmanPR invoices was to determine the reasonableness
and validity of the invoices presented to the TDC for payment. From the number of errors noted
in our limited sampling, it appears that the deficiencies are widespread and the controls the TDC
currently has in place do not effectively monitor and identify questionable and/or unallowable
expenditures being submitted with NewmanPR reimbursement requests. Therefore, we
recommend the TDC generate purchase orders to monitor/track NewmanPR's activities
approved in TDC's annual marketing plan as well as monitor/track NewmanPR's subcontracts.
Purchase orders would provide a check that only allowable expenditures are incurred. This is
because a purchase order would require NewmanPR to provide documentation upfront such as
22 Section 2 Scope of Services,Part M of the August 17,2022 Agreement Between Monroe County, Florida and
Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.,page 4(see Appendix 1).
— 37 —
agreements, arrangements, and estimated expenditures before these trips take place so there is an
overall understanding of what to expect when reimbursement requests are submitted. Likewise,
TDC could generate an annual purchase order for each of NewmanPR's subcontractors. This will
ensure that all parties, including the TDC and the Clerk's Office, are familiar with the terms and
conditions of these agreements.
Finally, Section 7 of NewmanPR's contract with Monroe County states, "If any auditor employed
by the Monroe County or County Clerk determines that monies paid to Contractor pursuant to this
Agreement were spent for purposes not authorized by this Agreement, the Contractor shall repay
the monies together with interest calculated pursuant to Section 55.03,F.S., running from the date
the monies were paid to the Contractor." In accordance with this contract provision, we
recommend, at a minimum,NewmanPR be required to repay with interest all unallowable costs
that were identified as part of our audit testing. We also recommend Monroe County seek
monetary recovery from NewmanPR as well as impose other available sanctions against this
vendor as allowed by state and local laws.
Lack of Procurement Process
As TDC's Public Relations Agency of Record, NewmanPR is given the authority to subcontract
for certain services such as international or special market public relations agencies. As indicated
in their contract with Monroe County,NewmanPR is expected to procure these contracts consistent
with Monroe County's Purchasing Policy. As discussed earlier, the County's purchasing policies
and procedures are designed to secure economy in the expenditure of County funds and are
intended to promote actual, honest, and effective competition and protect the taxpayers from
collusive contracts, favoritism, fraud, extravagance, and improvidence. It is incumbent upon the
Agency of Record to adhere to similar procedures when entering into contractual arrangements on
behalf of the TDC and the County. Further, it is the responsibility of the Visit Florida Keys'
marketing director to, "manage and monitor all TDC related advertising, website and public
relations activities with the contracted agencies and sub-agencies."23
Table 5 provides a listing of some of NewmanPR's subcontractors. As is evidenced from this
listing, a material amount of public funds is paid to these subcontractors; over$600,000 annually.
As a result, there is an expectation that the Visit Florida Keys' marketing director is ensuring that
NewmanPR is adhering to purchasing policies that are consistent with the County's purchasing
policies.
zs Exhibit A Marketing Director Job Description from Marketing Director Employment Agreement for Visit Florida
Keys.
— 38 ^-
Table 5
Listing of NewmanPR Subcontractors
Services Annual Current Contract
Subcontractor Provided Cost Period
KBC Public relation services for the $225,000 plus 10/01/2022 to
United Kingdom/Europe reimbursement of expenses 09/25/2025
LMA Communications Public relation services for $15,000 plus reimbursement 10/01/2023 to
Canda of expenses 09/25/2025
Public relation services for $60,000 up to a maximum of 01/01/2023 to
Claasen Germany,Austria,and $210,000 plus
09/30/2025
Switzerland reimbursement of expenses
Agility PR Solutions Media monitoring $9,035 09/01/2023 to
08/31/2024
Carol Shaughnessy Stringer services for Lower $55,500 plus travel and 10/0 1/2022 to
Keys and Key West expense reimbursements 09/30/2025
Carol Shaughnessy Public Relations Services $44,520 plus travel and 10/01/2022 to
expense reimbursements 09/30/2025
Dragon Trail Digital marketing for travel $2 400 plus expenses 10/01/2023 to
industry 09/30/2024
Jo Nell Modys Stringer services for Upper $36,000 plus travel and 10/01/2022 to
Keys and Middle Keys expense reimbursements 09/30/2025
Jo Nell Modys Web Editor/Social Media $57,000 plus travel 10/01/2022 to
Services reimbursements 09/30/2025
Daniel Gilbert Stringer services for LGBTQ+ $28 200 05/01/2023 to
market 09/30/2025
Crawford Entertainment Florida Keys TV streaming $72 000 11/21/2022 to
channel hosting/maintenance 09/30/2025
Minimum Annual Cost $604,655
When we asked NewmanPR for a copy of their procurement policy and the bid process they follow
for securing these contractual services,NewmanPR was unable to provide us with a written policy.
Rather, their response to our request was:
"Our philosophy is to be as cost-effective as possible without sacrificing quality. We
endeavor to use Florida Keys-based vendors whenever possible, especially when quality is
likely to be the same."
When asked the procurement process followed for selecting international firms,NewmanPR could
not provide documented procedures that confirmed the steps followed were consistent with
Monroe County's purchase policy. Their response was:
"Again, we are blessed that our international firms have longevity and have the product
knowledge and expertise to carry out the job. When Stuart Newman, Associates, Inc.,
submitted its response to Monroe County's `Request for Competitive Solicitation' in
March 2022, both KBC and LMA were included as firins that would spearhead
UK/European and Canadian public relations representation."
— 39 —
It is true that NewmanPR's proposal identified these vendors as their current subcontractors at the
time of TDC's competitive solicitation. However, since the submission of the proposal,
NewmanPR's contracts with these subcontractors had expired. Therefore, NewmanPR was
obligated, at a minimum,to obtain quotes from qualified vendors.No documentation was provided
to support that this happened.
Many of these subcontractors have been NewmanPR's subcontractors for decades. If there is no
arm's length procurement process followed,these long-term relationships can give the appearance
of being too cozy and possibly collusive. To ensure that NewmanPR is subcontracting, both in
appearance and in substance, with the most qualified international public relations agencies to
serve to Monroe County and the TDC, it is important that a proper procurement process be
followed.
To ensure that NewmanPR's subcontractors are properly vetted, we recommend Monroe County
require NewmanPR to adhere to Monroe County's purchasing policies for securing
subcontractor services. One option that Monroe County may consider is requiring the TDC to
immediately cancel all of NewmanPR's subcontracts and hire an independent public relations
consultant that can assist in overseeing the proper procurement of these critical services.
Lack of TDC Management Oversight
To adhere to the provisions of Monroe County Code Section 23-199(d), Visit Florida Keys
employs a marketing director who reports, ". directly to the Monroe County Tourist
Development Council and indirectly to the BOCC."24 The marketing director is expected to
execute, ". . . the goals, objectives, and policies set by the TDC with the Chairman of the TDC or
his designee."25 The marketing director's responsibility ". encompasses all staffing by
organizing and managing Visit Florida Keys' personnel and all agencies of record . . ."26 along
with assuming responsibility for financial management of the not-for-profit.
The issues identified in our sample of NewmanPR invoices — the misleading certifications;
invoicing before services have been fully rendered;no documentation to substantiate performance;
questionable costs; questionable supporting documentation; and a lack of procurement process —
stem from the marketing director not effectively managing the TDC's Public Relations Agency of
Record in addition to NewmanPR's apparent willingness to take advantage of the lack of
management oversight.
24 Exhibit A,Marketing Director Job Description,to Visit Florida Keys Marketing Director Employment
Agreement,page 8.
'S Ibid.,page 8.
26 Ibid.,page 8.
— 40 —
The marketing director is responsible for putting procedures and controls in place to ensure Visit
Florida Keys' staff are trained and have the tools to fully review TDC's invoices before submitting
them to the Clerk's Office for payment processing. The marketing director also is responsible for
conducting a final review and sign off of the Agencies of Record's invoices approving that
payment can be made. Because of the serious deficiencies and inconsistencies discovered during
our audit testing as a result of dereliction of duty, we do not believe this to be simply a training
issue.
Rather, the issues the audit uncovered appear to be culturally ingrained in the TDC's business
operations. The marketing director does not appear to have the independence to provide the needed
checks and balances for managing these complex and competing relationships. Further
exacerbating the situation is the long-term nature of TDC's relationships with its Agencies of
Record. There is an appearance that the marketing director may have become too complacent and,
as a result, is not protecting the taxpayers because she may not be providing much needed arm's
length oversight of these contractors.
The TDC recently took positive first steps in restoring the TDC's reputation by suspending the
marketing director. Given the severity of the audit findings, we recommend that the BOCC work
with the TDC to consider all available options on how to best to proceed to fully restore the
public's trust and confidence in the TDC's business operations. A possible solution for the
BOCC to consider is ending the County's contract with Visit Florida Keys and set up the TDC's
administrative structure as a County department under the oversight and control of the County
Administrator.
— 41 —
Appendix I
Current Contract Between
Monroe County
And
NewmanPR
- 42 -
AC'REENIENT
14118 made and entered into this t 7th day of. AU
the and
2022, AD, by and between Monroe Counly, Florida, (hercinW�, C
Stuart Newinan, Associates, hic, (hereinaller called,the Contractor).
WITNESSLIXIL
W14FRl`A','3, Contractor is irniquely clualified to provide professional public r(dations
agency services which pronlotes tourism,and
W1117RFIAS, the County issired an Request for Qualifications for professional public
relations agericy services;and
WI-IFR14AS, the TDC, art advisory board to the County's Board of County
(7ontruissioners,(BOCC)has Selected Contructor and has recorriniended to Cminty that as new
Agreement flor public relations agency services tv entcred inlo with Contractor,ttird
WHEREAS, County desires to enter into this Agreement for public relations wrvices
with Ihe Contractor;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration ofthe nuittral coveriants contained herein, the
pat-ties agree it,;follows:
1. 'Terul: lbe tenri of this Agreement is for a period of thice(3);years I)Cginning October
t,20,22 and expiring on September 30,2025, I'lie ounly and Coruractorshall have an option
to extend the Agreernen(fin,one additional two (2)year lvriod,
2, &J(JN-QJ'ligryi Ibe Contractor will serve its the full-service public relations agency
fior the Monroe Coun:O.r TDCarld Coulity, l"he Contractor and the public relations piograms
are subject to review by the Mortroe CorurtyTDC.
A. Key Personnel: This Agreement is as profes.sionalseropice Agreement with
expectation that principal persojuiel peribrin ing the scrviws are 1,110so Personnel
listed. Notice of any change in personnel shall be sent to theTDC,for approval.
The principals assigned are the following:
1) Andrew A.Newman, president and Account Supervisor
2) Buck Banks,Senior Vice President and Copy E'.*ditor/Onlirle Media
Dircc(or/Strawgic Diiector
3) (,*arol Shatroviiiessy,Scnior Account Exec mint.
C',ontractor shall have a successor plan for the: Key Personriel of President and Senior Vice
Presidclit of'the agency. 'I'lle successor plan shall include who n'tay take over the obligations
and duties of the fornier'FIX.','s Key Principal in the event ofincalmcitate(I illnessi, death or
offiercircornstances,that ranger the Key Princip it unnble to perlorni theirdsific,;and obligatiom
mider this agreenicn't, The Contractor shall provide their successor plan to the TDC::;
Pubhe Relatiolis Agivemenk F 3
ID'2769
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adininistrative office, within 30 days of approval of this agreenient by flie County. Ilie
Cmitructor shall auiwrkd said successx)r plan,as needed,to ensuro it reirmins currunt. In die event
that tlicTDC does not approve (lie Kcy llerstinnel, the Comity inay teraiiiiate Ibe Agreement
in accordiince with seciiini I&
ADDITIONAI, MININIUM STAFF SONN FI ASSR'Nil):
1) Account 13-Necutive
2) Media Manager
3) Account Support
4) Support
In addition,the agency will sub-contract Nvith Kcys-based individuals to provide lour ala Upper
Keys/Middle Keys stririger, Lower Keys/Key West striiiger, and an L('43TO I rnaA'et stringer
to tv funded froin the public relations expensic budget,
D. Ilie Senior Account Supervisor and/or account, executive sliall iiwet with tlie
Monroe ("Ounty TDC at all wgularly scheduled mecting,5 of the TIJC and
Advisory Conitnittees,and at any other times us directed by IheTDC.
C. Contractor agrees to assign as Poblic Relations Senior Account Supervisor wl-to
will devote stich time atid effbil as neciessary to the account on as priority basis,
including full fit"Ile when required, Duties of 11w, Senior Account Supervisor will
include c4mlact as required with the Chaiq)ersori or Vice Chairperson of tlieTDC,
Mas,keting Director or other designee, interfacing with other al.,,,encics of record
such w;Advertising and ''fir ebsite provider as directed by thcTDC relating I(i the
development of an eff4ctive rnarketing program for flie Florida Keys, Either the
account supervisor, account executive or district striiiger will corvinit with JDC
Advisory Committees willtin flu-Kuys
R Provide staff servivcs to rnanage cornmunications to develop awareness,promme
favorable imageand goodwill Cor the Florida Keys touristill product,
llt. Provide flie development ofFavorable nafional and internafiontil publicity for the
Florkh Keys, tourism produa
F Provide the custablishmein and malintenance ofcoritacts Nvilli print, in(emut and
broadcast nieditt lrno lurcllua bloggers and social media influelloers.
G. Pr(,wide the pr(liarafion ot'digi(al media kits art(]an online newsrown,
H. Coordinate development and distribution of news materials for trade and
Consunicr media,
1. Dcvelop arid coordinate rnedia familiarization toum for the Florida Keys, and
assist mcdia including travel blogwrs and social niedia influcticus as needed
Pulific Relatims Agreement FY 2023
ID2768
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during individual visits, In addition, devvliols and coordinate itinerades for
broadcast crew and piovide support fm sleeded.
J. Work with inedia personnel to gather int6rmation for their rej,K)rts,
K T)cvelop the public relulions sectil(ni: of' the TDC's annual rvarketing plarl
establiMiing objectives and roeUSLIMI)IC, goals while interfacing with programs
produced by the advertising agency and sales deparinwol.
L. Provide representation (if TDC at selected trade Shows, sales/rIsedia missions,
FAM tours, media workshops,ai id journA list conferences,
M. Provide at least one representative to attend TDC' ITICttil'IgS, District Advisory
C011,1111ittee (live individlud DACs); cultm-al, diving, fishing and Key West
Business Ouild rticetillgs
N, Provide periodic writlen and/or oral reports on public relations activities, to the
IDC and District Advisory(7ornmitices.
0. provide the esiablishrrient and management of A picenients Nvith sub.-
agencies for international, specialty or other public relation tnorkels andlor
programs,
1". lImpare for and respond to emergency crisis situations that a(ket tourism and
provide a crisis communications program when needed, worhing in con unction
Nvith Keys Einergency Management and other local, stater and federal entifies as
tippropriate,
Q, C bordinate crisis conummi(uttions training for selected Keys tourisn')0,ffliciak.
R. Interface with C,'otjr4 officials and other Imal munic,,ipalities to considl with and
provide communications assistance to deal with issues,that relate to iourism.
S. Provide inedia training 16T TDC staff andlor TDC Board rricinbers as deemed
appmpriale.
T provide content support ftirTDC web sileavid social media channt-Is"
U. Provide pulAicity before,duttng,,and after scleded ifx-eW events,
V, Provide assistance to the Florida Keys Film Corn.mi ion.
W, Maintain appropriate records of print clippings,internet,and broad east coverage,
X Provide development and maintenance of"video and still itmige I ibraries.
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Y. Provide as measurability process to evaluate the public, rchtfloms prograrn.%
Z. provide irnplonentation O'such services as outlined within the objectives,gozils,
and strategies of"Ilic antiLml a ar cntAurft plan.
A. Perlbrm ,,arch other public relationsactivitics as retitlik"d by tfiCTDC.
3. Q p COmponsation shall be paid for lees arrd refinbursivnilem exPensc's,
subject to availability of Tourist, Development 'J'ax Funds, Monroe Counry's perfornmrice
and obligation to pay under this Agreernent is contingent upon an minual appropriation by tile
Monroe(,'mrnty Board cal'County Coninlissioners.
A. Age jwjjL, ,.' The Coritractor sdiafl be cornpensated for the perf6rinarice of all
poblic relations stall d services outlined within the Scope of Services as defined
by tbis Agrenreat and Ole approved fiscal year Marketing Plan for an antrittal
agency adniinistration fix ol'$733,088.00. The Contractor shall subIrrit to the
'TDC montbly billings in arrears for one-tweh"Ill,(1/12),of tire anintal agency fee,
The Contractor shafl have till fexs placed on invoices that have tire proper
approved purchase, order account number and taallcawvCounty mquirernents for
payment. Following the third year, the (""Ounty has ail option to extend this
Agreement for in additiomil two (2) year period under (lie same conditions
subject to negotiation of morICULly terms (under Agreemet l negoliations this au,'tr,
be m4bjecl to aunwitw),terms, upon 90 dqyqNIor ssiritten notice ql'the Agreesnent
extension to Conlroclod)
K Re auto burse n Wt fNp b i s: All reimbursable experiditurcs paid, y the Couray
nluaall 1w,subject to the amwal public relations expense budgel approved by the
'l"DC*and Clounty, The Firm shall halve till expcascs placed on invoiccs that have
the, proper approved purchase order account number, have been paid 1'or by the
agency to the vendor befom being submitted for,reimbursement with product or
s-ervices delivered,and roflow other County requirernents for payment.
The Contractor will be reitribursed at cost for all actual expenses incurred for
conti-acted staff, inedia materials, postage, shipping, clipping services, special
even( support, research, website maintenance, pronil,nional items, seminars or
Show registraliolm, sub-agency Agreetrienk, critertaimment (if"media, broadwast
mipjxml, photography, broadcast production, other video and U(I(Eo par ojCets,
travel expenses and ail] other pro'jects cir production materials Heart tire necessary
l'()r the fulfilfirrera(Wthis Agreeirken't and have been approved in advance I)y the
TDC Fiscal Year Marketing Plan or budget according to Monroe County
Pro(mi-ernent Policies. "I'he Contractor's tel"onnuunication services are includetl
in their prol'essional tees with the excel)(ion of Zoom mid other virtual eonference
pwgraills.
C'. The Contractor may proAde Public Relation Services and expen.se-related
purcliases ad-me and hcyonJ its normal requirements as defined by this
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Agreement and tfw approvled Fiswil Year Markc ling Plan,R)r TDC fun deLl special
events,rani approved by ffic'IDC Dimetor in advance.
JI The Contractor shall provide tile establishment and managesliet'it of Agreements
with sub-age'twics for international, sIxcially or other public w1ution markets
andkir prograrns.
I Rcimbursable expenditures shall lic invo� ced and billed to the County for
payrnent on as rnonthly kasis, The Comity shall be mqI-xinsible for payinent orall
authorized fees and. costs Little the Contractor ticcording to (lie Flc rida fmcul
cloverjullont 1,111,0111pt Payn-mit Act (Florida Stalutc�n 218,70 through 218.7'7).
Reirnbursable expense and invoim shall include stlpporling docurnertu'Ation
acceptable it) the Monroe County Clerk of (_.'ouft and C'mriptroller (Clerk).
Acceptability to the Clerk is baseld on gencrally accepted uccourning I'Vinciples
and such laws, rttlies, and regulations as rnay govern the Clerk's disbuirsal lot'
filinds,
F. Ilie("britrador is required to have per cappnaval on alt l projectsand rna(etial
by the'IM'Director,TOC Chaiqxmson ot TDC accorkling tu TDC'and Morum,
PixtCurclaern Policies
4. U , I
fillorls: 4he (oultraetor has carefully exanlined tile
Scope of Set-vices and ussturics full responsibility u-,)Complete the'Scople of 13'ervices.Thierefin-C,
under no circularstances, conditions or silitaliom shall t1fls Agreement be more strongly
construed against the County than against the Contractor.
A, Any ambiguity or uncertainty in tile Scope of'Serviecs shall be interpreted and
construad by tile Courtly, and the Oxtritys decision shall be final and binding
upoll aalll plardes.
H. Tile passing, apprt.,m'd and/or acceptance by the C"OURty OfOny of the services
furnished by the Contractor shall tiot operate as as waiver by the(,,olunty of striel
comp ianee with the terins of this Agreement, Failum oil the part of the
(77ontractor,inuriediately after Notice to(7orrect a,defimilt,shall entitle tile County,
if it wes III, to correct the gime and recover the reasonnble cost of such
rep hicerneill an(Vor repair fromi tile Contractor,whio in tiny event shall be jointly
and severely liable to,the Cbrulty for all dattl loss and expensc causod to the
Counly by reason oftbe C.ontructor's breach of this Agivenlem and/or his failure
to comply strict]), and in all Oiings with this Agreement and with the
SIXxiffultiores
Ille C'ornnador atr,rees that the TDC:" may designate representatives to visit, tile
Contractor's tkifity(ics) periodically to conduct ralldorn olterl file evaluations
during the(.I I ontractor's nortual business hours.
Public ROationN Agmement FY 2023
ID 276S
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11 The Contractor warratas that it has,and shall,nutitituin throughout the term Of this
Agreentent,appropriate liciensesand perivits required to conduct its business,kind
that it will at all finies conduct its business activities in a reputable Trumier. Proof
of'such,Eccuses and perinits shall be Submitted to the County upor requesc
5. Pi b ic Relations AZe QIL ord,; Conirwor shall act its the agency of rccofti of time
County/TDC for all,tourism based pubk relations services,and lbr flair porformance:of related
or slv,,c ial services as requesteci iv ttic'aw
"ap 14 i : Firm agrees that it will not mpresent any private ieswi or
& Exclusive Re.lmt 1 141SIn-
................... I a
t"Ittraction or other destination within Monroe County 01'01hCr county or city(lest inations wi Ojin
tho State of Florida williout approval fronfl,the'FDC,and County.
7 Ccnitract qg's ippcia co l Rerds qd_�jjrt ter A3,jjti.!: Contractor shall maintdin till
bi(wks, records 4U,1'('f documents direelly pertinent to perforniance under this Agreement in
accordance with gencrally accepted accountint';Principles. Fach party to this Agreement or
theirwAhorized representatives strall havereasonableand timely access to such recordsofeach
oll'ier party to this Agreement for public rocords purposes,,durinp the wrin of the Agreernent
and for Jour years fbillowing the lerinination of this Agrecnierat, If an auditor ernployed by the
Cotrn(y or Clerk determines that rnonics fund to the Contractor pursuant to this Agreernent
were spent for piaposes not authorized by this Agreentent, the contractor shall repay the
nionies Logedicr with intewst calculated pursuant to Sec. 55.03, Viorida Statute,running froni
the date the monies were paid to Contractor,
Right to Audit
A sudlabihv of Recorck The records of the pa111ics to this Aj.,,reej nent relating to the Scope of'
Semices/Project,which shall includc,bta not be finlitcd to accAaunting records (;bard copy,as
well tier corripwo, readable daw if it can be niade available; stifxotitracL tiles (including
proposals of successful and unsuccessful bidders„bid rccaps,bidding instructions,bidders list,
etc,);originaf estintates;estimating work shecis;correspondence;change order files(including
documentation covering negotiated Scttlen)eoLs)l backeluirge lop and supporling
gs
(Joe,unienta tion; general ledger entries detading cash and uiidc discounts earned, instinmcc
rebates and dividends; any other supix)rting evidence deemed ncces&try by County or. the
Monroe County Office of the Clerk of Court and Corplitroller (hercinafter rcferred to ais
"C'ounty C'lcrk") to substantiate chargesrciated to this agreernent, and all other agreements,
SOUIVCS Of infortnation and smatters tNat nuty in (","'ounty's or the County C'lcrk's reasonable
judginent have any bearing on or pertain to an), matters,rights,duties or obligations,under or,
covered by arty contract douarneni(ail hereinafter referred To as"Records")shall he
oix,11 to, i nspect ion and subject to audit andlor reproduct ion by(,,ounty*s reforesernative and/or
agerits or time County("'leak. Counly or County Cier:k rnay also conduct verifications such as,
but not limited to, ctitinting employees at the job site,witnessing the distribution of payroll,
verifying payroll computations, overhead computations, observing vendor and supplier
payments, miscellaneous all(vatiows, spec fl charges, verifying information and amounts
through interviews and written confirmations with employees, Subcontractors,sitippliers,and
contractors representatives. All records shall lie,kept for ton(10)yearsaftex Final Completion
of the S(x)pc of Services/Protect. The County Clcrk fx)ssesses the independent authority to
Nblic ROatiots Agreeawnt FY 2023
ID 2768
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conduct an audit of Records,,assets,and activities relating to this Scope of Se"'ices/1'ro.jea If
any auditor einployed by tire Monroe Counly or CawcauurrtyY Ocrk deterrviii)cs that monies paid to
Contractor pursuant to this Agreement were spent for puilmses not authoriztd by this
Agreement,the Contractor shall rep ay time,monies togetlier with interest calculated pursuant to
Section 55.013, FS., running forin the date the nionies werc paid to Contractor. The right to
andil provisions survives the termination of'expiration of this Agreement.
Conititctor nit ist compl y wilh Florida pull]ic records laws,
including but not lijilited tom Chapter 119, Florida Statutes and Seelion 24 offirticle I of(lie
Constitution of Florida, '11-te("ourvy and Contractor shall atlow and pernift reas—onabic access
to,and inspection of,all docunicrits,records,priliers,letters or other"public rcconJ"niaterials
to its possession or under,iss control subject to the provisions.ofThapter 119, Florkla Statutes,,
and niadc or mceivcd by time (",orinty and Contractor in COnjUnCtiOn With, thiS CORI(Tact and
related to exiii1ract peribrinance. The County shall have the right to urtilillerully cancel this
Contract upon Violation of(his provision by time.(7ontractor, Failure of the('font ractor to abide
by 0 te terms of this provisioll Shall IVM1 d10d a rivatcrial brouich of(his,contract and the('otrnty
nury crifilree the ternis of this Provision ill the fivni or ii court procceding, and shall, as a
prorailing,party, Nye entitled to ofull attorney's fees and casts axssociatcd With
that proceeding. 'I'llisprovision Shall svvivc ally lertrifilation car cxpina kin of the conlract,
I'he Coraractor is encouraged to consull,with its adviwrs,about Florida Public Records Law in
order to coniply with lbi.i provision,
Pursuant to F.S. H 9,0701 and the tennis and Condition's of, this, coliti-act, the Corarsoor is
required,hi:
(1) Keep and rflaintain public records,that would be required by the County to perform the
,service.
(2) 1 ppon receipt firiln the County's custodian of records,provide the County with a copy,
ofthe requested records or allow the records to ire inspected or copied within a reasonable finie
at a cost that,does not exceed the cost provided in,this chapter or as otherwise provided by hw,
(3) U"Irsurc that public records that are exempt or confidentittl and exempt From public
words disclosure requirements arc not disclosed exceptas authori7wd by law for the duration
of"tl"re currrtract term carol 1,011owingeollifildion o I:,fliccontractif the contractor aloes not lransfcr
the records to the County,
(4) Upon completion of the contract, transfer, al no cost, to the County all public records
prl Possession of the Contractor or keep and ruaintain public records th1d,NVOUld be requimd by
the County to lvdorru the service If the Contractor transfers all public,records tom the County
upon Completion of the Contract,the Coru raclor shall destroy any dup]icatc public records that
tire cxcnipt or confidential and exempt froin public recx)rds disclosure requirenictits. I r the
Contractor keeps and araintains public records upon completion of(lie contract,the Contwtor
shall inco all applicable w4juirements for retaining public records. All rceords stared
electronically must be Provided to the County, upon request fiorii the ("!ounty's custodian of
rocords,in a format that is compatible with tile information t"Jillology systerns of'tile("'Ourity.
(5) A requem to hisIvet or copy publie rwads relating to a Courity contract must tv,made
duve,fly to the(,ounty, bill if the County does not Ix)-,wss the requested records, the (Winty
Public Relations Agimmor FY 2023
M 2768
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shall immediately notif� the Cotilraietor of the request, and the Contractor most provide the
records to the County or allow the records to be inspected or copied within a reasonable time.
If the Contractor does not comply with the County's request for records, the Umaty shall
enforce the public records contract provisions in accordarice,with the contract,notwithstanding
the C ounty's option and right to unilaterally cancel this contract, upon violation of" this
provision by the Contractor,A Contractor who fails to provide the public records to tho County
or pursuant to a valid public revords request within a reasonable titne may be SUbJe(I to
penalties under section 119.10,F lorida Statutes.
'the Contractor shall not transfer cusultly, release, alter, destroy or otherwise disI.X).se,of any
public records unless or otherwisc provide<] in this provision or as otherwise provided by law.
IF TFIE, CONTRACTOR HAS QUESTIONS RECARDING THE
APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 112, FLORMA STATUTE' " TO THE
,(.'0NTRACT0R'SDUTY'V,Q PROVIDE PURIJ.C�RECORDSRELATING
TO THIS ��',QNTRACTI C0N',l'ACT THE CUSTOMAN OF' PUBLI(,'
RECORDS, BRIAN BRADLEN AT PHONE# 305-292-3470 BRADLEY-
URI AN4M)NR0EC'0 UNIN-FIA"I'OV, M!QNROE COUNTY
ATT0R.NEV',,S, OFFICE, I I I I s"rRE1,?.T, SOITE 428, KRY wits r, iri.
33040.
9. Hojdjjqrjrjg s s: I'lie Contractor covenants and agrees to indettinify and hold harmless
the County aired the"IT)C' frorn any and all clainis for Nx1ily injury(including death),personal
injury and property darnage (including properly owned by Monroe County) mid any other
losses, damages and cxpcnws (including attorney's fees) which arise out of, in connection
with, or by reason of services priwidcd by the Contractor or any of its subcontractors in any
tier,occasioned by Ific negligence,errors Or other wrong15ul act of ornission of the Contiactor
_,
or its subcontmctors in any tier,their cinployees or agents.
10. Ind )cndcjjj.Q(jnqj t � At all thiles aud for all purposes under Agm this reeent the
l, ."
Contractor is art Indeivndent Contractor anal not an ernployce of the County, No statement
contained in this Agrcernent shall be construed so as to find the Contraetor or any of his
employees,contractors,servants or agents to he employees Of the County.
IE 1 4_)ndiscrijni) ion: County and -ontractor agree (fiat thews;will be no discrimination
against any person, and it is expressly understood that upon a determination by as court of
Competent jurisdiction that discrimination has occurred, this Agreement automatically
terminates without any further action on the part of any party,effective the date Of tile COUrt.
order, County or Contractoragme to comply with all Federal and Floridastaurtes,art(I all local
ordinan(x ,asapplic4tble,relating to(tondiscrimination, These include but are not limited to:
I)Tifle V11 of the Civil Rights Act off 964,(PI,8&.352)which prohibits discrimination oil the
basis of race, valor or national origin; 2)'I"itle IX of the Utication Amendincrit of 1972, as
airiended('20 1 ISC,". 16811683,and 1685-1686),which prohibits discriinination on the basis
Public Relatioas Agrevineni F'Y 2023
ft)2768
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of sex; 3)Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,w;amended(20 USC s. 794), which
prohibits discrimination on the basis cal'"handicaps;4)The Age Discrimination Act ol' i 975,as
amended(42 USC ss. 6101-6107)which prohibits discritnination on the basis of age; 5)The
Drug Abuse Offlce and Treatment Act of 1972 (PL 92-255), as arneadcri, relating to
nondiscrimitunion on the basis of drug abuse; 6) The Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism Prevention, Treitinent and Rehabilitation Act of 1,970(JIL 91-01f)), as aniended,
relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse(,it alcoholism;7)'rhe Public I Icalth
Service Act of 1912,ss.523 anal 527(42 USC ss.690d(J-3 and 290ce-3),as aniended,relating
to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse,patient records; 8)Title Vill of the ("Ivil Rights
Act of'1968(42 USC ss. 1601 et sect.),as amended,relating to nondiscrimination ill the sails:,
rental or financing of bousing; 9) "Ibe Americans with DisallHities Act of 19%) (42 I. SC; s.
12101 Note),as maybe aniondeii folin.firne to time,relating to nondiwrinrination on the basis
of(lisability; 10)Monroe County Code Chapter 14,Article 11, which prohibits discrimination,
on the basis of'race, color,sees, religion, natioruil origin, anoestry, sexual orientation, gender
identity orexpivs.sion, familial stains orago; I I)any other jion(ii.sctitiiiaiatiotilirovtstot)s rnainy
1'ederal or state statutes which may apply to the parties to, or the subject matter of, this
Ag,reerrent.
12, AsAjZmientt", khept t"act: T'he Contractor shall not assign or subcontract its obligations
—
under this Agreement,except in writing and with tire prior written approval of the C'ourny and
Contraclor, which approval shall Iv sul�ajcct to such conditions and provisions as tire County
may devni necessary, This paragraph shall be,incorporated by reference into any assignment
or subcontnwt and any assignee or&I.Ibeontmelor shall comply With all of the Provisions of this
Agreement,
13. (,,L q pjj IgS ,widI fit
In providing all services/goods pursuzint to this Agreement,the
Contractor shall abide by all statutes, ordinances, rules asid regulations pCrtainitq,.,, to, or
wgulating the provisions of, such services, including those now in effect and hereinafter
aduptel,l. Any violation of said statutes, ordirainces, rules and regulations shall constitute a
inaterial breach of"that; Agreement and shall entitle the County to terminate this Agreement
inunediatcly upon delivery of written notice of termination to the Contractor. The Contractor
shall 1-wsses.,; proper licenses to periorni work in ace<n-dance with these specifications
Ltm,nighout the term of this Agrocruent
14. Disclosure 1110
The Contractor represents that it, its directors,
principles and employees,presently have no interest and shall acquire no interest,either direct
or indirect, which would conflict in any manner with the performance of set-vices required by
this Agreernent, as provided in Sect, 112.311, ct seq., Florida Statutes. County agrees (flat
officers and employees of tire County rm)gnize and will, be rcquired to comply wide time,
star dards of conduct for public officers and employees as delineated in Section 112,31-1,
Florida Stawtes,regarding,but nollimited to,solicitation or acceptance ot*gi 11s;doi rig business
with one's agency; unatifhorizv'd cotripensatiolt; n'lisuse of public position, conflicting
employment or ccarmtramctaaaal nolaaticarmslmipro and disclosure or use of certain inforroation.
Public Relations Agre-eview FY 2023
ID 2768
51
Upon execution of this ,rcenient AV I,and dwrealler as cl ang!es,curly require,the Cotaraelor shall
notiFy tile 01111ty ol"ziny financial interest it inay have in any and all prograins in Monroe
C"Ounity %Odell the ("Olibuctor spollsor's, endorses, recommends, supervises, or requires jur
counseling�'assistance,evaluation or treatnicni. This provision shall apply whether or not such
prograin is required by statute,a's a Condition of probation,or is provided oil as voluntary basis,
"I'lic County ould Contractor warrant that, in resjxect to itself, it hairs reithor eniploycol nor
retained any oornpany or person, other tfiatl a bona fide employee working, solely I:br it, to
soliuit or secure this Agreernent and that it has not paid or agreed to pay any person,Collipuily,
corponation, individtial or Contractor, other than a bona fide employm working solely for it,
any fay, con'tmission,pereentage,gift or Other Consideration:collfingent Ispo'.)n()r resulting frown
the award or nialking of flus Agreement. For the breach or violation of the provi.sic'ni, the,
Contractor agrees that the CVonty, shall have the, right Io ternlinate, this AgreerireaE withoul
liability and,at its discrelion,to offset from monies owed,or otherwise recover the ftill amoullt
of stich fee,commission,perceirtage,giftorconsidcration.
15. A)lre;aqt: 'rtic contractor shall not pledp4c the Coulity's credit or niake it as guarantor of
Paylilent or surety lk)r arly agrement" debt, obIrgalion, Judgment, lien or 11113' fbylll Of
indebtedness, 'I'lle Cknitractor further Nvan-anis and represents that it has no obliwktioll or
indebtedness that would impair its ability to fulfill the terms ofthis Agreement.
16, Nice ot Any notice required or pennitleti under this Agreement shall be
I..........-
in Writing and hand delivered or inailed,postagc prepaid,to the other parr ly by certi ficd mail,
return reecipt requCsted'v it)tile following:
QUr Stacey Mitchell and Maxine flacini
Monroe County'I'DC,
1201 While Stree I #102
Key West, FL 33040
C,QkJN'I'_ .: Christine Limberl.-Bariow's,
Assisial'it Cvunly Attorney
110 Box 1026
Key West, FL 3304,1-1(r26
_F(.�R�CQN14LM Andrew A. Newman, Pn--sidont
Stuart Nekvinan,Associates, lace.
2140 S.Dixie Hwy
Suite 209
Miarni,17L 33133
17 'T axes: T&COunty is exerapt ftom payinctit of[Iorida State Sales and Use taxes. Ille
Contractor shall not be exempted by virtue of t1w County's exemption frorn paying stales vix
to its suppliers for niaterials used to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement, nor is the
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52 —
Contractor aut horuzcd to use the Countys Tax Exemption Nurnty-n-in,securing such materials.
The Contractor shall be responsible for nny and all taxes,or Ixtyrrients of withholding, mlated
to services render ,J under this Agreeimerit,
M Timnilt at io n:
A. 'rhe colitity rnay terminate this Agre nient Mr cause with seven(7)days' notice to the
Contractor. Cause shall conslitute a breach of the obligations of the Contractor to
IX-11brin the services Citurnerated as the Contractor's obliglififleS Under this AgreamnCe
7
B Fither cal"the parties hereto may terrninate this Agreement Without,Cause,by' givitig the
other party one,hundred and twenty (120)days written notice ofiN intention,lt)do so.
C,. For Cxamracts of any arriount, ifthe County deternifiles Olat the
has submitted at falw, ceriffication under lsecfion 287,135(5), 1-1orida Statutes or has
been placed on the Scrutinized Conipanies that Boycott Isruel List,or is engaged in a
boycott of Israel, tile C"ounty sliall bavc the option rat"(l) tertninating the Agreement
after it has ,were the written notice and an opportunity to
detilonstrate the agency's deternnitation of CalseCCAfflCU6011 VVaS in CITOr pUrSuant '10
Section 287.135(5)(0, Florida Slaljutes, or C)) inaintainine, the Agreement if' die
condilions ol'Section 287.135(l), Fiorida Statute*;,are nlct.
D. For Contracts of $I,OM,(l00 or rnore, if (lie County determines tluit die
subinitted a ful.se cerfificatioti under Section 287,1351(5),Florida
Statutes',or fthe Contractor/C011SUltant has becit placed on the Scrutiniml Cmrilyanio
With Aefivifics in the Sudan List,the Scrutiniml Compailies with Activities in tile frail
Petroleum 1"Alergy SWOU List,or been cagaged in hushicss operations in Cuba or Syria,
the County shall have the option of(1)tertninating the Agreement after it has given the
('oi,itractor/(,,'oti,stilt,aitit written notice and an opporlunity to,demonstrate the agmey's
dutortnination of false certification vviis ill CITOr I)LUSUant to Section 287,135(5)(a),
Florida Statute-,, or (2) maintaining the Agreement if the conditions of Settion
287.135(4), Florida Statutes,are inet.
19, Gove) it) aw till ,4 ld ,I.......t.�—V S eJ .1-1 , -, q�',S" 1,2gp 1:
A, This Agreenictit shall be governed by kind construed in accordance with the laws of the
State ot"Florida applicable to agreemcn(s made and to be perforilmd entire ill 'tire
Strata;.
B. In the cvcnt that any cause of action or adininistt-ative proceeding is instituted far the
enforcerrient 01,interpmation ofthis Agreemeni, the Counly and Contractor agree that,
venue will lie in Ole appropriate tmurt or before the appropriate administrative body in
Mi.mroc Counly,Flori&L
C,
ternis or a terra of this Agrevurent by or between any A them, the issue shall be
Public Relations Agmcmvit FY 2023
ID 2768
tt
53
Submitted to I'llediation prior to the inslittition of any other administrative or legut
prooLed it ig.
1). Sevel abdity. If ally lenn, covenant, condition or provision of this Agreenient or the
application thereof to wy eircoalstanct or person) shall be declared invalid or
rrrteatcrtca-a�f lc to any extent by a,court Of the remaining lemis,
covenants,conditions and provisions of this Agoeernent,shall not be affected thereby;
and each rernzd rli rig ten u,,covenant,corid ition arid provision of this Agfm nvil shall lie
Valid and shall bra enforceable to (lie fifflest extent permitted by law unimi tho
of the reinioning retins, covctiants, conditioris and provisk,nij of this.
At"treenicril would prevent the accomplisimierst of the original intent of this Agmo.,merat.
lbe County and Contractor agree to rcfurrr the Agivenrew to replaces any *klen
provision with as valid provision that comes as Close as possible to the intent of the
stricken provision,
I Attorney's Fees and Costs, The County and Clontroctor al,!xee: that irt. the ew,,*wly
cause of action or adminisirafive proccedijig is initiated or defended by any potty
relative to the enforcenierit or interpretation of Illis, Agreement, the prevaitit% pta1y
sludi be entitled to reasorgible atiorrey's fees, coutl costs, investigalive at)d ut o, -pocket expensies, as an award against the non-prevailing party, and shill include
anorney's courts costs,, invesligative and out-of pocket expenses in appellate
proccedings. Mediation proccedings inidweld and conducted pura,;manl to this
Agivement shall lie in accoridanee with 1he Florida Roles of Civil Prixedure and usual
and custoniary Procedures mquired by the 1611h Judieial Circuit Court of Monroe
County,
la. AdJudication of Oisputes or' Counly alit] Contractor agree that all
disputes and disagreenients shall be attempted to be resolved by Meet and Confer
If lite issue or issuesare—still
not resolved to the salisfaction of the parties,then any party shall have the right to seek
such refiefor reniedy as may be provitled by this,Agreement or by Florida ltoy.
G (0o N. -ration, In the event any administrwive or lep,a,l proceeing is instiltC(I at,arra
nt
either 1),urly relating to the formation, execution, peribrinatice, or breach of (his
Agrecizient, County and ("'Ontractor 11gym,to Ptaticipate, to the extent required by the
other party,in all proccedings,hezaings,processes,meetings and other,activitiestelated
to(lie substance of Hair,Agreemeat or provision of(lie services under this Agrectlient.
(,'ounly and Contractor specifically agree that no party to this Agreement shall be
required to enter,into,any arbitration proccedings related to this Agrecinerit.
20. '13i,f),"in yjjffi�ft: "file tenns, covenants, conditions and provisions of this Agrecivient
shalt birid and inure to the benefit of the County and Contractor and their respectivc legal
representatives,arsetxsson-and assigns,
PuNie Relations Agivement FY 2023
11)2768
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54 —
2L Authoity: Ench party represents and warrants to the other that the execution,delivery
and PcIrlbrmance of this Agreement have been duly authori;wd by all necessary County and
corponate,action,as sequired by law,
22. Claims fior 1,'ederal or State Aid: Contractor and County agree that each shall be,and
is,empowered to apply fiv,seek and obtain Federal and State furi(ts to ruriber the purpose of
this Agreement; provided that all applications, rvAluests, grant proposuls and ftinding
solicitations are not for fiunding already provided under this Agreement,
2 3.
:,: All of' the privileges and imaninilies firoin liability,
exemptions frorn laws, ordinances and rules, und pensions and relief" di.%ibility, Workers'
atid other benclils which apply to the activity of offiects,agents or employees
01"RIly pUbliC a&C[ItS 01'CITIPloyecs of the County, when perlbrining their respective lonctions
under this Agrecroctit willrin the Ivnitorial Iiinits of the Counly MWI apply to the sume degree
and extent to,the perforniance ot'such functions and denies of such o Ricers,8801,1,,ts,volunlecis
or employees outside the territorial limits or the County,
24. La4l Obt Non-Delegation of Constitutional or Statulwy
Duties, ')"his Agrcvnient is not intended to, nor shall it be cosistmed as, relieving any
participating entity from any obligation or responsibility imposed upon the entity by law except
to the extent ofactual and timely performance thereof by any, participating entity, in which
case the performance may be offered in satishiction other obligation or responsibility, Fialher,
this Agreement is not interAW to,nor shall it tv Construed as,authorizing the delegation of the
constitutional or statutory duties of dic County,except to the extent permitted by the I'lorida
constitution,state statute and case law.
25. Nqn:&lian No person or entity shall be entitled to rely opon'the
terins,or any of them,of this Agreement to entbree or attempt to enforce any third-party clahn
or entilletnent to or benefit of any service,or prograrn conternpWcd herconder,and the County
and the Contractor agree that neither the County nor the Contractor or any agent,officer or
employee of*either shall have the authority to inform,counsel e rr otherwise indicate that any
particular individual or group of individuals,, entity or entities, have entitlements or benefits,
under this Agreement separate and aluirt, inferior to,or superior to the community it)general
or("or the purposes contemplated in this Agreement.
26n Alt w tations: Contractor agrees to execute such documents as the County may
Ma,';O[Mbly re(1134C, to inClUde as PUbliC FlItily Cringe Stalteincnt, an Ethics Staternent and as
Drug-Free Workplace Statenient,
27. No eq�LqnijLC rqhjfity: No covenant or agreement contained herein shall be deemed to
be a Covenant or agrevnient of any, inernber,officer,agent or mnployev cd'Monroe(,,,,ounty in
his or her individual capacity,ai�xl no nicniber,officer, agent or employee of'Monroe County
shall be Halite personally on this AgrecinciV or be subject to any fx�rsooal fiability or
accountability by reason of the execution,of this Agreement.
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— 55
28. Contractor shall nmintain the killowing requiavId insurance through.out
the crifire loriii,of Ibis Agreement and any extensions, Failuiv to comply with this provision
may irsult in time inunediate suspension of till work until Ific re4juhl-d insurance has been
reinstated oi replaced. Delays irl the completion of"work resullhig frorni the finflure of [lie
("ontractor to maintain lire required insurance shall not extend any (lead lines speci fled in this
Agreemeirt, and any penallies and Failure to, peribrin assessnienis Shall be imposed wS il,the
work had not Iven su.sPended, except Im ("olifi-uctor's failure to maintain the required
itt'surance,
TI m Contractor Shall Provide,to the County,ws satisfactory evidence ofthe i'vAlltired insurance,
either:
Cerld-wate ofInsurance
OR
A Certified copy ofthe uchral insurance po4cy
The County, tat its sole option,has time right to,request as cedified copy of any or all insurance
1)olicicsi•eqLfiredbytt'i,isAgreciiietit All
(30)day, nolice oll'uncellation,non-ren,ewal, miterial change:in policy language or reduction
in covcrage, ']'lie acceptance and/or approval of the Contractor's, insurance sluill not be
construed as relieving the Contractor from uny liabiiity or obligation assuined under this
Agm,emeat or imposed by law. The Moruve County BOUI,, its employees and of shall
be included ,is an "Additional, Insured" on all, insura fi)r Workers'
nce policies, except,
Compensation,as their interests may appear in all policies issued to szifisfy fliese mquirellictits,
Any deviations frorn these Cieneral Insurmice, Requirements must be requested it] writing on
the County prepared form enlitictl "Request for Waiver ofInstirance Requirenwnts". Ally
deviation must be approved in wriling by Monmv County Risk Managerica
A� Prior to the commencienient of work govemed by this Agreement,the C,ontracltm,shall
obtain Wo�rkers'Compensation Itistivance with finlits sufficient to comply with Florida
Statute 440 In addition, tile (*ontractor shall obtain E'niployers' Hability Insurance
with Limits ot'Trot less than:
$500,000 Bodily Injury by Accidunt
$50o,000 Bodily Injury by Diseaw
$5001,000 Bodily Injury by Disease,eacli Hinployce
Coverage SlIall he maillmnied throughout tile entire terin oTthis AgmeTnerit, Coverage
shall Iv- provided by as company or cvnipaiiiQs authmized to transauL business in the
state of Florida and the company or COMIXII)iCS InLISt,lllaifttailll MilliDIUM niting of A-
V 1,as assigned by time AAt Best Comparly,
B. Prior to the corn menoement of"work governe(I by this Agreement, time Contruclor shall
obtair)Genoral Liability Insurance, Coverage shall be maintained throughotit the life,
of the Agreement and include,as a mirtimurn:
Ptablic Hdatims Agreement FY 2023
I D 2768
14
— 56 —
Premises Operitions,
Products and Conipldcd Operations
Blanket Contractual Liability
in,.J,,%ojjaj Ininry I,jtjtrijity
F.,'xpandcd Definition of'Properly Duninge
The minimuni,limits acceptable shall he:
$111,0010,000 per 0", urrence and$1,000,000 Aggri-q;ante
If split limils are,provided,the nihiiinurri lirnits accePtable shall be:
$ 5100,000 PC]-Ile rw)n
$1,0001,000 per Occurreriee
$ 1001,000, Property Damage
An Occurrence Von-n policy is prctOTed, If coverage is provided on as(Aahns Made
policy, iss,provisions,should include coveruj,,e for claiins filed on or allerthe ettective
elate of the sAgreement.
Recogni'ving that the work governed by this Agreement involves the flurnishirig of
advice or services of as professional nature, the Contractor shall purchase and inuintain,
tfirotighout the life, of' the Agrectrient, Prollessional Liability Insurance, which will
respond to dainages resulting Farrar any claimi arising out of the perforrilance of
profc,sisiorvil Nei vicesor any ermi- or omission of the Contractor arising out of worh
governed by this Agreenlcnt.
Tlic 1111ininival limits of' liability shall be 11,000,00O per Occurrence,42,000,000
Aggrcgwe„
D. Recognizing that the work governed by, this contract requitts the itse of'vehicles, the
Contractor, parior to the conunenecynexit of work, shall obtain RRaines Automobile
Liability hisunniec, Coverage will a maintained throughout the, lit of the oontsact
and include,as a minimuml liability covcragc f=
Owne(],Non-Owncd and Ifired Vehicics
The mirrinmin limits ac"ptable is:
$300,000 Cbrrtbincd Single Limit (CSL)
IT split Jimits area provided,the trinimurn limits acceptable are-
Public Relations Agmcnient FY2023
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— 57 —
$200,000 per Person
$300,0(9)per Occurrence
$200,000 Property Dainage
Ibe Monroe ("'ounty Board of County Commissioners will be named as Additional
Insured on all policies, except for worker's compensation and professional
Liability/E.'aiploycrs Liability, il,.SLIed to satisfy tile above requircments.
29. jj.U,,-,t
Any delay or failure of cither party to Perforin its
obligations under this Agreement will be mused to the extent that(lie delay or failure was
caused directly by air event beyond inch Party's control, without Stich Nirty's fault or
negligenceand that by its nature could not have been foreseen hy such party or,ifit could have
been foreseen,was unavoidable:(a)acts of'God;(l )flood,fire,earthquake,explosion,tropical
storm, hurricane or other declared emergency in the geographic area of' dic Scope of
Services/ProJect;(c)war,invasion,hostilities(whether war is declared or not),terrorist threats
or acts, riot, or other civil unrest in the geographic area of the Soc)pc of'Services/Project; (d)
government order or law in the geographic,area of the Sc orw of Services,/Project; (c)actions,
embargoes, or blockades in effect on or after (lie date of this Agreement; (f) action by any
governmental authority prohibiting work, in the geographic area of' the Scope of
Scrvio s/Prqject;(each, a "Uncontrollable Circumstance"). CONTRAc-rows rmanciai
inability to perform, changes in cost or availability of materials, components, or services,
market conditions, or supplier actions or contract disputes will not excuse performance by
Contractor Linder this Section.Contractor shall give County written notice within 7 days of any
event or ch-curnstance that is reasonably likely to result in an I Incontrollable Circumstance,
and the anticipated duration Of SUCII Uncontrollable Circumstance. Con(ractor shall use all
diligent efforts to end the Uncontrollable Circurnstarice, enSUIV, that the effects of'
any Uncontrollable Circumstance are minimized and resume full performance Under this
Agreement. The County will not pay additional cost as a result of an Uncontrollable
Circurristance.
30. )„7)Lcrif ,Ffli ctive January 1,2021: In accordance with F.$.44K05,C,ontractor Shall
unlink the I Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify systcm to verify the employment
eligibility of all new ernployees,hired by the Contractor during the term of"tine(ontract and
shall expressly require any Subcontractors performing work or providing services pursuarl to
the Contract to likewise utilize the U.S, Department of Homeland Security's E.-Verify system
to verify the employment eligibility of all new employees hired by the subcontractor during
the Contract term.
31. lixecution A-..iC0 qLggparts: This Agreement may be cxecrited in any raunber of
- -..- .1 1
counterparts„each of which shall be regarded as soon original,all of which taken together shall
constitute ove and the skime instrument and any of the parties hereto, may execute this
Ag,reemciil by signing any such counterpart.
31 lion Headijigs; Scetion headings have,been unsorted in this Agreonent as a III.altes,
of converlience of,rerercrice only,and it is agrced that such section headings Hre,not a part of
this Agreement and will not be used in the interpretatiort(Wany provision of this AVnvcnicmt,
Puldic ROations Agrevnmm FY 201-3
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— 58 —
33, The Contractor shall not be liable for delay in perfornutnce or fbilure
to perf6rat,in whole or in part,the services due to the occurrence of any contingency beyond
its control or other acts of'God,Contractor has exercised reasonable care in the prevention or
mitigation of damages and delay,any such delay or failure AvAl not constitute as breach of the
agreement, Upon demand of rD,(.' or County, the Contrador must fornish evidence of'the
causes of such delay or failure.
IN WITNESS WHERE'OF,the jvrtics hereto have caused dds Agreement to be executed the
and year first abovc written,
Board of CA)unty Commissioners
' 't Madok,Clerk of Monroe County
................ ..................
De uty Nofayor/Ch- an
MOX09COtNnA"IDPMY
g2,21"
(I'o he filled,out by Cojvtracto�)
—W3Q2—
(Organization')
B
...............................
President
Andre q,2,2,Print Norne Date
AND:Wb"WITNESSt S
(2)
----a - -�— --r-..........
0) $,pady CamiAMI Aahky-�k1r.01P
Print Name Print Naine
Date: MAy_2 Date: M" Y 2
Public Relefims A grwmaji FY 2023
ID2768
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59 —
Appendix II
NewmanPR
Proposal
In Response to
Monroe County' s
Request for Proposals
2021 -2022
- 60 -
+io
2
rl/
/ a
u f
o
r
u�
��� IrJJ�J��« �TIl/i�illlJlll
nNEWMANPR
��J J JJfrf QUV i,a Ydi'r,(✓1 lt,R VNG I/
tuairt Newman,Associaitp ,hc,
2140 Sio ttu Ctwe 4ghway
Andrew A.Newnan
Iaadyri Ali w f U riur coin
y/
i
��Y� ,� �, �� r��U���i ° rG��✓�G�� �, „�.; � sJml lr' U>r! ���IJrl�liiR�III����Q�1� fll p�i���l�i
— 61 �
nNEWMANPR
r
� `Ia A I,e rO P r'a rl nw %A,A P uK�m ' �(w
21140S M°arwe Hwy,,SlAe M+Wan uro FL 3311 3
wwndyO�n www anpr
March 14, 2022
Monrop Courit°j TGaww�05t DeVelo rllellt CO VKI
c/o Monroe Colaraty Purchasing w tce
Ma email CUB—BOS cour.
Key West FL 33040
d;rear Board ermmtuersa",
w ilen my late lather and agency founder Stuart G.INewman camp to rrae dmm the suumammrrer 0 1980 to say
tyre agency would respion d tra a"Request tram Proposals" tlrarrw time Monroe County Advertising(3 ormummrlisstcan
to market the Florida etrsa'tourism(product,t oewaer°orearumeo that more than 0 years later the�rra
would stutd be dpppiy inivolved in the,truutratrwne,
The only P,ia"auusmNe eadstarmatdom is a cau rm� lrrmelrmt to a work etl�mlic teat Stuart Oista!red arid, p0iiortly, a love
for tip,rs0nm d chain that rs shared among all our state,and contractors.
Be arrw9 carol ShaupNiessy and )hare Botteru„wbo have been turdt-thne Keys re'sur eats to 40 asamrt eta year Is
re'.stuectmwre , my orwnte and r own property rmm tstarruoal a,a»wwruere we have to-ee'mu Monroe Cauurnt r taxpayers
for um'rore ttuummr t t yearn, DurIng time asaurrrnier of 2022 ewe r0 cated to a cdutterermt dwefflng inl the ddlf�u, e use
Wlands vm mdt aumticitmate making rt our Itrruaamary resi derate by brae ermd of 2023.
For more Mann 40 years the agency has been voter the Keys In good and chaHerrgft trnes, Ct.Weurl es
dmase mchApd time Darrel ucwatrllit„ hurricanes Andrew, r„iear es„w^I a and trrrma the DPepvvatPr HohZon aid
sdattll area l OVE� 1 . lm these crrsus sitll.uattons and others„ ttre agency has tata yerd a rmaainr roip M tmeddmOg to
uutmtmokl the Keys"tlumuurrs m- aseurt ecormdmrrly.
As, m ies army commmr nicattomrs comet rrdts have changed,so has the agency.From establishment of the,
lorrida Keys Nerws b.ireauu to uiewmetictmmrs soctad rrme'wtta euu, *ttsp eawwmoanPR has P.vo'tuwrrrt to exceed the
needs of uts cilOiuts—esdmecralldy Me TD ,
ttesntmrte changes to techn uuesa tYtre d:ore wraatwues remain the same,a keen Understandrng of content.
eweratamrme'rut,wwrlrme'ttner for rr4rastlreamri laeWs Oar sacred mmmedMdua„ superb tormut ng,e cettermt photography and
wrudrtea ragatmt, — aR crattedwittm atteamtmon to,uacruuracy and;;ettrtcar crerti'taudlltty,
The,a ermcy"s rtie&atrnx,to Whng the(Keys, story has been pravpn e9tdles°:wt.'mite are or eiatt'24,ram/"3t 5.
Many wweedwelrmu;ds flW time Keys PP team a ,, ressrwwety j,)ursultig story, wutrde+,Met aln pActuure otmtamturrmrtres that
result M jporsftwe Pxpowrwre'tor Me t ana Ch n,
:susenUM to the cdotunuulert ummdssOn of teitrmu',P lure Keys" story thirouu dm prMt, broadcast and Social medw is
the snatuat cre(ftbututy with tauurnahsts ttue agency has earned over tie years, Many rneutta regard NevwrmmarmP'P
as a virtual rrmcdetaemrrdlernt rma''ws bureau for the,Keys.
drmwtustmelyds*)tate to the TDC's cdcrarrmmlrrmmtcataoms rmeerds rs time agermcy`s luntqn.ue Ohty to Ilan i merdratety teem Keys
news,(photos and!mw'ti.Iel m"s 6rectlny to rmrderdra rpsoure'es such as time Assoctaterd Press, Routers, CNN, CBS
N(wispatta aria Nehvorldw News Sprvicps, as wpH as TDC sacta'd nled ra ctmarinelfs„
quaddy e;raserrtdad are close relationships deryuwellrKaed wwittm local, state and natuoruaad governnipnt officials
— 62 —
includlng tnfonrooa County Eniergpncy f aarnaaytaarrnrant, the BOO ttntnaartrnnorit of tfnaaillthn and the ftaaftorW
ttn.uzncaunnna Center.Based on n aspect for and an uurklercfaamurtnn,tf of the rorafaoncnttftntuoaa of all tnaarttoc#ftnunco
ttes furravrrt'n as vaafuuntauto opportunity for Me t"tfr- to nnterfaaa ra with otttctaafar during crusts oiitoaatio nra that have
the potentnrat to affect the safety of Keys,vtaatforra4 as well as tie tocM nonaarn"Py,
Also urnntaor'taarnta tfuaurarnaonPR trnuovo and understands the process. Whethei Ws comptyMg vartfu Monroe
f°oaunty fnnornce t fffce tarocOuuaoc or tnolltntun to uf"Pv otn the`C'DC"aa aanr'mai marketnig plan, t rn' n FIR
corn'prrafnona na and adheres to offpcN procedures, turnuutotntunra and ctaaytrn avnfPrrn(x render budget
aaftocattons,
f"tno furo osaal that foVowc rotnroaauannt°n out, rnnethinutoto 'y and new concepts far Professional Puutatuo
Retantuons Agency Sermf.es for the tatonroo County Tonartct ttrrvnutofnrnnent u.ouuncH cornnrnrancung Oct.,
t« 2022. Ob,0onuaatya certain efenuonto are:nuutn�aau.°t to,ctna"an nn tnaaaupuf on ftrnot approval of the, 2022-23
rrnaar tuotrrng plan,as n aM as runaanffcufnaatrurf changes to market conditions,
t uaspto our torny,,tunrrnn servtcun to the Keys, we have nunvuar taken the rrataatnonctnftn for grarled.Thl,uuraa
is faro osan provides as totaut tnurthc ruatauttann,a rnarketing program to aaaalluurfva arnong offnor aactuvtfatunca
con°ncauugtaatroun and advtsory representation tion to the D)CC""Q D n apt matters relaUng to Keys tr 0nrnn n uthnrr
and tavayornrf.._..the scope of naorMcrao specified by the 2022 Request for Proposals,
Our ouuttunaa provildes rrnfufaarvnuurnfof;auan of o Uroa6reaching plan for ctotouvrrtan, riaaafionn and rrntaarnaaffornaW
rnnlnadlaaa coverage,crnntaa management,and cornnnuonc.ottonc and pforrOon for tfnn rnuntfrua Flortrfaa Keys and
the Ne dlstrtct n trnc';tuuded are I rof ranntrarn at services and tnaahnaon"r aacftvftes fnr tuu!!nblct fnrf'vtnory r.torrllnCArwa
spectaat events and uurntare1aa groups uuunler TV;furklhig Of direction,
tun Nlftng touursm ut'ovnatof°uoarrnt atrnaaa„ tfnvoanaarnff"t rnco ntavrc ffnua Itnottoran Ilhie trn tnautMc rrntaattons for the
Keys nc attracting responsible vaaaaw,attonuarc through furnnt„onttnua and turoortcaot publicity Oil n uvinuf(,,n range
of rnnedau and socW n°nvdO, and we have as tong and suuccruracfuut record of do#q sou We work r,fruooty vuntfn
�ouurrlaatncts oo n daffy tnaa fAs and know the media. Most trn odaaunf,Mey know,_--and trust---no.
Me awa ran )(s rirnaacess On devnatofnrrng tnroocfh'vna aatafnroaacf es fear W��p Itnuanrlicans and aranr.uttftoP.�tau of otfnaar
nrnn nr a,ran nrrn —nome that countaf never tan predicted, aeted, such 's t*t� tfaawt;T --Is as recognized rofu"nno t
anion heaves rnnectuaan and touurlsm officials throughout f troche
The yt"nC s primary otyvctavo tc to attract cornoctourtuouus vfaattory Who Store the,vaatoaac of Sustainable
touuncrrn for ttnoa ftorWit Keys&Key trtunuaf„ttrur past contrrtnuutuorno tovaaardll furVf Mnyy that yyU are as niattunr of
rpcord ru loan forward to an ot.ufnorturnity to continuo tfnoco contrrfcunttono On the years ahead.
Moot:stricerely,
unufrovu A, tfovortan
prra a°mtafrarnt
— 63 —
Section 1, Narrafwe Self- `�
Our ngsslon as public reladons,practitioners I's simple:know
mar ctlents ark tliolr tweeds„ works tirelessly to P0111 their goats
�r Gn and earnJoti a ddsts„trust with honesty and total accuracy;and
understand and Sad the edi needs by prrodta do wr9t a,
photographic, video and Interacthto resources that tram or
exceed professionallotirnaftlic standards.
NewrnanPR,was established in 1946 as Stuart Newman
Assam i4 end dr been headquartered in South Florida for 76
The agency has,served the Florida,Keys tourism industry with
media relations representation since Oct.t 1, t 98
tdu ill % IN wnuunPR has ran uor d extensive experience in prununtin , and
sdv rut ew of wwor iuu
With an is t1my1 marketing destinationsas yell as private-sector r resorts„ air, and
vnews.7hey seas carriers and related travel industry lent in Florida, the
���
��t d raw + �d t � � Caribbean, the United Kun ,dlnrra arid Europe.
aow whal CNN�u t oA���/ We are a fulkervice public relations, Iprnrnotiun crud puhli:cit
,err ��
agenty with a current staff of eight, Prinnips and senior
Former "au fit" " executives have experience in newspaper nd o,r broadcast
jnurnndi ern.All account service people,are college graduates.
i NiewinanPR has developed an unusually strong relationship with
r travel)as taro l)
urudirar nwed�i�a throughout lNr�u°dda�Americawith enwphi
editors and reporters,wire service editnruu, broadcast news
editors and web producers, as well as so isl media influencers.
Our media database includes thousands of Journalists and
influencers with an expressed interest in travell news, features,
Photographs acid broadcast material.Our partner contractors also
have dditivan l databases that are used for,the Keys,
s,
Our professional r"ni ion statement is sirnlplle;know our dients
and their unique needs, service clients, wwordu bredess wy until
the job is n unupdi hed and maintain truest arid credibility with
journalists,through honesty and total accuracy; n nuprehend and
re praind to their requirements by producing copy„ photographic,
vHe , broadcast and!interactive contend that nieets or exceeds
professional journalistic standards.
Past;awards include ua Society ratArneric n Travel Miters Gold
Award for Best Crisis Communications Program (hurruo arue
n rnrnurri tOn )„National and Florida Governor's Conference
on Fdurr"u a nes public service awardis,three SATW GcAd Awlward.
for Travel Photography,and e Hospitality Sales and Marketing
Association Intern tauan<ad(Flnrdn Keys Chapter)Service,Award.
Other r accolad�es inrdude the Key lust Business Guild Walt
Marlowe Service Award, ley Wiest Charnber of Cornmerne
u. "Piece of the Rock"Award,Monroe County Cornmi sion special
— 64 —
commendation(post hurrricarre recovery), tsl'anwor°ada Clwanwber°
of Commerce media award and tfwe Lodging Association of
the Rorida Keys and Whey West's Margo Golan Comirrnrrt
Service Award, The agency is particularly proud of the Lodging
Association's Margo Gan Award---- presented to both Carol
Shaughnessy and Andy Newman— one of the few tires it has
been bestowed on two people from the same organization
Nrr CCf d and 2020, the TDC was honored wdh top Visit l~lorrda
Hagler"Henry" awards for"CreatMty in Pubhc Relations"and in
021„ a"Henry"for" ustainaNe Tourism" as a result of work
4� performed by the agency,The TDC has received other,Ra ler
awards due to agency efforts.
Finally„ among honors"are a 2021 Cold " uOdod"FIR industry
f"iians f a
award for"Beet Green/En"wirorunsental/' ur tainabitity Carnpai n"
11W first trip to die Jll%% and Global Travel Communicator f nay ist status in the 2020 Global
Keys,your kno fe ffllr Travel Media Alliance C rr rfretiboin for "Connect &Protect."
tect."
and understaof 1�
) an rsrn WIrna e ` l��a Agency personnel have extensive experience„ are ewtrernely
an wrcr fNe ski led in prodtjclng news and saocW media content„ and have
u��nrrC"fit 1��� fo excellent distribution
generating positive cowerafe r all nroedivamns. This rs cr°ideal
iistribion contacts"
mac to to ;/' in tfwe Keys" because many
ffr news organizations have scaled back dire to declining budgets,
The result is that unless professionally produced journalisticalty
1 accepted words, imagery and sound are provided, most Heys
'flf" activities would not receive media coverage outside of tare
destination.The ability to create and successfully place news
content is the backbone of the agency's pro r°ani for the TDC.
Beyond that, the at„encys credibility and keen urnderstar6rwg of
the reporting and editing needs of journalists have resulted in
relationships that are inwralr.rable to,the destination,
The agency also enjoys excellent relationships with Keys
tourism industry members„ Visit f`lo6da tourism offrcWs„ other
travel industry organizations and local, state and federal law
enfLocernent„ health and emergency rrianagement officials.
• Stuart Newman„Associates„ Inc. d/bra ffewwmanPR, rs a Rorrda
corporation. Owners are Andrew A. Newman( C percent)and
Poland W, 'Buick" Banks H1 0 C percent).
Officers:Andrew A, Newman,; President.„ Cecretar Treasuarer
Polarud W, Banks Ills„ Serwiior Vice;President
* The company, under its,present;narne and previous nan"ies, has
operated a public retations marketing agency„ under the same
,r family ownership and rrnanagement, providing public irelations
services specified irr the RFP for wre than 75 years.
The convany has operated under its current nar e for more
tharp 35 years..
— 65 ^
Section 2. References
HoUan d America lens IN N.
Seattle WA 98119
450 Third Avenue West
Erik Elvejord, Director, Public RelatIMIS
425-501-7236, e I jordaP,,,I,ilollan,dariiieirica, iI
Client since 1992,
yy Outside u6dnr irelaitions,agency providing whfing of releases,
I �
!� O d rm rr �„production co r n td n„ soclail niedia, riews
photography, r~rrsdv communications, media di„m ont ct armed other
i,o ( services.
I ear try d� , ��
An Tham purr j
help' Costa�� Cr u ro irm Costa Cruise Ili
66 S ° 1 5 'uAvenue, Suite 1
ingpr Zee ° Penitwoke Pines, L 33027
Chief Meteack0st
"Good Mornag ", ilJ Rio
ARC News
�dllg� Scott Knutson, V�ce Presiderit, SMes and Marketing
305-406-5464, knutson4uscosta.ft
Bent wice 2011.
utside public redabons agency providing whfing of r d anises,
initert projects, rurrsds communications, meldia contacts and
other serivices,
Carnival Foundation
3655 NW 87th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178
car mruvrudffruinndrmtiori.com
Linda d CoH, Executive Dr rune
305-406-5777
Client since 2012,
Outside public r d tr ems agency providing a,variety of services,
including press release writing, website oversight, social media
rnanagervient, copy uuvri iium6 and other services.
Monroe County Tourist Developnient C uuru dd
Key West, FL
StaceyMitchell„ Director
dirut seance 1982.
„ Mariage&bar progr rn providing a widlevariety of:s, rvir r
incduding produc6on of rnedia umm t rr dry„ wiebsite oversight, r„rwvp d
rnedia rmm nagernent, copy wrifing, crisrs v m�mrmm ni to „ inter-
governmental r0 tnons and mruor „
— 66 —
Sedon 3. Client Inform at
Monroe Counly Tourist DeveBopnn nt CouncR,the o nna�
destination rnarketing narKarnreatuorro for the Florida Kays
West, For more than 41 years, provider of a Mde range of
public rnWnorns n iarfrntun ,services, operation of Rornda Keys
News Bureau and producer of award-winning PLItAiCity programs
arntarnationa0 „ nafionaffy and statarda.
„
R"toHand Arvierica Une, bongest operating U.S.-based crims
rno�n the world. Outside public r6ations provr&ng wrAing of
a releases„video news prodr tion coordination, so6al media, news
w a Y photography, crisis commUnications, nnodla co ac�t:s and other
ern
services.
�Xws wsa ^w r s Xe f�i//,
n�� a� ww � �� ,costa Cruises, European cruise fine, Outside pole:rolaborns
ddeww ,� � f�� agencyprawudng writing of releases, nrutrnnat projects, rrnrna
mw w ur '� % communications„ nnodua contacts and rather services.
C v4sbars own
b)Largest private sector current accounts;
Holland America tame. Prpbfic rolatlouns including vffitln „ video
w u a sir novas production coor6nation, press events, social media, crisis
cornmunications, media contacts and other sorvlc�os.
0 Clients rolatvo to the geographic area of Monroe County„
Florida: Monroe County Tourist Devebpnierft COW161, For more
ln� ; than 41, years, proved r of a wide range at public relations
rnarketing services, operation of F urlda Keys News Bureau arid
producer,of award-Mining pnubhcrty programs s 4iternationaRy,
nationally and statowvado.
dy Conflict of interest statannuant
The agency has no conflicts between Monroe County and existing
accounts and will nnau ntaln that lack of conflict rf awarded a
confinuing contract by Monroe County,
im.
— 67 —
and Bookkeeping Procedures
i
f Clonfidenfial fOn ancW tat non nrts have been emailed
rrurf p nde nfl to oln,i,,b.b.u,d-sC,mon,ropcloti,w,gQv.
b)All accounting„for Ib0lkig purposes„ �s performed in-house,
0 NewrnanPR has proven abRity to respond d to v rrnmmnt
purchase order:„as exempkfied by its experience in fuffiHing such
n prn�r nr nfs by Monroe County, Fla,, since 1980, as weH as c r r
domestic and foreign government agencies,
m aaia�sv ," �; rfk hwcnc s used in Nfling of services for the TDC wfll nckide wlB9 � m
documentation and backup of any au wcrdz d r mbuf sen,ient
Monroe C %' r ft r s and wfll follow metlrodotlogy previotjsAy approved by, or to be
amended by, t�he Monroe FWida,finance
disMufev f �a, i% are billed at actualcost and area riot"marked up*cf�nc dExpenses
i z of Credft References
Outreach., Afilfty PR Solutions t.L
one of Me
WgefieW park„ NJ 07660
Digital Wand nd Media I_f.
516 WhiteStreet
Kerr West, FL 33040
303-393-0,670
Phrit Farm, Inc.
3511 NW 74 Avenue
Miami„ FL 33122
305-592-2895
� ry
4
- hX -
�, a mh wl�^W ura TO m 114w Med A�moMMmwN.�a*I�7aM"LY
ram,w,rarn nuw.i uua.aa
DO
viol,
Mwr)i 9,2.022
i
sk is Stuwt Nawwwranaauv Assodades,dne.
To,Whoew ua May Conn:
leadershp for�N �� �" �j Wdh reference to Ow 2020 and d 2021 R4scM y arry for our Oent,Stead Newnuin,
Keys,N %jjl Assrow,ates,�nr�,:(the cra rpa ny),our fewer are three acocuntants and prep ws of
ON r their Federal income tax returns,mruckMing rend va ordapapems for awe than 10
You ddvl DuiYeam,We do r*t prepare fxoa nciad statmuints,for Ovr cornpany,.
r y soft �ff � o ttv ibers^d of our knv*Wdge 0 revenues and expenses s sutonfted to our,fwrnn by
';Yw'r pmnises �6,Girp i
�' 0due c«arng:warmy have complied waffdu=u%6affe"¢d pracAices,and to our krmaMaxf, ,the
visited! °` J f, 1 aonVauny has not beerw subjected to review by the Inlemad Rew nee SeMw
Pwy d„wncerw ky yours,
Jef(rwry L Weiss,CPA
��J�;I Ilpuu
- 69 -
i.bn
�u
Agency TDC Staff and Other Team Members
Account a rvi r. Andy Newman, senior va p pres0ent, has
s rvr cM the Hof 0a Keys tourisni;sector tot more than 41 years and
su f1Cf sworn uduutuesfor more than ears He account rnvirdnrnp ieard
wp � � has r.tpaire
the communications cornnUttee for%st Fiorrwa Nce
and Ilia a member of Soc Ietyf AmeNcan TravO Writers,
�i pinch Outdoor Writers Ass ciat o n and Outdoor W titers
of Arnnefta,Arnncsnp;Keys cnviic,duties, he is tnrnishhig
a rnirneyear°terra as the a.p r/mkl&Keys toudsm
repre'se d ve for he Rork) Keys s d'r rall Manne
sari„ � 'arn �
and
/irrr1
dafarfe �r ' j / aatrrgyAIlryCCCQkrd, He � ip�ee@6rRrB 1980 rVQkkC to
�'//°! groat vase rmsarna wrn ewltcr f tine R U nnver�sity of i'od a nen spaper,
easvre.You do �, y/� a r* s evertor for the Miaft Beach Sun Reporter„ a ptuatrsir rrnaiist
Beat thwgsfar
for tUriite Press,Baterrnaturnrrai and spent three years with fWnarrufs CdBn
ccrrrrnsnrnrty i lrfo,% ownerd•arr w peraderd dedevnsOn sdaddvrrr„WTVJ,
d waerr Poldern j
Curia '" a Serrtor Account Executive/Lower Keys and Key WestStringer:
Reach vest Card winauupinanessy has Wed wrr they West for 40 years and ws a prroWernt
�r writer and pin licist. he has worked with NewmanPR since
1998, first as a Flohda Keys&Key West correspondent/
FIR strnrnper and caurrerntdy&o as the Keys' senior account
erecuutwve, Card was 35 years'eslpperrennce in tarurisrrn,
l !"
e6" erta0"rrPnernf and sirecnai event va"Ug and parindicity.The
author of the no nfwrvUo n stnipvurecdu book°°tdMnp runtuo rddunry„,'rr ;g
she also Nis been a staff writer and editor,for a variety of
re.&rnai puutAcaticros.
Copy editor//niirne Media Director: Buck Banks,
NewmaunF'a "s sen&vice presiudernt„ has weer v 'tti ttne
agency for rrncre than 28 years e has e ternsive
enrp rwernce as a vuruter and editor of rnna a&es, business
puuinkcatrarus and newspapers,am mg them the in-Mght
i rrua asirres of USAr and U ndfeud Auriornes.in addition to
covering both tine retail and whoiesade travei ururduustry
for five,years as an assoOate editor cf ASTA Agency
Management rnnaapa urne—the monthly puuNcaUo n of the American
S piety of Tra vei Agents ime vu'a's cruise editor to three year's.
Account Executive: Laura Myers is acccnurnt
evecutNe for the Fbh da Keys&Key West,Mth
resp asukadttres of wCu rnp runewwu ravers a prnarn ticns
and press trrps for tine unique destination, ,She ns a
seasoned faarrna hst Wth experience in travM trale and
crunwse mapaar es,, newspaper, and teievisicsn. Law dn'as ;
Weed nun Key West,workhip frir Reuters and other neufia„
covering cdaly wreairnrnp mews and features.i_aurra weicn s
t, to SlKAL international%arrn6 and osciety of American Travei Writers, Sr*
— 70 ^
;; .. molds a a"helof of is de r"e fromowflisnar' Mate � �r and an
editng certficate from Wversn r of Washington,
Media Manager:Ashley Serrate, nnedia relations r'narna er fr .the
nrida Keys
rt
both Gin-houseand agency a punt atonnse pe er et,
uo to jo t
inu e , .he r t . en ted PR
can paw ns for varucars hosputaluty clients and was FF
rr director for Miami's Jurn&Island. She coordInates,
irdlvldual and group nnedra traps, facrlmtates media
requests.arid manages specW nnedna events for the
Keys. she has a bacheGor's degree Gin c mmarrnac aticpns trorn Roddaa
MternaborW l,dnrversltyr.
".A .;; i 69� Media Manager:Sydney Coo responds to rnedua
at NZvrrnn Mqururnes and interfaces wTi rntedaa outlets,coordinates
to work . s yr unrdknduual and group rnnedra tr'itns,prepares and
completety rate m ` /°% 6strfttes press, r0o aces rind manag es the TDCs mediaAsIgey was
very pro l Mite. She also writes and ciSsennunates Keys related
was abie to Problem conterut, dine holds a r'�aneGra of Parts degree un
and nswv in a v� r �� y a
manner.* Communications from Nova Southeastpin Umversfty,
egaa khan a Web Editor and Upper-Middle Keys Stringer: JURe BOtteri raw a d,
fi a he year Marathon residernt and serves as web edufor,
souaG rneMa edutor and strun nr cove,rin die Upper
and Mid&Keys, She ra am experienced diver
and seasa ned freelance varlter, She has panbhshed
r articles tln cruise„advpnturp travel and tfesd'ye
a magazines„as wvell as authohng two trave,1 career
y
uuudebooks,.
Gay
Support� Key Wrst resident Greg,
Trarketagencys
omba us the contracted LGBTQ market
nnedda spe0a%t He has worked in the trave9 and
hospulatdy industry for over 30 years. OriginaRy from
Cornrnectucrt he has uiveaud nn Key West for 18 years and G
has wvorlred or,travelhed urn some d 5 Oerent.count,,ues,
Tromba has earrned rriAtipde top U.S.-based travel
consultant producer awards from k.ini lobe Travel USA,
Financial Support: Sandy Campbell earnest a Bachelor
of Accounting degree from Florida Internatuonad
tdnlversit°y. She has runore than 25 years of accouunbrnt
experience and dies been with the agency for alrnnost 12
years. She coorcdannaates hrlllhn for the,TD " account and
interfaces with fn��cafal ofaeratiorns personrnel in both the
TDC"and Monroe County finance offices.
^ 71 —
�oCanadian PR Support
For more than eight years,the agency has
contracted YAth Toronto-based marketing agency LMA Communications to provide Keys representa'hon In
Canada, Founded by Larry Mogolensky, L A is a full
, service marketing communications agency with a 26-
year,truck record of helping clients succeed.Among SFr
company's client base is Visit Florida.LMNs contract
����
with N ewmanPr stipulates that time Keys are ff"re onty Florida destination
management organization that L A can support,
LMA!s president t director,nOzikizter is for t Canadian
t aactreior of arts I Economics the Florida
cmmurm Director o
�! onorrmics from
i"Suchan invibg an the Linlversity of waterloo.John excels Nn Integrated
r �/�
Place, �i�, ,i� marketing communications.Craving upon experience,
(Am Grymak)"f canr t a 1 John quickly finds the optimal balance of digital and
�� traditional communications solutions public relations„
c*e� f i �f event management and search marketing,
ii>fose Grtp
r
Canadian Account Executive:Merry Crynmek has a
Moss d
malting degree and public relations certification,
rho Jerry furthered his education with a Communication
1 Nor
and Adverbsing Accredited Professional certification
from the Institute of Communications Agencies.Jerry I
a national wee president of time Travel Media Association �"l
of Canada Canada's pre r travel association, He is a
member of the Canadian Public relations society.United KingdomlEuropean PR Support
000000000000000000000000000i I
For almost 17 years, NevdnanPR has contracted with United Kingdom
-
based putuilc relations agency K C to spearhead media
kbcrelations efforts in time U.K.and Europe. Ki C Pr&Marketing is a boutique consultancy specializing In the
international travel and tourism Industry.The agency
was formed In 1998 by Kane Burgess-Craddy„who
remains its owner and managing director", its principles of business are
honesty,integrity,professionalism and trust,K C"s r"nission is to provide
honest advice to clients and exceptional serMce.
UX/Europa Account Supervisor: David Ezra Is
KC's director of public relations and has 22 years"
experience In travel and tourism Pr and marketing,
representing destinations as diverse as Hong Kong
and New England,as well as major tour operators and l
airlines. He has been account supervisor for time Keys
since 20�1 3, setting European strategy and overseeing
the pan-European Pr effort. He holds a postgraduate lye
diploma In media relations from Cardiff's prestigious Center for
•~ .journalism studies„graduating with distinction.
— 72 —
U.K. Account Director: Betli Harvey has spent her oibre career�n
r „
trowO PR,working with two separate s ecuMM o endes C eefore fououng
LeaMng o pr t lr ro HoNdays,Mere she gampd
PlGterrsrw"e Rohda eurerueulce and organized mcAe than
130 rurerNa vusfts to a range of destinations. k^osslooate
about North Arrlehca and with erceflerut,nwha contacts
(� and r0atroursMpNilrf ng s0s„ sake Decembef 2,,01 s
�UI w6 s she Ihs r�er�e�o�rer'ti rl errter&st�e know
of tC'Ge �fP
oast cooruturusues s tare pdrut person for' FIR ochurutues tru
the UX. and�rlsh markets,
StrategicAdvisor: Agency founder and co-owner Kate
l i BurgPss-Craddy worked ramie years for%rt FlMda and
dote d 10 years for s ecla st tour c"tuer for TravO City Direct. �!
effi cts Kate is know and respected 0 the Lt tr set Mduustry
in Mat dw do,and MI
and sent severe years as the ch rr of the Vsft USA
can amems r oo f o �'�/%v/ �, � � I
come fo�s ��/�� Association U.K, She was recognized y F leek as
o c /(fl/1
rrtsorurreus serf' �1 f alias of ttre most rrufturertuu representatives MP tt. .
work wdhfe
Or Crrr
due�, err° n Account n � cr Manager: o ess
- �", rr"' rrri y �� i
night f �� i conitAeted her stcMes at d t.lrrr ersuty of Stuttgart
M tft 7 rr rim ed to aurtk h to start her career
tact M tourism PR. she has headed tearrrs at rnuftle
cMunich FIR agencies, reprpsenbng oauroerouus rrobooM
1
and lnteroaboru l hotM chains, touhst desdruotuorrs
and lrru e enderut propertes.tfatto interfaces vrlth
touurnarfusts„ estabfishes story angM es and cwrrtrnates
fists, ubfizhig her extensive network to secure outstanding press
coverage for the Florida Keys&Key West.
Germany Account Assistant: ChNstane Bander has
degree rn truusMespsu adrrunrhstraton„touurtsmn rr"uor°yeti 1
surest languages es from tfue Heidelberg hutern ttmunM
rGSftlless Academy.She oversees the Mip�ernmitotuon 1
of the sac k rr')eMa Tsui for t°he Flocrdn keys„r"rrloruo es
visual assets and draws up the niontMy dippMp reports,,
— 73 ^-
�N
Section 6. Senfice capability to,,,
Agency operates a � r � t � equipped�y administrative facilities
peed professional eruo�
rtfw Ngh-speed dm fad t'elec°onwrrwunrcations„ image/video
transr mssron and bookkeeping faciftres in a modern, air..
conditioned bUilding with parMig and other amenities. State_.
of•the-art desktop and laptop computers, provide everything
required for the couswr unicat ns process, either in an office
'nvir nr ient or in the fetid, The"Afire is situated ki a secure
brurldrng Mth an emergency generator and a mpact-resistant
@ass„ One of the huiUn as owners, Accord Productions„
offers a comwmpdete wrmdeo,audro production facility r mth m
"TAh a minute's wadk from the agency s headquarters. Office
help f wmouce coa u�mmurmicatmons arid mnternet are achieved via a fiber
connection. In addmfmonm ald of the agency's empdo ees have
f"amsh a � a �' , ''l high-speed internet access in their honwes with personal
Fie,id Producer
computers. Andy Newman owns an dswmnouada residence with
Thelyeathpff Ch
a home office and high-speed internet and backup wireless
� hotspot'w The agencys contracted Keys-teased affiliates, have
home offices and high-speed Internet as well as backup
wireless hotspots.
b)Agency webslte
Stuart Newman Associates: tteww 'mallnpr,pQgl
o) Location
The adenc "s headquarters are srtuatecd imm Ethan°mi at 2140
South Dixie Highway,„ Suite 2,09, TDC account supervisor Andy
Newman rnzdrmtains a part-brae residence in dslamnorada, with
high-speed internet service, frequently providing the agency a
satellite offices. The TDC senior account executive resides in
Key West and has been there for 40 ears, The contracted TDC
web editor/Upper-Middle dies stringer has livered in Marathon
for years. Both are egumpped ww th communications devices
including high-speed internet,
i, d) Documentation showing authorizabon to do business in
the State of Florida
Reproductions of the agenc "s business forms foddow on
the next page. The agency is registered at ..w,sufmt� pf° ,
Document number ius 610194,
e Representation statement
If awarded the contract, tfie agency agrees not to represent
new towuhswVdestination clients Mhoumf time approval of the
Monroe County Tourist Development ouncim.
— 74 —
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staff and a rcement s mices by thp PITY0&t
b) RMrtibursement pendituro&; Thra pubbc rppatl� rus agency uO
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pfra fr �J the fufrBpmient of tNs agreement and harp, baaru apprr'ri rf pry advarurca by
r�ar� ar r thp 1 DC,according to onr&ap. CoulAy prr uar n aruit prrrfic4 d The frrlrru`s
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to Can ruunrcap pres4?,rtatur'ns ar(J a NiM decision Imad darft agrepment negobabons.
a7ipmor',,tlr a of rid r gy i�� d) Mry s(j r bon from,Rpqupst for Piropa sap rcquirernents and
Weraction betwee aidpr sentatuoft process way a constitutes a conirrrlfr ant pryr thin
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�fr papa ar r1�, � Monroe urn Touurmt Devehr ruvlrut C uururll or thp. County uurutH
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a reoraarut its agreed upon by both parties.
i
76
Pe
Sec i f� r iIften I ws �
0
��i, lliwurm�buiurY r.mmaun
Two rntnrnsro aspects of the FlOhda Revs are central to the
Oand chains endwurind appeal eall to visutors: their nrnfraraiReled
natmurani environment amid their easygoing„ ICa�rddack way f life, ft
ewwnnaunRR is chosen to continue as die Keys"Rndfro relAon^s
agency of record„ efforts wifl Itnwurld upon the responsible promotion
of those tvwo fuundanien it attributes,pared with advoCK Y for ttneNir
�l°Ii i�lillu r�IY�d Ylhf'tiW ongoing protecfion.
�e in this wwaythe agency vntt dedicate its extensive knowledge and
i/ understanding of the Florida Keys&they West to preservo,ig both
o a a residents'tmruawi wwd� ,� tiro .�" Rrnw�r rndurstn of touuri��unn and r„e��irferwt,�" quuaNry of iife,
n howvnua rn �i
has t ��
u % s in its arNnrnost 4 -year tenure of working on beinall of the
r � gat wn> fo ;
ever t vm Keys, NewrnanPR wiIIB focus efforts to ble n fit the d sbriaWn oil
she's bpen mainnstrearn,m„ ondirne and sooaraN r'ned1jai and accredrted Influencers,
While f11w as WeR as, diirect-to-consrunner,wetusrte and social media
wme# to
Communications through tine Keys e stalblisiied channels. In A
ra vestf.. � raf°"� a�Ctiivitres the ageincy will sdrive to continue its long track record
� uarso and of seWnnd positive nnedra exposure for t1w Keys that is vaNuued at
many dines the C's PR turomotionall tnoudRet,
While a nu miler of concepts and initiatives are suggested in this
document, tNne a enoys nftirnate Creative strategy wwfl1i be based
on goals and oblectrves developed Iby the TDB:and conceived to
work in synergy with overall dlestlnation marketing strategies.
In general, the agency MH promote the Revs as a prince vacation
getaway that dellivers bight tangible and intang6le value, a place
to enfo genn.rrne and nnennorallvle e fnerienres that oarl't be found
anywhere else„ and a location where vrsitor's oar)emrpenence one..
of-a- rid ernvironrnentaul and Irfestyle featmures, forge a meaningful
connection to both and join in residents"connmrt ent to protect
and preserve those elements.
Nn its outreach to wiedia,and consr,runfuers, NewmanPR wvufN w1wk to
increase awareness of the unique rnatrure and diverse attractions
of each of the Keys' five districts, as well as the isUnd amain as a
whole, Vertical-mairket efforts targeting dive. fishing and cultural
travellers also,Mli be am priority, as will initiatives targeturng LGBT
traveNens,
lewwnnn nRR believes that a deep farnilioanty worth the Kegs
a t*° particiularly given their geographical spread„ distinctions in districts
identities and rfmverse range of rniart,et appeals. is vital ni
corn uunrcating an atitlienfic,and accurate linage of the destination
w to media and th16r aaudrerloes, The account wvimNN be spearheaded
� 77 —
...........................
by Senior team members who are either fu�Ri e„ part-t mme or
past residents of the island charm„ and seasoned Keys-based
"stringers" or correspondents who cover events and visitor-related
news stories un 0 five dmstructs,.
Such hands-on farnllraruty ls not only essential in gathering and
conveying factuM information to phrit„ broadcast, online and socW
rne6a
and n is atrustworthy,ncer equally valuable In assuring media that
the 7 source of authentic knowledge
and assistance.
mr i�'d Similarly, as travel decisions are lncreasln ly influenced by peer.
driven social media and word•of-nmourth corrmummunlcabons„ rot is more
important than ever for consumer-directed messaging to resound
parer�ps � ro
U with authenticity and a genuine understanding of the island chain.
ea mslred and bus' i�� During more than four decades of service as the TDC's
ices lie yaa�e yi/ i%
part dens fmrturre of ems !��I, public regabon^s hrrrm„ NewmanPR has been rnotrvated by a
profess � longstanding and focused dedication to the Florida Keys as
m�� �S��l%
Manuel Smitht both an internationally renowned vacation destination and a
f'reelarmce chain of authentic close-knit communities, the agency will utilize
„ - its strongly estabished network of contacts across the media
spectrum---as well as its established social media channels
directly targeting travel consumers—to confmnue maximizing
communication of the Keys unparalleled natural world„ unique
lifestyle„ sustainable focus and attriNtes that appeal to dow esfic
and international visitors.
Objectives
c tither'.
L To focus on sustainable tourism,the Florida Keys'way of
life and market uniqueness while prommmoting,the tangible
and intangible value of a Keys vacation,
. To bokiter time Keys"image as a vacation venue where
Asitors can enjoy relaxing„ nmean6ng4r l and emnperienti l
activities that foster personal connections to a gene
culture, communfty arid life style.
. To promote the(Florida Keys &Key West st to high-value
geographic and demographic market segments identified
by TDiC research.
g, To use Fg strategies to position ffine Keys as one
destination, while also cormmmmmunm cafing the diverse identities
and affractlons of each of the five districts.
. To promote the destination's longstanding heritage
of diversity and acceptance to both dommmestic and
internationM LGB'TQ markets,
. 78 —
I`1 ... .. .. .,.
. To develop and implement proniotiona&concepts that
)/ balance attracting responsNe tou hsrri with uphoddrng Keys
residents quality of life.
. To cordinue targeting specuagy and nkhe markets includin
art and cu ure„ diving and sport fishing„ wedding and
brine
g. To increase awareness and enhance the image of Florida
Keys specW events and attraeaions.
uer� . To continue emphasizing darect-toisonsumer
communications through the Keys" st�rong existing social
media platforms„ develop additional social charanegs
as they emerge and rna n a4i sngnfficant outreach t
ruara kd t !i rmiinstrearn rne6a.
recerwed 179 fodil.
in tire frst % 10.1"d target international markets in Canada„the LIX and
days Ireland„the Germanic coruntrdes and other.European
rruazing Ben l sfatwt
orrratmd�ris tU�� markets when appropriate tEirouugh afgPdatioris wkh
j
��irr7 ����� contractedU.K., German and Canadian PR firms.
t I Jo swiftly tl launch arid exeCLAe a rr Ultdac t d PR chs�s
l atarrrerad fde management program during any significant emergency
go7 % situation that arises.
Overvr ewa
NewnianPR plans to iniplenient a carefully crafted public relations
. ; program as an integrated facet of the T "s annual marketing
plan. The program wild promote the Florida Keys as a whole„
spotlight the unique i derlifies and attributes of each district,
heighten understanding of the Keys'unique environmental
resources and may of We wrhrde encouraging their protection„ arid
foster increased awareness of elernents and offerings that appeal
to targeted traveler groups and demographics,
s wweH as carrying out programs each year that,further the
Tt g$s annual goads and oblectives„ I ewwmanPR wiH also practice
responsive ardaptabOity, recognizing and capitalizing on eriiergarig
olrportunitdes to enhance the visibRity and positive reputation of
the destination,
s in fire Bast rneasauralade goals and a detailed calendar of
PR actawrities will be created to accompany each fiscal year's
comprehensive plan.
Primary ongoing activities will 4ickide;
„ 1. Creating print„ photography„ video and social'Keys travel
content— some focusing on elements of the overaild
destination and some on specific district attnhutes„
attractions arid events that advances destination
— 79 ^
goals, and dlntrminuuitrnd it to m`mna instream r'rn u�m a targeted
influencers and dl g nrn�M and travel nirmrnswrmnnnrs diii,ectly via
social media chanin6s.
2 Providlrug pnrs n lhz d assist�ance t g wurnali ts„ bloggers,
broadcast producfion crews, and qualified social media
Irufturrnu:, rs srmnlm as srmgllrrwg story topics, setting mina
Imrt roewwms, developing itin rarles to meet spe6fic rn"r dire
r dnstin bon goals, supIplying Irnna Ins and video, and
prW6ng llogintunal nand wanner support.
m . Arr n mrnd and f Alit tind undi iduual and smalls group,
media research truce to the Keys for u;lu afiff d dor n stln
arid int rmn tlorral G uurriahst�s, bloggers and social media
Itmm� u f influencers.
sit �� tlmn end ��rgp�
exc6d to Oiare,even d: Crafting and distributing messaging that promotes tlln
u mre FRES Wand chain as a clahesiveentity, andmessaging that
Keys a to M r � Inidhhghtn the individual aftnbutes, attractu urn wad event
remarkable
aid as son r i% that help dve rn each distract.
Who'sn u " ,'n 5, Maxim of mad rutrin rahon of direct-to- ransuunn r social rnn rfiia
n r �ru un channels sluuah as wncwnllOok, Instagiam, Twitter, You Tina ,,
TikTok and others to distribute brre,,ly and tt mnta rn-getting
photography, nrini-video, rniage and event-related event-relatedi Keys
content,
'To provide optimalexposure for the destination, the agency will
arelationships
°
maintain end �cnr strong r h its s r r l t�i rn his with tr dhr me l media,
tul gars crud qualified d i n nu.i r s„ engage in vigorous use of
to lm l-red social media and mobile autr nr°h„ and t ike advantage
of emerging dir r.t-t -consuurrnner outlets as warranted,
I l afar, m: uuinI,, „rn,
Urid r the durrnntlrurn of an agency president wmmfnwn is a part-time
Upper Keys resident and has more than 41 years' experience Vnmth
the account, INN rruanlPR's pubhc relnbons prograrn wfl1 be carned
Gaut by un t ar n possessing firsthand personal knowIledge of and
apprelci tummn for the desbnation,
That Keys knowtedge, developed during the agency's four.
decade tenure of promoting the usl rnd chain, is n vital asset in
nnnninnnmmcatfn in prat , autheribc crud convmn6ng mesa ung to
representatives across the nn dia spectrum, It is equaRy ur nfnrrrtiwit
in I hornnst„ reliable and rn ru rnn rnt-wwortln a loll rrn dlrn
To reach today`travelers who seek auuth rntln and otitside-the-
niairistrearn offerings acrid encourage th r°nu to experi nrrr and
respect the Keys'environmerft and lrf st e, rnessaging must
. . r scrnate with genwrie unsights and ha ndss on awareness of the
— 80
offerings, environment and lifestoe.
Most senior members of the domestic Keys tearau are either
current or former residents of the Rorida Keys&Key West. Their
i o deep-rooted omaderstaradmuad of the island chain, established local
e of'how work" enable them to
network and maaawuiedd� � t9rmaa
create not host effective corarnu nm catwons„ but also connections
between stakeholders to benefit the destination,
As h eel as the
� agency par°esr enat revm umsly mentioned,the Learn
ar Key Wiest resident who is the senior account
eurecuuttve and correspondent for the Lower Keys and Key t restw
a 8-year Marathon resident who is wwegsite editor„ social media
director amid correspondent cover,mmwd the Upper and Middle Keysw
an account executive who is a former six year Key West resident
support has heked and covered the re ion for a maaapor mrrternafmonal newswire service;
i%
the,awareness Offt and an LGBT media r6 tion spe a li t who i an l e m lie
ae f` „��/
ss al d otda ` °/% West resident.
Taos for ouu d J/'
hefpu s0h6ae
� ' Gven increasingconcerns agouti gaiancmg tourism wuith Keys
fmdgt a a ,�,
tarries" ���U locals" quality of life, senior staffers"fiondderM residence ima
Bernieur d avh"'„rrr the island chain is an unpaaratieted advantage, Because of it,
f rde l u l NewmanPR is able to develop promotional strategies and direcbora
not dust from the perspective of public relations professionals, but
also as individuals who value the Keys lifestyle so highly they have
chosen to make it their own.
Two additional tearaa members maae6a managers and social
media spaeciahsts take frequent getaway trips to the Keys and
have extensive personal knowledge of locap tourism off erurads.
The teams"s in-Keys personnel are cm hand at adi tiimaaesry to maximize
story coverage opportunities within their districts, provide
trustworthy paersouaHzed assistance to rmaairastrearn and social
media representatives, assist broadcast production crews
shooting travel segments or features in the Keys, cover locap and
spot news events,, attend Disthct Advisory Committee meetings
and tdmaugreiia Corram°rrittee meetings, and fu ffilp other important
aspects of each year's puumglic relations pour,
Ro.°Ao uo a Keys News B(,i eau.0
During, ffewwraaanPR's tenure with the Keys„ much of its agility to
generate significant positive coverage has resulted from,dairunnd
and maa�aintamni ig the trust of established print, broadcast and
rurnfine media oauutlets, as wreilU as qualified social rnedua infimuencers.
Many years alum,the a enc estab4sheid the Rorrdua Keys
News Bureau on gelhalff of the destination to fuuUfull the ccntemat.
recturrermaents of a wide range of rne6a.
Staffed by the agency's Keys PR team maaermagers, the bureau
— 81 ^
serves as a valued resource for both nralnstrearn and
nontraditional media, Over the years it has becorne a trusted
provider of rnaterdal for national and international newspapers'
print
ftital
� newswire services, national and
rruterratora television and networks and tdrelr digital
editions„ notable Woggers and Ieadln f onHne and socual media
I
outlets.
The Keys learn directs,the news bureaus contracted professionals
to create"spot"news rsuaaterlals that exceed the highest print„
broadcast and onfine rne6a standards,
The Florida Keys News Bureau has a reputation for antrclluabn
,,.. 1 with r ed a and adhering
In,do strict p6nc pies of tru�rtludulne s and
t� working collal
d,�sust wv�a "' ' s�
You transparency.This b resulted rm ¢urrprmElr� er�q r �atrusmps
oda�r f l� ,; and,therefore„ ongoing widespread coverage for the destination,
cotudddWtif
t ;j NewnianPR will carry on operating the news bureau to benefit
Withall; u you ire A
f�f a drearru to, ork the Keys through spot rue s stories,w hewever warranted„
����>>��,
%w distributing there to re ionM, n tjonM and internabona@ rnedia and
to accredited social media ouflets that can provide"real-time"
message transmission direct ^to consumers.
t lnether focusing on unique special events positive environmental
�� � ,
activities such as turtle releases or coral restoration, news
happenings such as the reopening of the Old Seven We Bridge
or unforeseen aupp rtuuniftes, spot stories have proved to be
extremety valuable in oncreasing pos„hive awruarerress of the Keys.
For distribution, the agency will continue to use Its extensive"
continually updated databases that contain thousands of records
on mainstream print and orihne journalists, broadcast outl ets„
Noggers and social media Influencers with significant followings.
Virtually all story and photography distribution Is accomplished
digitally, and most broadcast distribution Is accomprshed by
direct dlltal uploads to broadcast outlets" systems.
t,
'aarta,rrfuaal IPUWk ; f`tel"ra oins hnibaurva,a, and Prcatr„ar"m',
s in the past„ specific public relations cMtlatuves and programs to
promote the Honda Keys&leyWest will be deternrlrued based
on the TDBC's overall marketing dlrectlon and goals developed
for each fiscal year. Given the T1 "s current objectives and
recently revised mission staterrrent„ it Is anticipated that,for
the foreseeable future„ such direction wvldl Involve safeguarding
the Keys'tourism-based economy while f osterft Increased
awareness of, respect for and protection of the natural
environment and way of life.
... The following n suggested programs and actr wtdes are to be further
explored, developed and implemented to benefit the island chain.
— 82 —
Focus on OTT Outreach: "Discover the Florida Keys"
Dedicated Streaming Channel
awareness
r gr for
the Keys is very
to with �
mandates lftn internationaland �a� oorrnnd Fao ocAne, it is
orruouatl to roaold as gtobM audience and tee the do.alrnatron s story�
The future of long-form content consumption and message
cornmunicating is strongly anticipated to be through the straan,oing
f' LLT ( wuar The Top)nrodoll. Research Indicates that in the Mara"tda
quarter of:2020, viewers across than gdodo spent dfd bullion hours
using vdrao streaming axapapas,on mohaddsa dawwuoas.
Streaniing 017 dotluwnors naasssaa os and stories directly to the
end uuser, bypassing tradtuonal broadcast ayn diuoatrouu and oaaNe.,
rd�nrnottown �,�, distrrltuntron. Furthermore, recent studies have shaownro that niche
PaIrDnizig,but( fir' ii stroarnatn ;content is in demand now rnora than over before.
ssh r u hill for
"%�///, 0 d study d Antenna Consuodtung found that niche strra�aarnaun
a�pa�s�l a�raot�a ,
�,,, y
sn ill it��nr� i%G sorwraooas have grown at�alra anarVLnaap rats of � �� ua"� r the iast t"'4
adw)F trre `info.* ,h�l� years nuora than double the�t b �� "big"
rate rt the
Laura Ply, ��rl' st,iroanaors
Fr rah � a� 1 Td°gas overall user experience on streaming de0c s such as RoFu,
patio and Amazons Fire makes opt easier for viewers to fired spaoon o
OTT channels to watch what they want when they want. C,arofol
curating content and strategically setting it up for defivery divas
fp desturunhi uas are auln aaraUetl dl new avenue to(reach th61r target
v audience,
NewrnanPR plans to work wawhtti t"rawwford Entertaarnna nt„ creator,,-,
of their own successful Diiscovei Florida Channel that debuted un
2015,, to develop and lann�olii an OTT ohaw°ainnoh provisionalify named
Dr5cowuor the Florida Keys Chanried.
Existing content wawadd be oarruafunddy cur"atod from CravAord
Entertainnaont"s fdwwo one-hour Fdorrdra Keys broadcast specials,
produced un cond uxbon Mthm NewnianPR, unolu un "tlslaind
o psdn : (Florida Kays' and"Hohda sways: ProtectingParadise,"
araod 15 trahf-hour episodes of Crawtord"s"How to Do Florida"that
feature the Fhorildaa Keys &Kay West.
The agency wwrudll allso seek rolatdoru�shul s wed other producers of
suadtadalo Keys content, such as""George Powroronao's Wofld olf
Sadtwwatar Fushrnng."°
To further than success and growth of the channo,d and drrvo
wwdowwnnslaufw, NewmanPR is to partner wwdhw Crawford Entortaauunnnont.
to produce additional new original Keys-based viewing content,
Than T ed is to retain owrwnarsdaupa of the ohaann 11 once tit ds
established, as well as all copyrights, donaann UII Fs and d vOo or
accounts for TV,web and n�riodrdo as pas,
— 83 ^-
Based on the rapid growth in the OTT streaming industry"the
increase of"cord cutters" leaving traditional cable providers,
and studies showing an uptick in niche stream ng content
j consumption" the goal is to grown the Keys channel to an audience
of more than 250,000 subscribers wwithki three years of its launch.
Focus on Sustaining, Keyes Environment and Lifestyle:.
*Connect & Protecir Evolution
dwocatirig and promoting environmentaHy supportive actions is
�
a vital element of the Florida Keys' commitment to protecting the
region"s natural resources. Four years ago NewnianPR addressed
the demand for sustainatule options and experiences un travel by
launching a"Connect &(protect" program that encouraged visitors
IMb o 1 to diiscower and connect with the Keys unm que natural world and
toy o n r fwi become motivated to help protest and preserve it.
of the HeWgway Loo
contest,'Your,Wiess -t ��� Overall, Connect Protect messaging provides en
couragement
nment
ou "cation to dmo K l� g
and tangible direction to help visitors make positive ec�c-activities
and cwrr usruass is and D,ui ao t
at "m rsc tod % iay�� irmaNle behaviors a facet of ireaningful and nienmoralmle
gret�,
�r� Vacations,
Donna L Mardi
Mark Based on ongoing TDC objectives and positive media and
Sq s consumer response, the agency has continued and developed
�rlr% Connect&Protect each year since its inception. 'wV iRe niaintaiiming
f, ds central sustainatrility and environmmentai focus, time program has
d�y been expanded to motivate travelers to experience and respect
the Keys' unklue lifestyle as well.
Time program has won acclairn for the TDC nmcluding two
consecutive"Henry" awards the top honor in Visit Florida's
annual Hagler T6urisrrm Awards Program - for time overall Connect
Protect iniffative and it:s component 30-miMite l'dS teievision
show„ "Florida Keysw Protecting Paradise,"
Over the years, elements of the initiative have included tfinerned
group press trips, individual media visits wwitfm Connect&Protect
ifinerariesm a themed Keys Traveler Magazine and dedicated
thenmed issues of the Keys Traveler e-newsiletter, social media
campaigns, creation of an eco-events 6rectory on the Keys"
kacelsook page and an eco-events section of time fp keys.".pore
wwehsite calendar„ production of time award-winning Toriida
Keys: Protecting paradise"television specW, develop nr lerit of a
To minect with Keys Cde%" wwehsite section, and rnonttwly"Stewards
of time Keys"profiles of lirmca�l residents who share theiir passion for
protecting the Keys" environment and,way of lde with wrisitors.
` Newwrrim 'enivisrons evdIving tf-me Connect& protect concept into
a cornerstone of time Keys PR program- - an integral Pillar of time
i^s6ancll chain's identity that is recognized by nmediia" consuniers and
travel Professionals much bike"Cone As You Are,"
— 84
Efforts undd focus on groWng and developing Con ne t &. Protect
through gh a carefully crafted rmbyear arts of rundtu trves, all
rd slgrni rd to define the Keys as a vitaf vaicatl rn chloice for,the
fw t-grow lrrg v sit or diernogiraphic that seeks en0rotimentallyresponsbe destinations wb genuine character, Wture and
commun4i .
To-the-point mes,sagi�ng wrrdtl be creat rd to present the Keys a
a place offering unique rrnrdrrurnrn rural attractions and activities,
wlifle also encouraging wr dt r' dmn-nrun rsd rn u n the bead fitestyle arid
w 191� �Illl,p�� l rn''pr,f r�V ltw Culture. In this wwn m the agency ndd work to attract visitors who are
looking for airthenfic sustaun&e experiences, show consideration
andl respect for Uie Kees"envirrwrurr"u not and are rrrlrndfrud of the neeld
"Our ri eal, y to preserve the island cfnnndrn's community he6tage,
Keys was perfect d
P t rntn l acbvrti s to furrttn r this nnnutu tr un lard ..
Ors t ent of errs 41
travel rr t. Spearheading the d"DCapplication t rnn Florida's
th'JAS to u U;�y firstdestination sign d t r t the nur of Tou l su
Sarus �� Coahtdrarn, "wtru�rrn to W, r toward stable d future for
, , tourism, thec dutdrurn is rnn nu dot� r8wnrnt to ru that
, ywN' realize the necessAy for a tnurnrwd rnn rat d shift in the industry
to r-meet the Reedis of rd stlunatio n COMmunitiles and their
rnmr rnrun ruts, Guiding, rdrmrm ip ies incfude mifigating rdnn n t
impacts, choosmg quaI4 over quantity arud protecbrig
rutdru to rn�s' sense of place. Durnng the 2 2Il-2 sun d
tll%" year, the ag,ericy investigated the requirerTients for
to r runnnnrng a signatory and blefieves pnrocee dlrig will help
dtt ru the Keys aniong leader dni sustarnable tourism,.
2, Designing and implementing a"Protect ct the Rorida Keys
Passport," ru moble wrn rtrnr"passport'ort'that features ecol..
travel wnunrd sustainable experienc to dri' vacatiolners t
increase th61r awareness, eruloyrnent and understanding
of the K rw" rnatruir d world. t.d'tldi urn, an e-cornmerce travel
technology p ,ritfor m such was Bandwango, the value-added
passes s rain be offered free or for purchasie, rdunhv re d wwrd
madd or text, and used td'nr nughwuut tdnie Keys wfth trackable
resufts. Ong6ngp.urrannnruboin of these"passports"sp or°twu" l
further enhance the rw and odi um's position as a rd s-tnrrrntdo n
that wwdwndues sustainabilrty and Iresporisible travel.
, Proposing the appnr drntrm Brut olf nn designated swnnstan in 'bMt
representative ach District Advisory Co urucdd board.
The DACs CUrrrently have website and advertising
representatives that workwithi the agencies of record,
� s,
ofu ustrdrtw,�sustakiablity representative crrdl ad0se
on messaging to support erivironmental events, acfivrties,
olu ntourrism off enrigs and c puut rd proje,cts awruuthI n that
rdlstrt t,
— 85 ^
Adding a gust alnatalluty nnodum e to the Key plane Acaderny.
The self-paced online training program features video-
driven rnodu0es that educate and inform travel advisors,
tour operators and meeting planners to help there better
seH the Florida Kaye&Ke,y West, The racy suggests
developing a,module that focuses on the Keys"unique
environment, the importance of protectinf„it, ways group
travelers can responsituly enjoy ft and voluntouurisrn
opportunities for groups,
5. Produdng monthly e•ne sletter articles centered on
i� local reconnrnendatnons," featuring select Keys resides
showcasing aspects of the Keys way of fife and �s
Oi%�� �i �n „ paired' dd su ggesbons for usutors cure how they
1'fv� ^�w i , can e penenc,e it. In add uo�n to providing tang 6le tips
for", Own me a ���I,
destination ftt is /l�/i� for travellers, tans effort also subfirninaHy encourages
piously close ndent ucatrorn of Keys residents as arnonp the island chain"s,
heart&et as of too�J����t valuable "natural resources,"" Tl*articles r-nay potentially
met � owe,, j�/% a rnate fu "Stewards of the Keys" l newsletter pr s
dre lteysw' and/or fwlo6sm
' ` %% y
We
��att s 6. Explohng the feasibility of developing, a dedicated Horida
Keys podcast to inform and entertain listeners with
content amount the Keys' natural environment and way of
icy life. Podcasting is growing rn popnularuty" and according to
iy research by the So6ety of Armneikan Travel Whters, 6
of podcast lrstener s have an annual fuouselnolAd incorne of
75,000 or more. Content may include interviews with
iocal residents on preserving the local Restyle and sharing
it with visitors"thus enhancing tourism appeal, or with
advocates of suustainabulrty such as"6teward s of theKeys."
. Investigating a content-creation partnership with
hTheE eot°aleYoufdeet( TPYM), a female-owned
company that was estalallslned in 2012 to create and
distribute content ennpinasi ung sustainable travel and
lnuunna'n connection vwitfn an editorial focus on local people,
places and purposes. NewrnanPR proposes investigating a
partnership with the company to produce segments for its
high-viewership offerings Uchaela"s Maps"and"Inspiration
Statioin.m
6. Continuing to,develop and implement Connect&Protect
pronnotuonal prograrns" content fix Mainstream and social
rmnediiian and multifaceted nnedlla and consumer outreach
N .. that emphasizes the Keys'wealth,of protected natnura
areas, locals"dedication to amid care for the island claim's
environnnent, aind ways visitors can positively,affect the
Keys during their vacation experience,
— 86 ^-
Focus on Content Creation,
VideoResource
Ne nrnann " " priorities will ur�cl de am ongoing project to update
ate
and tnIfilcartl exparrd its existing fibrary of Keys video
resources,with d nnar ic, fresh and comprehensive content.
iParficulady for social miedia, the cam nsternt use of new and
Nowengaging vide era content is easerrtual to increase,reach and
engagement, nnnaxlhrrrice awareness of specifiic aspects of the Keys
and support ort promotional nal pnro rarnns and objectives,
The power of irnna nrna five vrdeo,�ri s cull media is perhaps beat
Rlu trat d ttn recce s of IC^gewrn n"nPR's � i nn� h groundhog"
hog"
past To prornote the Keys arid their balmy"winter"weather
on Groundhog Day 2022, the agency roncec arum produced
uced
ftI YoUalaW, a brief video on a conch h that fives nrn a ""touch tank"at Florida
fourn aarW nw ,;;" R s „rpu arrnnrn�Enco unt ra,coming out of its shell and mi;
�� � �� its hadow „ s groundhog og Prurms�nutawne lnnl chid, �ted rn
work ivithr � ���� tlne Keys'Facebook page, the video went viral and, as of this
11
° rntu�n „ had reached more thanraullllrnn people�� ernerated
a�ca ire ���'���%�
Sruarn U rl/ more ttan 13 midtion views and nearly 500,000,engagenients
ram ; rnu.ur lberaunprecedented in the Keys'entire soc,ial median hnnstor ,
Originalup.-to date video offerings also are of phrnary importance
to provide to media seeking Keys unufcnrruaatio n or conteunt„ visuaft
cl'ernnoin trace the uraland chainn's appeal and attributes during rnnedia
mr ssrcnrns and,travel shows, cornnpnlernuent crrlrnern't w elnsite news
stcnirues and the weekly"„Keys Voices" Nog, and pnr Ode vignettes
� for broadcast outlets including the Florida Keys OTT strearnnln
channel describe Previously.
The agency wnwnll continue spearheading the pnrodiucbo n of orlelo
content ttnat covers aall districts of the Keys and supports stated
marketing goals. Newman,PR proposies the crea,tiion of the
following wuideo res" u,urce .
t A fresh and ccnrnnparelneunspare library cnt once. to three-
rnnrnrute sociaH,nedia style Aeos, to be shot ruling mobfle
sinnnartpairocronnes (especially making use of new cinerriatic
n, ern features), in first-piers un format width nnatwurA sou nr,
Video content is to spnnntfight popular ular actrvities that none
up the Florida Keys experience, as inrnclncated in the web site
section btled"Things to Do in the Florida Keys," Topics
may irnclrrde fnsN ng, diving and snor efing, wihd dMproN n
encounters, kayak and pnaddletnrnard ecot urs, canal reef
nestcrrattcnrn„ seafood and inftenous eateries„ adventure
activities, food tours", creation of signature cocktails and
41
rii lnea„ museum vusrts, cultural experiences and a stroll
ah and the Old Seven Mile Bhdge, The video 4brarry can
— g7 —
be used to populate time agency'-created'Florida Keys
" TV" chaumnel on YouTu e" as well as bekig purposed for,
lnstaKrarn Reels„ T1kTok, Faceookn Twitter and a return
i of time"Video of theWeek"feature on time Keys"visitor
weslte.Videos also can conmplenment wesarfe news
stones and the weekly"Keys mces"°blog.
. A mini-video series centered on local residents diving
reconmrnendatuons of,aspects„ places or actuvutres to
enrich visitors'vacations and appreciation for the Keys
particularly those related to tfine emironrnent and way of
life— and explalnft what matters most to then)about the
Keys community,As in tie print series described ear°,lies'
In this document,these Odeos would provide valuable
uyot,r ter N "insider fipsft for travelers seeking autlrerrtic experiences,
conhnuing encourage identification of Keys residents,as guides and
all of nd�duf "��� 'ambassadors""to be respected„ and involve local residents
COv aeop dv �� f/l � g
We're away„ �tua ���r i
.� partners lrm rnc�rea�mn visitor awareness of r°neanrn ul
Promote e " �`„ � and sustainable experiences that don't mr�npact time local
to ual
esK � � ��r����; lty of life, Video dmstrituutlomm can be accomplished a
' the Keys„ high-follower ociau media channels, arriong
add p other avenues„ as well as permodic"ally in time e-newsletter.
In addutmon,the video series may be assembled into one.
tt�T comprehensive long-form piece to be utilized by the TDC's
sales teanm at travel shows and events.
: , A new group of 60-de ree videos" including those of
Dry Tortugas Rational Murk and time Ud Seven bile bridge
and N eon Key experience, that cain provide a"virtual
reality"exploration of elements of the Keys. Virtual reality
is an lncreasln&popular form of travel marketing"
employed In ways ranging from virtual"walk•throuugtus"of
accornmodations to VFt tours of destinations. While the
best virtual experience requires a VR headset„ d i degree
videos can also provide a virtual experience, Existing
; degree videos on time Keys'youTube channel would be
refreshed as wweH.
4, One new overall video that showcases,the most un'wpottar7t
and apmpeallrud aspects of the entire Florida Keys and five
district videos that visually present time highlights and will..
identified character of each district. The current versions of.
these videol:s are anion T rs valuable Promotional assets
and receive widespread exposure orill the Kees wellmsite
N aniong other drstrrt utmon avenues, However, evolving
offerings irmm the island chain" ais well as immnovabons lum video
§hootuind and editing technollody, necessitate creating new
wdeos to best represent the(Florida Keys to,all audiences.
. 88 —
lum addition, as previously emoted, NevwummaanPIR's Florida Keys News
Bureau vwilli continue to produce spat widen news packages
whenever warranted and distribute them to the appropriate
social media orutlets,broadcast crud online venues d accredited
mile much of time video cord umt outlined above will be prodruced
by locally sourced Keys-based prolessioru i wmdeo r phers,
licensed drone pilots and seasoned underwater, shooters, aall
members of theagency's in-house and in-Keys socdl rume6 a tearm'm
are to regularly cultivate, shoot and edit video content,
s the T „s pmahldc relations dency,of record„ ewdr anP,R has
cordsct f' focused on marketing the Keys to rrmaaiumstreaaumm waac«atmoumers,
ddwsttst f d ,�i but also promotes aspects of time ishnd chain that appeal to 0
d dud suro rya mmr ��,�% variety of� speciolized and niche t:raaweler�markets. The agency
done cr�er� �
hwe wren target pecd"mc demographic and geographic markets ets .
and refle�chn of fm�mt� j frormm mainstream to specialized based on time TD s market
Pasta Pan evm ,,"„r,/ research.
® Attracting travelers who seek sustainable options and ecolorurisrmm
d srrm rdyf 'l!,rf activitues is pararmmorrumt„ based on both the essential need to
yy /% protect the Keys' natural environment and the incre srumd role of
crust inab ity rum motivating vacation dec►sronsw
f other, market segments vwill he pursued because attributes of
r the oweraaH Keys tut their expressed travel needs or preferences,
and some are typically targeted to"grow"travel for one or r nore
corm Ngdau l districts,.
While messag4ig vwili be adapted depermdirmd on spe6ftc market
segment, importance across all segments and H be placed on time
Keys vacation as o relaxing, memorable, denUine and enrichirm ,
expehence Mth a lasting intarw&le vaaulrue—,one that is set
against the backdrop of an unparalleled natural environment,
Potential target segments rnclrude„ darut are not lirmmited to:
. t. o-toaurisrmm„ volmuntorarisumm and suustarruaalale travel
y. Soft-adventure
l GBT
g. Culture, art and heritage
. Sportfvshlrug
6 living and srmrurlv6ng
r, y"rulinaary
M a . l_ruxrury
89 ^-
9. e tirnatiern wedding and honeymoon
1O.Meet:irng and incentive
I 1,WeRiess anid ecrroclr �w,ri
12.Fanifly and niultjgenerabonad
While messaging that pr rmci�tes One entire Florida keys is a vitad
c isuu mmnerit of a resporisiblie PR IpWi, it must be paired with effort.�u
to approprlately posifilon and promote each I Keys distrrct. Each
d u drstrilct ciuimtrid uutes to the isfanud cha4n's overall aulunpea, yet also
offers uuunn uue attributes and attractions of interest to ai w ide range
of market et segments,
icr Your ace�� '� The agencys correspondents rm the du er/Mndldle Ide . and ILm er
rr anging
Florida e � � ' �! ey s/fey West w1l wcA closely w ftdn local contacts rid industry
know, t� d reresertatives in their respective dstriclr to assist in Iproviding
West,in amu'r„a. j>J�ih uulppo to iedie i �uurdl imflierrcers on individual story-gathering
berms bwed re for'sht ;%',°;°� trips, Correspondents also will identify arid produce area features
and spot news reports that provide positive coverage for the
tdn rrt tlrii u t l " district,
i� dru addition to fostering positive awareness of the Florida eyas ,
a whole le the agency wA par mnmte the genuine attractions l t each,
Keys district to rirn iristreaiu"m arid targeted niche market miedia,
The agency,41H use a carefully crafted combination of messaging
that spotlights he activities and appeals,centrA to eacti�district's
self'-selected nderitity wwwitdnnrn the cohe rwre n e tnrr lion. For
eiva nipleKey Largo can be strowcased for its Eve and snorkeling
excellence, is[amorada tier its fishiing arid art and CUlinary scene,
ar tlioru to its family arid boating p~up,ea,,l and Old Seven stile
Bridge, li Pine&the Lower Keys for ecotourri aria and mwmtt
adverntuire activities,, and Key Wert for its arts and cuidtuura 1,
culinary, watersports and IL 'TQ facet:mw.
lir addition, the agency will shoo wwrc se and reinforce the unique
o aspects is of each district through a d'wan,ce pnrrurnotiiuirr and spot
news coverage ot triune udiaitriict' rniou st ur unidtcarrt aupueciel events.
Like its support for indivw dura l districts„ Newn'ianPR plans to
provide pnubkc relations a PPOrt true flue cultural, dive and tiiclluiu"n
umbrellas, e pneruudlinyear-round efforts to raise awareness res of:
each urbrela'sTO -tunded events, programs, rt offerings t
both p^ a wyJ consunier tiu6eiaTs,90
M t"',,nMI i�. ��a�,KS
NewmanPR will urnntul rae nt an aggressive rogr nm of securing
Gi credited niedia with str mug p t ruts l to benefit the IR arird
Keys& Key West Targets for visit.s niclude representabves of
rnn umnstreanrnn n1ledia outlets, online and midbile travel Pubfications,
.����„ blog s with a strong edut rianl focus, qualified high-reach socr al
media inntlru nnru rrn and other venues that can increase positrw
awareness of the destination,
The agency's proprietary network of c ont acts in alll rn,edia genres
is a rn gait asset to the Keys„ and the database is rngaul irll
updated!are niew outlets and contacts are identified as appropirUantr
I'Ahulcandidates for communicating rorntuwr; unit rrnna�tnrorn,
r&warrt�I 1 �
1 qedUwu wnulU be selected baid on the objertives and drnnrapuns,
rnr for nrnwnu�
u wn thegr estabfished in the TDC markefingplan, and n the geograpiNc
ut was nny areas identified by TDC research as st,cmignor+ and booking
at Ployffiew w %/ markets. a in recent war , co ntuunnu d aipha is ww0l t� placed of n
arms U r a tr�mu � individual visits.
'l
But nuww' ° l�w rot rr; Before arrwrnrngin ,<cconnrirn datirnns or xp nding wntun it
tunresources, agency ncy staff rrn nnnb rrr will research and qualify a U
trip, / rnun rt a representatives not previously kno� wn n,to NewrnanPR, with
evaluation bared on elemerrts ranging tr rnn social nie,16a reach
and engagernent to publication 6rmuulatirurn,
PR expense'Uuurnrlind ww 4l be budgeted for high-reach irntlau rnc r'
who seek conrpensation from destinatioris for their visits andl
coverage. Paying co nnpern abo n is now an common PR practice,
and past coHaborrations wwdh caretufly selected irndiwndnuan s have,
r suult d in si nutn aunt posifive coverage of the Keys,
All nnw:dia representatives will be strongly encouraged to promote
the destination's website in th6r anrtic: es or posts, ais well as
USi ng predeterminied can ripaig,n or triru-s l utim, I ashtags when
appropriate.
Individual u i t rch"gips
I wwmarr S will direst significant resources toward assisting
doirnestic Print, onfirre and dir aid apt journalists, tuln g rs and
leading lnfluenceirs ori individual trlp .
As well as bekid preferred Iby conternporary median *oto wwisitrw
are vahiable in t r s of current promotional objectives. Media
rnn rmrnb rs visiting on th6r awn tt rn prefer rift-the4) at n attn
exploration, tend to interact rnore freely w rttn coca l residents and
can trim their own connection to dune d stiunati rn,
In tartp given the statistical grovAh of solo,travew —for examplej,
9'%of 2022 tnookirgs on CrnrntW, leaders in planning,experiences
— 91 ^-
for rrmddd rwr W and Derr 2 trav d r, are for solo tripes rtreach
MI be ver opurrd to exp[ore co0aborations urmuth s6lo tr M
rrwdturrurr:ru.
assistance individual visits may
f � n
�t Agencyh � �rti itineraries t � rt story needs d � atiwr
rrudtir tives, arranging co mup durrr rmt ry or reducied-rate lo,dging when
prrrrsrbll ,l providling fogiistar d support, setting up hrrt rv"ews and
rneetings,Mth selected local residents r ver n on-sfte escort in
orgsy n C m
�"re � ps� � trr���p ;��kr�rurtp.� pr�p„ � r �rr�rp��t�rr�:„�u �r��p�ru�r,� r
niore easffy ableto pmrovii dl reduced-rate or complimientary roorrca
for ii r drduusM wrnsi s than theygroup
are ter r trn r�„ a focus onfor your work tra g fo�� r r9 r undkAdu al media benefits their proip rties as weH.
tt„wuw s Cay and its rrGiroup Familiarization Tours
rr ji
Mbots on the NBC
V"k rile rrmdu h ur p media visits are expected to predominate in the
staff. tbi�w pax r r near furturr , rou visits wild r�rarro in �p� cd �c dru 't rmaP s
�� ,
best* � °�,� Particullarly for drutrrutiwmad media. Participants are ttrncadd
tmosen to rm~rr;dude a well-tar,geted blend of leading rint, broadcast
and, online!Journalists, bloggers andl qua4fied odd rim rdu
influencers.
.
Group rnedia research tutus W11 be designed to emppm size
elements, that support time fiscal year's stat ld marketing focus,
s,
foster pwrrairrir td n for all five districts and feature actiwrdtd s
81ii1 that encourage understanding an d protection of the Keys"
eirm dir rurmi rrrt d ruches and c rnimuurm r „curdturral heritage.
�u Trip dtdn r rd s wudd rrrcllude meetings m^w4h hitriguing local r sdrd rrtrr
and "Stewards,of tfie eye"willing to sharetheir personal dry iu dot
Mo t[te Oanid chain, This MR serve to chance time authienbicity
and rneani n tuull irratute rid the activities experienced by tiri,
parbcipaints, thereby nriching their resufting stories arm ',socr d
media diia posts.
cur
One Or niore agency scumr"tr,Y40&de all group visits and wddd
accompany the,rnedia to,provide kinoWedgeable, aiccurrat
Information about the d IV rrrd chain,earl 24/7 ass stance in r eefirr
story-gatherIng needs.
To rnammize return oin investment for media research trips while
rniinnaizing expenses, the agency niay expilore,workung wr rtpr Vilsit
USA, Visit Florida and other, witable touuri ni organizations oin
donirrt•v fiturr tripe tdm t generate positive exposure for the vets",
Men deemed e potentially b rm tmcd d to the desitination, NeffilarrPR
will also,consider joint or aimed piorriobonal efforts w th
p"murduddc r d tdons representatives of individual Keys properfies or
attractions.
— 92
�hm°�d��.ha,tlmrwt m��ll°mhwtl�in°trminnunu4^.m
1 pouring it;previous t niuure rnguir sentung one Florida Keys Key
Mast,tdu«a agency sought and secured opportunities for diva
and taped:broadcasts frornn Keys donations by major teleOsion
networks, � programmers, � rncualtz d dmnuthmats such nah trap � ��,
i�iii„ fly % as PBSI, independent mainstream and v r°tiicall market production
companies, and ortfine and mobile outlets,with signnfuu ant
audioices.
These have ranged from segments on natdnal morndng shows
unn7aduin Ndioolld Morning Ame i a" and NBC's"Today" to the
14 Weather Channel.
tfm n y m'%�i ` J gnu addition, in recent years the agency has run l t for and
,j 1�� radha dnratad on,the Production of several fa uusadi shows
assfir allt yamrr�� ��. ��/� y
istmo 0� that support the DC° marketing objectives and communkate
arp fifesaversrpositive destinabonattributes. These 4ave includied an episode t:
Sarah Hug the Pprogram°`Sannantfn,ta Brown's Places to Love"that aired
Rough m panda to nationwide; long-term sponsw r tii of T2 s Em y w rd-
,��
G m fin rl Loft," 0-minuteubfic te�eniision art pro r rn
a��yilNrU r
tdun -t rinn Pansdurnhnn of `George P v turn s World of Saltwater
Rshiorug"that airs on Discovery Channel; "Airport kisi;f r"for
Pax,Business NetworkH arid Island Hoppiing` IF rddda Keys"that
debuted on trine Discovery tthanndrh, subsequently ntly was syndicated
nationally and Mso aired on r gtorrM nebNorks including Honda
I/ PPS stations,
At tie time of this,wrwrrtuirug, agency har ndnlhaborating witdn Crawford
Entertainment on an hn uurd ing broadcast gal quad trtdad"Orrdy in
the Florida Keys"to the streamed edt gddntualdy on the Discover Florrdfa
channel among ng others, and a half-hour uw rsudnn of the show
acheduulrndd to drmr on Discovery Channn h in March 2022,n
Most radarnitty„ NawrnuanPft Iliaiirr udt with South Hortdda PPS regarding
the huroddm:fi mn of ua documentary on ttna 2 00-1r annuwnaraary of the
fauty 3, 1823, rnicorporafion of Monroe County, to be recognized
as the 300tdn anniversary of the hormdda trays. In February 2022
3drunttn Flo hdf'a,PBS agreed to produce the df ocuurnduirutary and ft
is slated to be Presented to American ann Public Tea evrsion at its
Noverriber programming convention n for broadcast in 2023,
The agency y wu»nhd capitalize italiz on broadcast mn<Ptudnrtmunnuth a ttnat aril
Mbi Ngh wrtsibflity and aluddience reach, ProOd�nn,g multifaceted
rnnnnnnirr%�" " support and production ads uatance. As Pruawrudumu by noted, affrarts
adso wtlll be undertaken to haunch a drndkatad Keys OTT streaming
ing'
odnannad,
to addition, acttivutmas wrdullll inndkuddra proactively pitching targ t df
destination shoots and prograno�mnndng that sp tttgdnts the
destination's environmentai, cuulltuurat, hni5toric, attttuud in,ad and
— 93 ^-
r, wasitor- rnemcl y attfi� utes, Snunnln ar yw the agency will work to attract
major-market et and national raft progiraims to execute live or taped
broadcasts from the e s.
i"ind Sc1V„W
Websilte Content
The Florida Keys'PR agency is tasked with rnana&ig the general
destirnatioin luevis and topical subsectnorns of tlla cortm„ as well
a's mnost aspects of the reldsfte's calendar of events, NevanarnP
plans to devellolp and groat original lOat nt to these sections,
sewwerall tinkles per week and whenever needed, INews section
you utrd
�%� poste wall�tso "t ae l" district-specific t thech ted �y
/ , Largo, Islarriora a, Marathon, Big,Finis �the Lower Keys and Key
'��� ��
in Key West trod t �r ��m West news sections.
rre not ernonatn words
., �%l/
Designed to prornote all aspects of:the destination, content will
ID t aNA Ylxtalr eve i�nncdunde advance releases �d>etauHn iinnm sl6necnaevents,,
peress�onnVnsnnn rn� ����%%%r � a colan
dedi a bu,# �'�p�% ennwarornnmleuntal adventures, cultural offerings, econachr utres
r�
,tepenw ,aom and sustad naltude irrlifiiatives, wwaterspaorts„ die ex ernelrnces and
fishing tournaments; and announcements of new attractions,
accommodations and experiential offerings. Posted copy wipl be
anredll with photography arid, as approphate,vvideo elements.
® In rnnc t instances, plans call for content posted in the "ant
r� news section to rmcirror relea,ses distrndumtecdl directly to jrnurloadrsts„
r ar
blog,ders and, social nnmedia influencers, Use of the:section for
tmnnely consumer rnnessagirnd inclludnnng,spot news stories
or°r events that enhance favorable perception of the Keys
complements Imedia 6strnduutio n, Keys social media content briefly
reporting such happenings can be linked to tone posted spot news
pieces, prownidirng connsurners a way to access rnnore detailecd and
cornprehensive ilnnforrnnatiol€n,
t them news sectrorn content, irmclMuapirng "evergreen" releases,
features related to tdnemed pub is relations pnroguir ns a,nnrt
Ip, "Stewards s of theKeys"' personality profiles, will be developed
pc
s>pa cm callllyfor dlirect"to"cornsurnner dish'idutmoun to the w ebsite"s
online and mobile audu nc s.
Tune news section.also will be udili ed to dissierninate,information
in situations that require,ermer erncy or chsis comnumunicatiornsm
al strategy that has proved valuable during cruses nrncludmrn
hurricanes and the CO,O �19 1pnandernnic,
NewmanPR contracts wiltpn a wscebsde editor to oversee and
n q populate the amain news sectnorn and the diist6cts"dedicated means
pages, tlnle annual calendar of events and other sectdorns that tall
under the agency's purview. For other areas of the site, ranging
trorm the a drellla-stuecidc armed sustainnadillty sections to those
— 94
addressing market segments such as family travel and wneml in s/
hone rnoons, the Yeeb eddor will work nn r,lIOSe coffaboration with
'Two,Or earns DOW toi coordinate the creation and publicafion of
content,
The agency ww 111 unnonitor and date all w "etnsite sections under
its purview to nnunuuir®nine reach, en sugernent and effectiveness.
Particular attention wlrllll be fuousl to areas Mtln high value to the
destination sUCh W the ero-touurusm/green travel suulsseotion and
the recently mtevelopned "Connect uwuttn Keys s l_ife" section onsl eco..
y events osulen ar category.
'Keys s Voices' Travel log
such a l' ewwrnsnP wwlll Contlnuue wwriitin an posting weekl oonterut to tine
'Keys Voices" feature I log" o facet of the o~ s..00rn website
/ii � �-
rn��rrtlnlfs� iwut� fov guns well �w� �� storno�lui:wne r�fferuungM rnuf t" mo�ernorntl�l oonterrt to inns
expef ilenc!umg tfu� w� t fUt�� 000nn orient LGBTQ trunvell Nog,
culture andbeav
Sm setst Created by the agency in 2009 on behalf of the destination,
and� �
lw�� "Keys ouoe.w" is on ouulfn�ernlio and entertuniimng voice for the island
etc, l chain. Its content meets contemporary travelers"Ipreferenir;es for
and mell � �u insider insights"' and 1 1 recommendations, covering manly in
flee I e s" places and events, sustainable options and activities,
en0ronrrueuntal wonders and the need for their protection, eo ,
f6emily attractions and enriching adventures—Mfle also
communicating the value of the (local lifestyle and showing visitors
hnowu to experience aspects of it.
Keys Voices," has become un vunll,uuuwll le resource for travel
or~nnsimumers, 'media seekiing urn-de tfn ern teh l and story I Prompts,
and soou�nnl media in en�oer,s looking for ibinerary arldtopic ideas„
New content wwwulll be w'vrii ten in the blo "s tru ddionunll finenift and
casual tone, reinforcing the Keys's' easy&ng odium cter wwhHe
encouraging un level of resr'er trust and en sgernent that can help
motuwote travel decisions. LooM imagery will the lrnor orwntewll into,
each Lost" with video se, rrnents u.usert as appropriate,
In addition to being editorially Msnceld to represent all Keys
districts, the Nog wwilll showcase elements and,events tfnst
support TDC promotional goals ss 9 ell as unrnn rells unr stives and
events. 'keys Voices" also MR the utilized as sn vehicle to expand
upon topics covered inn necessarily b6ef spot stories and news
retesse sq amid to,promote destination elements that are worthy but
may lnrlw major media o itneunl,
Flans also call for confinuing the lou'u�;g,stsmndiin , series of ononthi
"Stewards, of the Iltey.s"interviews with residents innrnersed in
m,. preserving, and protecting the Keys enOironnnent olir way of Ilrfe"
95
T
Because new posts are added regularly and lead stories change
weekly„ 'Keys Voices"„has proven extremely usefrA In attracting
wwedsdte readers seeking new content.
rJr % Ongoft strategies to grow consumer and media readership
will Include pasting social media announcements of each new
dlc ,entry„ optirnizing the use of links Minn all posts„ sharing
posts with & ewwrnanp ms lnternaticunal affiliates for social
� .� media promotion iir�r�th6r markets, and. esplcrin, emerging
. .
platforms to further increase audrences, Working rn fandern with
ql la>rrru Two0ceansDigital.com, the agency will continue faculrta ing the
distribution of copy and links to LGBTQ dlug entries dlrectty, to
consumers via an cupt•rn email address list,
Varst ww ul � social Media Messaging and Management
warwk;ou sa uruufu ��rr
foar the During I` r uw „s tenur e in handfing pubficrelations for
Key Wes p dadaru �i � the T , social media has played an ewer-growing role, It has
a s dkratl me off„� proven to be Invaluable as a vehicle for timely messaging to
we dud were sir Ain,
�,iUr travel consumers, an increasingly useful c ndu for reaching
a staff gas yoaw ���� �y g
llydaurdf rrs a d p1 malnstrearrr media„ aviable nweans of reinforcing"brand"'loyalty
�!l9
I am,look f and an effective tuarwl for lauildit and strengthening connectrcns
to rulru �u out, wwittw potential and repeat Keys vlsitars.
i The agency is currently respoansltrle for proadurcing, posting
crud uwwanagft content for the Keys" social media outlets
p , primarily kacedook, Instagranw„ Twitter„ Pinterest„ TuUok and
"YourTtube- and employs a social ri«�eclia eddor„ assisted by
other team members,„ to coordinate and oversee content
creation and posting, tinder the agencys,direction„ efforts
have been particularly successful on Facebook and Instagrarrr„
where foflowwcer numbers have grown to rnore than 530,000 mid
318,000, respectively.
Newwnian ll wftll c° rrtrrrue to c°uttiwuate, produce and post enbclru
destination ccrmmu6cations„ compelling imagery and video
elernents purposed for each of the Florida Keys' social rrwedia
platforms, while also working to grow their audience numbers
and engagement, Utilizing quality mulflrnedia elernents„ content
ww H Wend Keys"irwwage"prorruotlon with useful„ informative„
aspirational and entertainung rnessaging tall ared to each ptatforrn,
Equally rrnportaant, social me6a campaigns will be developed
to support specarkc IDC marketing objectives, such as rais%rwg
awareness of the Island chaWs unparalleled natural environment
and way of life wwlwile encouraging travel consumers to respect and
Sao protect troth. These may include special promotions and contests
� like the past multiyear „"Sustainable uriday"campaign and 021's,
"ReConnect un the Florida Keys"„video challenge whose posts
. p. reached nearly 750,000 people.
— 96
Other emranm les include time 2022 dewelof°anment and launch of an
lr eco�centric" events directory on the Keys' Facebook page to
showcase environmentally focused actlwittes_.._thereb�y promoting
local cnorrmm unities'coramrnutrmment to conservation, preservation,
sustainaWe Wng and volunt urlsm offerings.
Going forward, as rioted tmrevuorasfy in this docaarneirmt„the agency
°:also intends to capitalize on the value of video In so6al media.
lnstagrarn Reels„ lnstagranMm Stories and Highlights as wueD as
short-foram videos on Ti ToF are to be employed as tools for
raising destination awareness and maximizing audience reach and
Ip engagement.
io ,,, tProduced In all districts of the Keys„ segments are to covet,
mays tom, : ,,,, special events„ -teased activities, �anients of natural beauty
blob are soma ;I and other hlgh4nterest elenments ttmat help define the Keys
,YOU case to highfight ex enence. Other subjects may include on-the-water adventures,
exh sure to ge.11t' attractions Mth high assuaG interest and short interviews with
of aftention,brim untr i uNumn Keys „„locals" showcasing ttmeur professions or passions,
wrS r �and he a y �n each cane,viewers will be engaged t " ar'trcr a e"virtually rn
faaa; a��l the e l:mehence.
ahve army ft In partici l9ar„ plans call for l" ewu°rmanWs, social media team to
tf a
stage several „„missions" annually to create and gather multimedia
or the Keys' Faceb ag,ran�m and TikTok
�aratawat t � ask, °uQara ,mat
channels. Some elements may relate to specific campaigns and
some will simply be sourced for their potenfial engagement value.
s illustrated by past efforts.— particularly on Tiik ok and
lnstagraanm--- custom content that tells a story drives engagement
and increases brand awareness, lnstagr4am and 1ikTola are now
considered driving forces for marketing efforts and hawing
fresh„ creative and engaging content geared to their audiences is
crucial; simply conmtmrling infiormam„attorr from content gathered for,
other latforrrms is no longer effective„ as the audiences are vastly
different,
In addition to the platforms mentioned here, others MI be
considered anent used as they gain in popularity and potential
effectiveness for the Florida Keys.
Because social media has proved extremely useful in crisis
situations, most specifically for disseminating accurate arid
timely co riniunicafions„ Newman will be tare ared to employ
it in that rnanner, rf condrtions warrant. As in past times of crisis„
the agency wadi dedicate its resources to implement and update
r postings on a 4/7 basis,
97
1 G`3,'11 Market Prornrn,,m'Iioirt
1 ,
�r Newmi srn R's outreach to LG,B i media and coi nsumnn r s vall
support the 0aind chahYs n'n tacumnA and iunt rmn;ahonal r l nutsatili ZIs
leading LGBT1Q vacation spot and comnnrmnruunui t the"One Hurnn mn
Family"minds et that rurnd rpi, s its appeaL
As,win promolicuru to other niarketsi, efforts m nl�l also focus
on h6ghtening awareness of:the bays' rurupnsar ll l rl natural
marnwmmrrarmnn mnt carnst unique way of life, whde encouraging their
rot c°tnonn, In addition,rn, ongoing, emphasis w HI ble placed on
expan&ig t.G Tt travelers' interest in other Keys distr is wi
dd t0 n to Key West.
'The y N w a n 'sw,previous jinihatives to nerve this market imn:pains
�rmaw m rr yus a �� �hINproducing revised rnarket-specific websecliOn content and
arm Sharing
collateral rcn t nals,that high ght' y West' and the Keys'
tt» r rar star .r r��/I`ll% ngstandinig fiierrtage of ninro lnusiven s s and diveir�sA The agency
uriv r hi YOU'ag do ,also proiduced a video that features rn n rn nber s of Key West's
«rti%
smrw � m � �, ,,, t. "tQ usnnnrrnuirnrty wisncmu�ssnma8 the uspncG°s lnustOry curt snca. ptruc
is i s� "�s o �� rncl the crnt+srwnusnr, ry lrnnrmts that rnn�n rr limust-rt nn cation
,Poo��µirucr s u Choice.
rt During n fiscal year 2022-23, efforts are to, inckide enmpnlrnrmng the
fn !, feasibility of latinching,sa rrwid r t ut LGiBTQ-centric Instagrarn
�u slnsamnrnl.
As well as rrm nta rng and expar16ng,the pcmrii sa s& Key
"West's d sir°abilrty as an LGBT tr veN destination, future I learns,
aiso will take into account the divierg4ig expectations and travel
preferences of different segments of the carom rslll market,
8t«.abstics show that tllnwa oW r LGBTQ demographic prefers
activities, entertainment wr rnru s annc9,accoinimodlations that are
largely gay-focused, while yowiger gad`traveiers and t G T t f cnnfly
travel groups tend to prefer allinctusive acbvities,, ali-welcome
ccmrmrnnrnnru unffimorns and experiences surnnnp �r to those valued by
rnnnamrustr aran travelers.
n , ,
m�ulncn r.�ltin rn�nactn��uis�� �wrll�a°l �r rncl to r� rss
Therefore,
awareness of tie Porida Keys as Itmrarnt and reNev arnt place fonir
L1GBTu; rro iHe nruisals, young professionals and f irunili s„ paired wvith,
rood ucinng appropriate rn sssngft to draw older,trsawm l rs,
MW ifle a definitive nitiv pnro nnmut oi4 6r ctlsmrn will be det rrmnirn d based
on TDC goals, overall strategies wwrill include representing the
Keys and Key West editorially to LGBTQ rn e6a, bloggers and
social rnnedb influencers through a balance of 'Image"efforts
and focus on spe6aq events tfiunt appeal to the market, Among
focal attributes are the variety of LGBTQ and ll'•w elr;murrn
accommodations ns vaHatal n activities r rngft from high-energy
98
adventures to environmental offerings, and cultural and conrnluunit
aspects.
The agency plans to continue contracting with an LGBTQ meclla
re6atlons specialist,to spearhead outreach to LGBT market
llGraG %„� meta„ accreMed social rneclua rn uencers and travel consurners.
This specialist also will liaise with the T C sales tearrl and relevant
&al business organizations to maximize prornotional synergy,
General activities are to include the production and distfibution
of media releases featuring news, special events and tourism
infrastructure improvements of interest to the mar et„ the creation
of twice-monthl LG TQ tulog entries„ and representation at
/ e f national and international travel trade and media events,.
°rat The LGBTQ are is relations specialist will orgarrize multifaceted
ernat about Greg
l got to stmend Bor ongoing support for and on-site meetings Mth LG Tt jouurrralists,
hrne MOMift,I rrlll hlog,gers and influencers Visiting the destination. Influencers in
Nomadic �.. r �� particular will he chosen in part for their abOrty to reach young
knows his stuff It rs` ,llJ
L
�,�,,,�r, Gt1Tl consumers snit communicate ttremr Keys experiences to
like to � onr � f�
�sutiwe rnr �e�r >�� them
Oaf R Agency efforts are likely to include curating itineraries for visiting
rrre t hip LGBTQ media rnedia and sodal media representatives that include
muffidistrmct activities and environmental and voluntourisrrm
f offerings; arranging meetings Mth "Stewards of the Keys"for
visiting rnedia to heighten tlielr awareness of Keys' residents
deification to preserving the local environment and way of fife; and
launching a"Keys s Voices"„ log series featuring LGBTQ residents
who "'giveback"through participation in charity work, community
programs or woluunteering.
r;
Other concepts tinder consideration include increasing messaging
about &al businesses"or cwganizations'community outreach
events, such as those helping protect LGBTQ youth or supporting
worthy Keys s programs. Stich messaging would help bolster the
island chains reputation as an all.welcome "One Hurnan Family"
destination and help attract LGBTQ visitors who value that
principle.
In addition, the agency will promote newsworthy LGBP -focused
events and aspects via the Florida Keys s News ureau's spot news s
photography„ video and story features.
uuuuuuuuuu,i��., .
.lust as editoriail content and photography will be distributed to
targeted media and influencers, information and input for articles
in LGBTQ arid rnainstrearn outlets will be offered and provided as,
appropriate, Aug irr the past, efforts Wll focus on strengthening
e rstirig media relationships and budding new ones.
_ 99
Online Newsrooin
While serving the T and the Horida Keys, Newmmnnan has
l a
for mega representatives through is on i naged and provided content and � n sr rUpdated
regularly with new content„the newrwsroorn is well established as ,
resource for mahistream and onflne journalists, blo gems, social
media influencers and broadcast outlets,,,
Content including photo and video resources is streannlnrned to
meet nnformatmonal needs across media genres and platforrns,
wmmltln easy re&traitlorn and access for media Users„ nnultlfnle social
"Ttie a 7 nne6am offerings and ernaR alert capabilities.
rwaere � � ° f �
f Current newsroom resources Include an electronic press kit
story yert„Ire,ne ed ��� featuring comprehensive lnnfornnatfomn on each Keys district,
calls from hrieks� �l wroth elements formatted for download by media users, It is
seen fte story, com lennented by specificafly targeted Press kfts, Including those
mrmedw,ruffs at ar ;� focused on Connect &Protect topics and "Stewards of the Keys'
e
profies, and those tailored to the L OTQ , weddings„ meetings
� me ari ursw and incentives„ environmental and culinary markets. An addibonal
re press kit spotlights releases about connecting or reconnecting
wn with the 0arnd chain.
Also available is high•resoludon photography of each&trlot
and selected special events, with innages organized into alburnns
and formatted for downloading by registered rnnedia users,
Professional b•roll video footage and footage of specW events,
Connect& protect emnvirommerntai highlights and other newsworthy
offerings are avMabNe for sharing or for nnedia downloads. Photo
and video content, especially when it features fin°nely special
events, is updated frequently.
Easily accessible as well are advance releases on current events,
offerings and highlights throughout the Keys. Links to and recent
postings fronn the island clams top social media outlets are
prominent, useful for disseminating up.to4he-riamriute information
4 and increasing median awareness of the social channels.
Other resources include liners to Keys event calendars and
w ebcamsa recent Keys coverage from rnedma outlets, newarsroornn
registration directions„ media request forms, contact information
and subscriber Interfaces for email alerts for content Specified by
the subscriber..
yy The agency MR continue evaluatling and refai6ng content„ ease of
access and applicabNlify of newsroom materials to meet:the needs
of members across the rapidly changft media landscape, Fresh
m m content wail be uploaded regularly to maximize the newarsroorn's
relevance, usefulness and credibility as source of materials that
— 100 —
enable media representatives to convey accurate„ trr elyKeys
l 4ifornaatron to their audiences.
Photo and Video Library
s wedl as the newsroom's content,the agency wddd maintain and
expand C's extensive Udharary of Keyswide drgdtad photography
and turghmde ndtdon ar-id U video footage(the latter arc awed
through Digdtad Wand Media). Shot in all five drstrncts and covering
a variety of Keys attributes„ this content is available to media upon
request,
1rEm,iy ,' ,s previously outlined in this docMurnent„ significant attention wild be
paid to producing a coflectron of fresh and comprehensive video
fpieces,which cover,all districts of the Keys and support stated
dw o was marketing goals„ for use in a wide range of media and social
and d hope can �i
%i rne6a srtuotions,
roedrer a ssmnref)w �1
Thanks a f0ther hdater ,',ds to be F'Iro drP,,A,,d
your hel4op ppu
an incredible itiner �,1����ai naanP will adapt the format and structure of fts media
Marynrr dar�a ' 'y!% releases to meet the changing re urrernents of the media they
d armdr w inform, Recent trends include the cteman�d for sh ceer and more
concise copy, reliance on pertinent links to provide additional
story points and the need for associated photo and video
c
resources, These requirements also hold true for communications
geared to consumer's.
r y NewrnanPR plans to create the following materials for distribution
to mainstream media„ taloggers and influencers„ and travel
consumers as indicated.
d Traved and news-oriented stories according to a
,prearranged calendar„ complemented by releases
spotlmghtdng unforeseen events with the potenfial to reflect
favorably or)the destination.
, Special event-oriented advance releases on DC-funded
events in all Keys districts w,id representing Al umbrellas,
as well as advance releases for other significant special
events that may not receive de&ated TDC funding.
Results releases for 1"0 -funded fishing tournaments also
will be produced,
~ . Targeted r0eases that support the fdC's marketrrag goals
and agency initiatives. Most recently, these have dnclluded
a series on "Only in the dteys" experiences, pieces on
"bucket list"ecr adventures and monthly''tteh ands of the
Keys" pvroftles of residents dedicated to preserving the
Keys„environment rand way of life.
. � 4 Qluarterly'"WIlaats I New in the R,Drida Keys g Key West"
roundups spotlighting new and enhanced accommodations,
— 101 —
attractions,tour's and similar offerings mn all Keys districts,
produced to Rsnfornn donnestRc and international trade
and commsurner nredia about updates to the Keys tourism
I product,
An annuaq overview of newand/or upgraded
i, s s � �
acQ�;om"rNrnodafnorlh�:„ attractions and experiences geared to
the meetings and incentive rnar et.
One or nnore annual nna azines showcasing all distracts and
a wide range of Keys attrldutes to be distributed at U.S.
I�m4+ffini fiW`C� +tl�ty and international travel shows and other venues, As well
as a rnamnstreann magazine whose content MI be selected
y rn coRR,a oration with the TDCs sales teani, special issues
as youuy,i�yomur° may e produced for specific vertical rnar et segments.
� dl t� „
few W ,s a %%� . A montlAy eire sletter geared to travel consumers and
to MY page was great
the rnouat of the,evert /f media„ "mtd each issue featuring articles on variety
y
was re Keys attributes and events that attract visitors from
wa s f at s rrmulttpRe districts, as well as a"Stewards of the Keys"
rent r etp ate„„ �a profile of an environnientalRy focused local resident,
O r�la� Content will be selected to benefit the destination by
tormy tru etp rt targeting messaging directly to an opt-in subscriber list
Wma tn'"„ that currently numbers over 110,000.
NewManPR plans to expend substantial effort and resources
to promote special events and festivals, since they provide a.
significant and tinneµspecificm draw tom travel cornsumrnners„ a proven
"hook"to generate nnedia and social media coverage, and colorfarl
content to inspire consumers' social sharing and engagement.
Efforts will focus on vim-tuua9Ry aH events supported by district and
uunnbrella funding, as well as mnonfurmded events deerned integral
to one or more aspects of the Keys'image and/or wwrtfn strong
potential appeal to rrnedia and consurrner audiences.
Emphasis will be placed on event offerings that Mustrate and
expand awareness of tune Keys' envmronnnentaR rwhness„ unique
RneMage, cultural attributes„ eco-fu°iendly mindset and wway,of life
as well as those that can only be experienced in the Keys. Also to
the considered will be an events value an showcasing qualities of
the 6strnct where it takes iplac e.
romotinornal actmvuties MR include writing advance releases for
nnamnstream amid appropriate niche media pdchmmng event-related
stodes to media,and social influencers; implementing direct-to-
consumer pronnotion via l"acebook, lnstagrarrm„ t"nrwltterw youmTube,
"l-m fob" Pimnteresnt and other social media orutlets� and producing
. ;. ,and dmstrmtnubing spot story, photography and vildeo p.mackages oin
events as they take enlace,
— 102 ^-
The Keys„ special events and festivals provide a proven platform
for spot crews coverage featuring highly colorflal and visually
interesting actu toes. Through its Ro16da Keys News Bureau,
the agency will create and Ostribute coverage of events at ail
reasonaNe opportunities, with additional distribution to social
orrttets as appropriate.
The agency may also produce photography, mini videos or
Facehook Uve event coverage specifically for distribution via
socW rnedia channels.
Specr„rlf l"„rofe c t: HoHda leis ys and l„„ av V tier„se dui i�:�nte uncial
The year 3033 marks the 300th anniversary of the Florida
legislature's estabhshrnent of Monroe Conicity(duly 3„ 1823),
ewrrar��
ar r .Fwrp�o�at /y� U s tr " h anniversary f Captain David Porter's
% establishment of KeyWest's naval station.
Me Arm is resp ; s NewrnanPR wull work with organizers of county and naval
Professknal,
mawied e ble f ,t, 1�/ bi nter�nia6 events, assisting and coHaborating to ncerve and
rworfr sdrw), ;,r rr°npslenient significant pubfic relations messaging.
There '
il event detadls have riot yet been r.Geerrined„ the agency
d fi` will provide support wherever possible„ with messaging focused
on Monroe County and Keys nava9 history as well as spsecchc
;fr/f bicentennial commemorations,
s noted earlier in this docurnent„ agency efforts have already
resulted mn an agreement from South Florida PBS to produce
a docrrrnentary on Monroe Corunty s, bicentennial that is to be
distributed to PBS affiliates In 3021
C
trave l Trade IlPullr4c atOap:uon
` l ewrnanPR's pr ans call for increasing communication of Florida
Keys tourism infrastructure improvements and other news
ems to travel trade print media, associated online channels,
social r edta entities and 6n uencer's that reach that market.
Since research shows that consumers are p adng heightened
reliance our travel advisors, tour operators and other industry
professionals, it is more important than ever to further these
professionals' knowledge and tinderstandind of the Keys.
orrd subjects to be promoted are the island chain"s expanding
luxury offerings, new lodging choices in specific Keys districts„
and environmental and woluntourrism offerings that can be
undertaken as team cringing or small-group activities. Media to be
,f bn Syr targeted with such news iferns incUe digital and leant outlets for
r niche trade arid meetings/con enboins audiences.
Agency representatives wiNl regurlariy connect with Florida Keys
a . hotel associations„ chambers of commerce„ other business
— 103 —
organfaatuons and additional sources for tourism infrastructure
improvements that provide rneanfngfuul news, its mn recent years,
NewrnanPR will conduct media outreach via roundup releases,
targeted story pitching„ curated destination visits, participation in
�y t events a means.�dras s��d other
„11ft ilia
The agency expects to continue, creating and distributing to travel
trade media the rtuartedy"Miays New in the Florida Keys&Key
West" release spotfighting new and refreshed accommodations
and attractions offerings, as well as an annual overview of new
and expanded accommodations, attractions and other elements
geared to the meetings market,
emw n m'lA In adc��lmtaon to&trmbubngv this type of unformatfon to appropriate
„ trade sources,the agency intends to rework stories regarding
the ferw aaurcmest
with reservatrvn f' major Keys events for travel trade media and andiuencers as
know time appropriate. Throughout all suer»sa ing„ the agency MI after pit to
to'wrasterubtfutme, f' maintain high trade awareness of the T C"s sales and nmarketlng
li
and r stand rr pr�� f
Under efforts and staff,
,ruses utrmwlun�dens011
fAM
As previously noted in this document, other reconmrnendatforms
reaacna ��fd o mrmcNde adding a sus�tafnahofity nmodufe to the 1"C 's Key Lome
With, dy, ;° Academy online training program for gravel advisors,tour
dec operators andmeeting planners,
� m
ewmanPR also will explore the potential of partnering with
The Travel Instltute to include the Key true Acaderny tracenfng
1 propiram as one of T"B's continuing education units. The Travel
fumstataute ms considered flee gold standard of travef advisor and
travel executive education and has certified over 27,000 travel
advisors and travel industry executives. TTI rerufres its certified
travel counselor graduates to participate in contfnuand education
programs to rernaun in god standing, The mamstftute currermtfy has
154 contfnufrmg education modules..
dcfftu(,,)nal Prorrrrrl.fon,M Activities
Sales Support at Trade and Consumer Tramiel Shows
Time agency will support the TDC"s sales learn as needed at high-
priority domestic and anternafmonal trade and consurner shows and
exhibitions. This support may ancfmrde prepahrig ramedfa materials
:and electronic press hits on USB drives, producing namagaacnes
such as Keys Traveler targeted to the show audlencen creating
special promotions and providing full media relations support at
the Keys booth where appropriate.
rnong,other, shows„ the agency and its international affiliates wall
provide on-site PR support for the stales team at the US, Travel
Association's I , The travel industry°s prernm er unternatfonaf
marketplace„ IPW typically attracts travel buyers and press
104 —
representatives from more than 70 countries.
Destination Representation at Journalist Conferences
nationally wwtth two members a few public mnflue y NewwrnanPR is one of on rdlic relations�
agencies,
hers f therwtual Society of American
, Travel Writers. The agency vwill represent the island chain at
events k0uding the SATW national convention. The agency
also maintains rnernlaer°ship In the Outdoor Writers of America
Association and the Florida Ou.rtdoor Writers Association, and will
also promote the destination to rnenwtrers of those organisations.
m Pi1r Collaborative Activities
t wf As appropriate, collaborative efforts may he executed with the
over a� r" i�� �,< ubh relations offices of Visit USA and Visit Rcflda, Synergistic
y aonarwo connections may also be made with other tourist development
as (of,of of ,A
„ mnnll and tourism board " I�a��warranted, a �an mil
with utt ptogether"sm A y�� also examine opportunities to collaborate with public relations
a great
A n representatives of individual Keys properties or attractions to
abnSofr G benefit the destination.
time tifr f t'frrsr� ��I ,�fra�,a�me F � �rr� In addition,the agency will seek and respond to me6a
Sanyustt fo d , pronwobonal opportunities that provide cost-effective means to
create addittonal awareness of the Florida Keys & Key West.
This may involve elements such as providing a contest winner"
transportation to the Keys as pare of a broadcast promotion,
gyp ; partnehng with blo, gers o�r influencers on desbnatuon40c ursed
campaigns or considering sponsorship or travel support in hth-
value situations.
PR Ae rmvrty for Keys' feeurm r'dT1 Ilrurfl U7r!
As situations require, the agency will produce and 6stribute travel
ad0sories electronically to hoteliers and other industry members
to communicate information and messaging about sM attons
or ernes encres that could impact tourism. in addition, touurm..rsrn
advisories wwtll be produced and electronicafly distributed to
afert industry members about potential positive public relations
opportuumwltles.
Agency representatives will be available, rt requested„ to make
presentations, at meetings of Keys hospitality and business
organizations to 04orm and educate members about ways their
businesses can her'refmt from TDC PR oppor°tuncdes.
On behalf of the TDC, NewmanPR annually partners,with the
a f l.odgund Association of the Florida treys and Key West to organize
and host an,.annual hurricane preparedness workshop for the
tourism mrwdustry. Workshops are t',ypucatly scheduled for late May,
just prior to the begunmmig of the Atlantic basin hurricane season
that traditionally runs June f—Nov. Ow
— 105 —
The agency continues participating rru a nuntmlpre-storm season
r media~visits with county officials, an ar,hw tj that the agennc
����.
nerved and began,e erutnrr for MonroeMonroeCountyCountyt�in
i o
(zu k,",iS COuurr°rrarnnk �niiw irrM �,�unrunrue�
Throughout NewniariPffs f twde ade tenure as the TDC's Pa�hpr
reiati ras firma, fime agency has corx6ved and nrnni permuented
crisis,rermnrnnruruuvatuerns e rt„s O"ot have het ed the Keys endure
andrecover from situations r from hurricane threats
reats
and impacts irnirtun I ng those fromi Hurricane Irma —to the
uumnpureredenterli C0' dli:t-1 fi Itnandernniv that sewuer01n tested the
health and wuv0kbeirm,g of the Florida Keys"residents,workforce and
t errs •based er rn run .
a�f , During the plandemic as well as in prrevrous crows sitnuafuoirn�s„
Keys t0urn ra�rft % 9e rrnarnPR has served the idaad chain on a, 24/7 basis,
terms of,
tarry nvaat tarnuak snura�j cons�run�r�rersta�nd Keysrtourism rat rate and pesnt'rs r
frurr,orrdnrn to theniabon to, gai,uidunn travel
taarmoc"b aare takell fnri n ipn es of tnr a tivit „ resp o ns„ufnn4j and transparency, tni aH
and Wrenn they iwW
f aae a t �amum cases„the agency worked t he miirnditup of re,sidenit„s" rneeds while
evewleia , a ���- Ni protecting and sthwng to revutahze the reg +nn„s econorfly.
fa, '' A pivotal aspect of the crisis manna errnernt strategy dates back, to
1998, when,Il ewvrnararn0 " kuegann a reiatjionsNp with DRY Wagner,
then-Monroe County senior emergency management dare �trwr„ that
as unprecedented in the t mndsm industry.
Tpne conicept behind it was swrnputie: nmke sure Keys s wuisdoirs and
residents were safe urn tine event of a 4n,rrriruarn�e threat to the treys..
The secondary objective was to protect the economy VAiern there
MIS RD real threat or it the storm bypassed the Keys or in the
event of a hurrirarne iirrnpuartw apnpnrrupnriateiy communicate the island
chain°s recovery to erasure the return of visitors, thereby a hjievi ng
economic revutalpu, afiirarn and stabRity for workuing residents.
The strategies arid paro rarM that:were implernentedi were
groundbreaking[In forging a better repati rnsiuipa betweern,
emergency management and the tourism industry, tt served as wa
model for rather tourism offices in Florida, incUing Visit Florida„
r
as well as the Carftean..
pin 2005 It�nod-i the htabonail Hurricane Conference arid theFlorida
rr, Governor's Hurricane Conference conferred parub is education/
is
pubhc awareness awards on the Monroe Co uant r'1"0 ----the first
time a tourism office had ever received such honors, In antrtrtio n„
the T1 0 earned a Gold Award for crisis communications muurnicationns from the
Society of Arnnerrci am TrawreN Writers,
More re erntt p the agency's crisis mw nrrmurn°rrattrnnns activities
. . have included creating and maintaining a dedicated 00 pt .1
information page on the fia- e r—can"r vrehsa e to inform arid
— 106 —
update visitors; wrifing and drstr6tibngdozens of advisories
to tourism interests to keep tlreran apprised of local state and
mn ti hnrnl developments and mandates: im0ernenting sanr n l media
rinessaging that was senOive to those irnpacted by the rhsus yet
lh 1pneIrll keep the Keys top of raudruufn and creabng photo and virl rn
content for social media that proniioted health safety practices
and responsibility,
Newr naff will apply As resources and experience, including
knowledge gained dufingthe p;ma nde nnlir,, to any emerge�ncy
N�I,o„ h°fl�r'iI�Yllui r. sutu, do n that rriay arisethat irnpacts the Florida Keys& Key
West, whfle alsocoritihneuhrng to proOde iniessaping, appropriate to,
lurng rurig painidernic conditiorts,
In addition, the agency will review and refine its overaH crisis
be, een H mnan
r t nr�� �� rru rn rnn t kr t � for the r�turw to ran and pnl t s m tocnr
pit Pwr �ment
Hurricane n i r enc Plan for ttui threatened In actual storms,
�1,,�
� ul�l%
r trw vvl t Equally uniportant wwlpV be niurturing the uu"GIvaVrhale relafiorlsNp vA 'h
hrr agency and residevits Inro lent Em ergenc IManagement, s well as Ir l tm hnrttupurn
u . r ,I with law enforcement, niflitary interests, fader al and state
rnviro nme nt l r anizab ris mrnlr,leuefu g the Florida Keys National
Bob unu �"
rrnvlm fu ,,1 Ma6ne Sanctuary, Monroe nr County and municipal government
entities, and the National Hurrrcane Center, Working cl s ll
with these agencies and individuals is vital in enablingr rust ,unit
information interchange and coordiiinated responses onses to situations
that might irrnpnaCt trnumriSIM fl .
In any crisis or emergency siituabon,the agency and its prim,amy
Keys tam members rs MH In vruhl lknle 24/7 to,runr'rhrmneunJcat
lrmn�pnu rtaint and accurate iunf rune ti un to media, tr v l consumer
and banal t muru mnn liiterests. Ilmnf Arun ti hni will be provided to Keys
liodging properties and t nurli mnln,entities vile mail tnlluuist,innnrl"; r
social nieldia.
As in past major crises, NewmianPRvhH i:ismpnl rnn mmnt ifs
co rnrrmuuruuruntu ris outreach by developi:nig vow bsite sections or
pages on fla-keys,qQrn, providing accurate,transparent arid
comprehensive mmnf` rrmnabo n as a trustNor 'ny^resource to,both
the traveling,pualnlur and Imedia, Similarly, time agericy MR erilllaloy
fts soicial niedia channels as a rehable arid r sprnlnlsibl n source
for disc nikiatlung timely messaging 6rectly to consurners and
followers.
IN
�i 1 O/ -
p��atann°nn,alln�,«rw�:m� P&.,v°t et, F`u,rtaliu+. ReIkitkunrs
Canada
a INfi twQwwr�uunl i � lect; to continue, s terwre as the 1C"s
public relations, agency, its currently contracted Canadian affitiate
agency, Toronto-based,LMA CornrnuCllllcaboitl s, is to continue
�I onglDing efforts to reintorce Cmmmdianun market awareness of:
the Florida Keys &Key'Wesfs sundtr p.umc t clirnu t „ focus on
sustalinabiRy and nch local heritage. The Keys,wwwl be p ositmoun d
s a unique e year-round d stnn<nbunrn that offers soft aidrventure
and c -t urru rrm activities, cuntturn"ant expenences, biodiveirsityand
events des g ned to inspire it repeat wrnsnts,
Ive '��/�u��� ' rn �dr rnan uurt d p ww ltu six t eight rnn rAhs of w nnnt r each year,
wawdu�ctn tp�nds t stro n impetus t wish warmer d stnrnp filonn is
Work ins tr wr tww�rutatr ' i emuv tail a th rovoiuw rriortw t su�du�ent twuuu o-cons.ao-uu
p �ntun r rwtnnrr�,oad
to s,,Av ttr t the t r destinations and experiential ; ctuiraitu s tenant do not disrupt nna tuurani
represevtaUves ar y% habitats.
chall'I craft, LMA w« H contilnue strIiving to streng;thiien ffie reputation of the
gratelful wook ai ` a Aor�da Keyst as a tcpt rndm relaxiingrwcuucnd
sn err a getaway pot for Canadian dian travelers an spot whose off erirng
Carrm n rn r "' are, far different than the often crowded and sornetimes
contrived expehences to the found urns other Florida locales
r whiile rernforcing, awareness of the island cl-win's commitment to
preserving and prntc c tmui its rrrnet- -Nuiurud environment and way,of
Me.
In anti outreach to C a nandiianru media and r o6al rnnw dian
representatives, messaging wr H position the s as a
memorable, distinctive d s�tmmartrunrn that features urrnnglaue ec 1.
xpn riences oru land and water,r, an anuntta rutic and des rabl
tit awt' e, activities ttriaut shade from year-round diving and fishing
to IcUlilnary and cuuttaur i ratmons, and opportunitiles for
disc riru;d and supporlingain uunn, aura Heled environinnent,
Cornimunicatons MI be duuraugned to ensure that tie subtropical
Horida Keys are on thie radar c1 all Canadian trap journalists,
blogglers and s cn N me6a irudur mnc° r , This inickides irntrcwdud'ng
the destination to those who may have tough to rnra irniarnd Florida
but not the Keys and updating upidating information about the r ,&n's
image and ttribuute for thilo s who, have not wri d d in, recent
years.
Through rnedia outreach, LMA wilt predominardly target Canadian
travMers based in,OntarJo, to wwh rru Florida is most easily
w accessible, and the French market nrn M�ontreail, Other Canadian
markets will the targeted as tan, itutuu.
u t. try activibes will involve pnutctnirng and'ca unn nununic tinng news,
— 108 —
features and releases about the Borida Keys too,media in ahll
genres to farmmrpnarf e thmermm with the true apu nt of tlae Keys. The
agency apso will work w nthm tar eteu magazine, niew allaapaer airmrl
onkie, represeintativies, Noggers and broadcast outlets to increase
destination,coverage among audiences vtfth spe6fi ;interests
such as diving, stfin� r adventuire travel,
Melly recognized by Cana6an travel media, ILMAt rywuwulp uutilli e
its exist�ing media relatmaurr;„1R ipms aa�ufl proprietary database to
target tope-tree rmmpaurmstreammm and oame nmmera and your°ra uera
influencers, while also foromnrmg and nurturing new r0atnocmah ips to
promote uleepuer armd ricfiner coverage to benneft the Keys,
While specific iiiumiutmatwes and tactics will be deveIloped based on
time TDB« stated markefing objectives, potential activities may
�vnut to e � l
fantaa �� rrmcpue time�following,
�a uarnf¢a f ��� �„,��
the heft aeu� fii
up,* �" 'Keys Tiny Houii e Project
Lila Aa u s rme �Dwr.;�� „t�I To Prowde a °`Keys teaser" ani'lil untgn before the wilinter trav t
Good furrue „
season,t�� agency proposes t g creation rt a �lornaa Kets
—
therme orale h i home umtfu time Canadian company
Ca llnmacapae. The tinny house ra to travel across,Toronto and nearby
' chthes„ stopping,at hui hen tra me areas to, " micro"biring the ishi nd clhafrm" to
aaruauurners, vdio can tarunr the horn and share the experience on
their socii,al feeds,
Keys music and sarrnpnle� of IKe lurame prole will burs featured at
the tour locations to enhance the Florida Keys teat and attract
consumers. To further arrmpmllrfyr mrusufmiiifttyw twtplf"w plains to approach
uuu��uiui°i ����II IIII� HGTV Canada to become a rnmedia pmarInner° an dll provide coverage
of the carmmpmalgrn,
At the purorrnotioruaa conduua0n, the cnumwtrrrmm tarry Ihouse us to be
transported to the Keys and aiNarded to a local faummrlfr„ thereby
integrating a sustainatAity aspect and supporting the r lan dll
chain' housing chalten esa
Pre-Winter Florida Keys Pop-Up Photography Preview
To tine into a pmlarmrneaf FaH 2022 photography debut at Toronto,
Pearson tnternnatfonal Airport, IfMA proposes, staging, ra
combination rneufiiIAraa e event that highlights the Ho6da Keys to
serve a.s a pre-winter push for Canadian visitors,,
The photography affapmllay sterns from a pares 4vfaft corrnpvheteuf
in February 2022 by Toronto-based photographer Rand
VarnlDer tarren, Hs OTake Yolur Seat" serhes ii s to feature Rorrala
Keys iniagery that includes a signature red chair as part of
time scene, ' an er tarren has a contract with Toronto Pearson
„ r
to showcase images throughout the airport for depmart ng
passengers.
_ 109 —
The event is to be orgarmh ad at a sunmtalble Toronto venue for
,1
tramrap nnn dia,and travel trade members, whtln h w s-th emmnad food
and the aforementioned iputnoto ra hn . A photo-sharingbooth that
kl:uudas the "Take YGur Seat"red chmamr is to provide social nnmadta
Influence -C n rate 'My Florida KeysVideo Project
To hrmcroaso social awareness of than Honda Keys among
Canmadnanns, LMA is o palomn,n ,the dcvohopa roonmt of an mrn aanmcar
video videol challenge to generate hnatluomncor-created content,
Reaching out to its mnnttuururpcar connections and membleirs of
assoc.natmoris sl ch as Travel Massive Toronto and Toronto Dogger
,< 9 �l Collective,, L MH invite ttm rrn to it chi stor tso�ard ideas for,
toys mrm ca�mm� �N p;rsoiruall ""My Florida Keys"videos focused on sustainab,J14,
anew stn aamla conservation oar local culture.lrn er s tip? avid Ezra dui
ah`waW rs movided me,00 �� After �atl Pitches are received, the influencers proposing time toga
wheat trm�at the three ndaas would participate in a Mming trip tol the Keys to racoirdl
mthm rthi
and � their footage amid drhrn theirOdaos to into. taco completed, the
das�t� a � �p � videos can be shard on tlormda Keys socW channels arid the
au ` a��` ;fi nrutluuarmcars'own cdanl
y
Vrf�td Khra&.dma and 4.lroneIf ,.
NewirrranPR is chosen to cormthirnluaa proOding pubhc r lattorns
' services to dire l' , „tithe agency n hllh rmmaintamn its contract with
United I inn dornm-dasod KBC PR &Marketing, founded by a
longthumma past chair of Vii sit USA Association, to represent the
Florida Keys &Key east in Europe,
s in past years, pnuubhc relations actialt n whhll focus primarl on the
tt.l .„ lrelarnd and the vital t mnm°uan-spaaakin markets—the hatter
through subcontracted ag,en�cy Gat ht Across( Il )of Cologne,
Germany,
an m
urdllc relations prograinis will maintain enliphasis on the
sustainability of gays vacation ahomam nets and efforts to preserve
and enhance the destination's,rnatunral environiment, while
rmMma �mmuznrug the island chaii n"s r-rnapor selling points in an era of
fierce&bat conipletition for the travel dollar.
European activity also w0ll accentuate a°Imat nrwakas the Florida
Keys& Key West different and distinctive trormMn nuttier Florida
drnstumnathomns. a,pristine nmat;umraN anmwuhroumuininarnt, air appealingly
laidtuack fifestyle,and a v6ranmt local cumhtunro that combine ne to create
- genu6e visitor experiences eriences ratllner ttmaru those purposely d sn rued
a
to attract mass touurwsu°mn,.
Plains mnmclamda pmoshtlonminrng the island clmahnn as an authentic,ntic, relaxed
and high-quality etawa mecca for European vislltors, wlh0e
— 110 —
showcasing the rich diversity of experiences available in each of
the five districts. Open-air relaxation responsible eco•consciomns,
travel under the Connect&protect banner and t T -fherrdly
mnc.lunsivity under the"One Human Family" philosophy will continue
g
to be strong themes.
In addition, K C will continue striving to enhance Ore Florida Keys
Key Wesrs prole in the kixrury sector, enadkng the island chain
to capitalize on this high—value„financially sound and trav6 eady
demographic.
KBC will arrange:a robust plan of targeted story pitches„
awareness-building media missions including one to Nreland,
campaigns in specific rrnarkets and connnanrnmcation with n°media
St su all genres to generate "rrnpactfu l Keys coverage. Curated
ware of l ; destination visits MR he coordinated for representatives of select
mn " aa�i ovrrraimstsrne %�� mainstream and online print and broadcast outlets, accredited
and a s rem°t r No ers and social nredi influencers pia large and engaged
resrrest � ro�mfn�trrr, � sought
have&a f nd th �i�iJ aundiences. Coverage will be soaught on a mnurltipiatform basis
one of the most ii
aeecies ;,,,s�� wherever possitnde, tnringrng together prirnt„ onlmrne and social media
to maximize exposure.
FYI)
Lisa of
n spe Key West Germans, Swiss r � to
ravel dr ` The C ernaan peaking rnmket remain ex�trerne important
ilia Florida Keys � �„ and Austrians
appreciate the Keys„authenticity„ with research indicating that
ecologlcal awareness is significant and sustainable experiences
are extremely popular, GI Ns PR activities, similar,to those in the
U.K. markets, will address open spaces„ suastainalaility and nature,
encounters with Keys "Stewards" and nvildlife and lauddaack lifestyle
experiences. The objective is to position the Keys vacation as one that high fights MMduan experiences, once-in-n-1 tetirnne adventures
and living in harmony with nature.
o complement outreach efforts and pronnotions„ KBC and GA will
provide public relations support to the TDC sales team at&bale
travel shows and nnedia networking events cdeternnined to he
l�Vd u' beneficial to the destination. KBC .and GIA also va H also work with
partner organizations such as Visit USA and Visit Florida to hake
advantage of additional nnedia activities and events organized by
these third parties,
Mile individuua6 pron°roborurs and their details will be determined
based on TDC research and goals, the following activities are
render considerafion for the U.K. arid tern°man markets.
.A Place That Shares Your Valises`"Campaign (U.K.
in June 2023 World Oceans Day wall be celebrated across the
globe and Key West Bride is scheduled in the Florida Keys, KBC
Mends to capitalize on these two very different events via a
broadcast carnpaign that showcases the island chain„ with a focus
— 111 —
.............. .......................
o
m oumru�wuuraa�mrs" dmxiro ��� travel dmatmm�atimna � reflects
their values.
Ilu"n parts a h4p with a spe6afist broadcast agency, KBC unu H
r � rmmamarsmmn raeamwdn uratru the nmportance of a deturuaatnmma"
w0ues, 1°damm, poAjoning the Keys as a Ue,Ang example of
incliusivity and res mrr Ue stewardship ardship of the n atuural world, KBC
will use the research results to secure interviews on national and
regional TV, raadiur and,onfirwm platfornis across the U,K.
Yawing P11ace wwimtuunall ,the interviews will tmuatuunm a IKeys ruaahn
rawoir mmamrut specWlst and a local LGBT, conamunity deaden, who
� m
will expUn what rma as the wflarad uuluwnu unique e and dui �tt meets
the mends and travelers selek4a g Iconaunnag incliusive Io aal
and those who w ant to connect with and preservetherratuarad
amdm �tdaam �� ,� �»/�d
an d a d �, �! m irmnr�n ient, Deshnati nn rmdl f eta wifli da mais d during TV
dwtwwwtkr and online intermews, enablingOewers to picturethe s ter
rrttuusratme I themselves.
parsonafty"fDruda � y�a Il r t n ��00 ear ��of teas Keys' dth, uad rduu ,t (U.K.)
ra ,��Dy
rwftdw arwu dw t u ; ,Jf The, 200ttr anniversary of the incorporation of Monroe County,
ro a faJ u J takJng placeJUyo 3, 2022, proOdes a unique opportunity to
fr
spotlight the Floarrda Keys, In adudltivam to undertakkig raxt rls ,w
media relations actioty arounid the aninwersary, BC;wiH connect
the island chain directly with consuiniers via wa wwu uraal event with
pr uu ine nt travel platform Wanderlust.
The 11K.'s oldest and leading lea(fing travel r"ma a nnu , `w 'andeduuat has
a print rearderadwinp of more than "ttl ,0y00 per,issue, a wwwebsile
that draw nearly 1 w mwidlio n raw rntdalyr page Views, 105,,00
e-inewsletter subscribers grad 1 a mpluus f 111 w rs tin
Facebw.uualu, In to rare and Twitteu r. Wanderlust st ra adars want to
travel to as natural„ green and sustaiuinaibile way, making theme
the perfect at16ence to appredate the Keys,'corTanaaitrrumrut to
environmental t �w ardshi .
The dedicated Florida Keys event, dueled virtuuaddyw on or close to
this anniversaryi, will feature al Panel of'Stewairds of the Keys""
five trrnirrn due destination,who,wwwdl rnwarlk the 200rth anunainvair war
by sl,-uahing ways IKeys, residents strive to ensure tdraat tta6r hionia
r is Preserved for future generations,— and adv siing"w° anud du,rat
audiences about hone they rarwr d i their part.
'Terra ' in the FI ridi s(Germany)
With, stewardship and enviironrnentad protection at the heart of the
TDC mission, GIA will took to showcase to,German audiences this
posRJve mmatriitauddGns being made by Keys Ingalls to preserve prieserve the
island chaunu"s bn oadiv r intyw and pristine rna6ne lualautatra., QA will
irnwwlfm a Gern,an film crew Iadl by Dirk Steffensof the Sar r; aafu&l
112 —
scold al TV shorn "Terra ",to explore the destination, with a
focus on the activities of several"Stewards of the Keys"` nd local
nature-based attractions.
Potential d ding segments may lnclnde reef restoration programs,
the Turtle Hospital, Dolphin Research Center and Flohda Keys Wild
Bird Rehabilitation Center, John PenneFarn m Coral Reef State Park
and the Florida Keys National P arkme Sanctuary.
"Terra " airs Sunday everts s on p ab c broadcast seroce ZDF
and is watched on average by 4.2 Hanlon viewers.Time pro ;rain
also library" attracts upwardsn the F edlothe online media
� uar of 25 million views per year,
,N
� � e Key West In Fashion (Germany)
free pr , �mnf ��
Cmfm errs and story With gay and gesbian travelers anticipated to be,among the boonm
assets frcrrm d e diet sector's in 2023, GIA WH visu Hy remmdor e Key Wests LGBT
desbnafioas. The a�tea credentials through a fashmon•based partnership with leadOg
has fa,cildated the pl l'
esecu. mof� specuaGist purblisher, e�dma" which omens five separate FT
andtraps for des✓ titles and platforms,
1 lts planned cornerstone is a fashion photo shoot in fey West for
greats„ r trendnt cMhirmg brands,with potential locations to immchide Fort
Zachary Taylor l-fistorlc Mate Park,, the Southernmost Point and
i top LGBTQ guesthouses, Also featuhng activities such as a Mu
Q c.atanm�aran excursion and an island bike tour,the shoot swill
l` ' capture the emrciternent of a Key West vacation awhile highlighting
the" orne As You Are"and"One Human Family"values that make
the cif`so popular with LG T l travelers. Locations may extend
up the Keys to encourage au6ences to explore beyond Key West,
Coverage mr dl appear across lens-Media"s print and online outlets,
which co iectively reach more than 1,75 nAfion conmaneirs.
l' e,ASmuralm6lis"y
Newma,nPR contracts with print, broadcast and social media
analytacal services that monitor public relations efforts, The
agency frequently presents results at TDC meetings to provide a
return-on-investment understanding of the FIR program, In addition"
the agency frequently provides time TDC with analyses of various
media projects that include the dollar value of coverage received.
As well as quantifying tangible editorial c�overage results through
financial analysis and data measuring tools from contracted
resources,the agency also conarnumnicates the less tangible value
of increased credibility that results from favorable coverage.
NemmwnianPR will continue presenbrig analyses and reporting on the
value of puNc relations initiatives,
113 —
Section 9. Litigation
The Proposer must provide answers to the foHovhng question
regarding Urris and snits:
b HIas tine person, principals, e ntgty or any entity premusly
owned, operated or dgr ct d by any of it's officers, major
h rehoW rrs or directors, ever,t fg d to complete work or
proMe the goods for wNch it has contracted?No.
I r taw)Are there any jud rn ruts, cg �nnuw„ arbitration procee6ng or
emits pending or outstanding against the person, principal of
the ent4, or sing, or any entity previously owned, operated or
'INw PRI f0m knows: J fG directed by any of its c finc rs, 6r ctors„ or, genera partners?
the Keys better
rr� i o.
Mirty KishkenbergJrrf c)Has the person, prmc pal of the entity, entity, or any nntrty
obe&AW previoudy owned, operated or 6rected by any of its officers
Canada Major shareholders or directors, MtNn the last five(5)years,
been a party to any lawsuit, r b r tr n„ or mediation with regard
to an Agreement for smices simflar,to those requested in the
specifications with private r public ntMes? N .
t�9
)HIas the person, rnrnc:�pnl of the entity, or any entity previotisly
owned, operated or d4ect d by any of its officers, owners,
„
partners, major shareholders or directors„ ever initiated htignticnn
,gunnrnsut the Garrity or been sued by the County�n connection
with an r greer°nent to provide vide ^ ervr ce ,, goods or con-struction
services? .
e)Miether, wwwth n the last five( )years„the owner, an officer,
general partner, phn6pag„ controlling shareholder or major
creditor of the person or entity was an officer, director„ general
partner, prgrn6pal, ccntr Ring, shareholder or,major creditor
of any other entity that tailed to perform servlces or furnish
goods similar,to those sought In the request for ccnmpet lwre
sohcltathon: No.
r ;
114 —
;rr` Section Coy Fans
„rr , Ernie requested by Monr inty fdow this page.
OW con
and
I
ded;�a
Floridathe tourisaw
fwstP� f
4pi �
ROMMan
Adown,
rr
115 —
RE',SPONSE U'ORNI
RESPONSE I'M MONROE COUNTY ROARD OF COUNTV COMMISNIONRICS
do VVIACI IASI NG DEPARTMENT'
N)A
I havc inckdc&
Pvc,lix)sal ,X (Iaww"'K
Non-Coflusion AffiddivitX-' Drug t,fcc Alorkpboc
LmW I'mravtocc FomNJA I Public Entity Crin'tc,Staicniciq
Vcirp(hw Catificrawn Regavdiog,Sovinized
G"filf'o"k's C ki X
In addifion,i havc incklkd a currou cory of the following professionaa%ficrils"as and txilsimoss
lxw rrecipts.,
VIARW4&H*HZ NVili(M 0fC)x;Ka31vj(w mwini,txwk,am oy ormiani nmaaarsm'rax;(excip3
.............
(Cleck inark items above.as a tvWin$jej lbal fligi aCC jUdUjjjUjj
Mailing A(Wrow Uj&11wdy.,suJ'w,20"I'deph(ma ,
Ifi�!XMLEL,12112 Fav Nonc
.............
Andww A.Newman
(fifle)
42
116 -
NON-COLLAISION AFFIDAVIT
1, city or MAIDWII.according to law on my otuh,and under
penlifty,of perjury,dejvsa and»wa1y th'ac
I Ian President of (tic Agency of'Stuarl Neivruan,, A&l,pa ltttaws lrie� the Ploposer Imaing the
Proposal for the proJec( described in the Notice ot'Request for Cora pelitive Solicitations for.
j!M&g,,Wj)j4 public Relatio, kkAgligy 'ices fig Monrim Countv l"ou'rist D"Clomment
Q�mci and that I executed the said Proposal with 1`611 authority to do so;and
1, The priw in this Prol-iosal have been arrivex], at in4vpmulviltly "rilhout collusion,
consvilasion,c4,)jvunuuicAfiMI(0'UgIVICITICII( for the purpose of restricting Comperilion,as to
any inaller relating to such prices with any other,Propiser or with any competilor,
2. Unless othorwisaa jvquired by law,the prices which,have Ixen quoted irt this proposal have
not been knowingly di.wlo,;cd by the Proposer and will not knowingly lv disclosed by the
Proposcr prior to Proposal opening, directly or indirectly, to any other Rroposcr or, to any
Conipetilol",
3. No attmpt luis Iven inade or will be made by (lie Prol)o.wr it) inducc any other persav,
partnership or corporation: to sublilil, or not to sublivit, a Prol-'X')Saj for the purpose of
restricting Co"11"Ictition;and
4 niestalements crontained in this affidavit am Irtic and coriect,and male mrith 611 knDwIlodge
thal Monsole County relies upon the tnith of"the statcment% wittained in this affidavir, in
awarding agreements for s id project,
(Date)
STATE 01`� I'llorida
COUNTY OJ":,Miari)i-j,)4de
Subscrihcd and sworn to,(gar affiraked)bialbre mc,,by treans of LJ physical presence or I-]onfirve
notarization, on March 9,2022 (Datc) by Andrew A.Newnmn,
(name of afflarit). Fle/She is IwrSona,11y known to me or has 1A)rodueed
...............
Y
My Commission F'xpires:-Nj are'!",j
Compciftive Sofiestation for Professional Public ReWianq Agency Servicel-2022
41
117 —
LOBBYING AND C.ONFLI(TOF INTERvs,'r CLAUSE
SWOR N�a"T°A^M U E'N'T UNDER R ORDINANCF,NO.010-1
1 1111C:,.-3*C:"L U81"
Cazaalll' w^rta� aaCs Inc.
(Company)
"—warrants that lle/it laaas not employed, retaaira al or otherwise had act on dais/laa.a° bee alf aany
former C."oluaty officer or c„unployc,in violation of Section 2 of'Oradinauct No.010-1990 or any
County officer or aaraplrayce in violation of Section 3 of Ordinance No 010-1990. For breach
or violation of this provision the C ota'any may,in its discretion,terminate this Agreement without
liability and may also, in its discretion, deduct from the Agreement or purchase price, Or
otherwise recover,, the full amount of any foe, commission, percentage, gift, or consideration
paid teq�the fawnie^r County offiwer or a rnployee!"
Ile
��dgaaratra Ne1
S d'ATI:"'OF�,� Florida
COUNTY OF:-mi tt.D"talc
Subwritvd and sawrom to(or aaffirtned)hcfiaa e me,lay raae,a lls of t d physical pr sa amce era C 1 aaaadicac
notaari"nr ion, on M,ar h 9,,2021? .(l taatc) tay AWmvy Nc wmaaa
zaarrne of aad"liaarrt Ife/Shc is wrsonaall laa"aown, to rare or laaas..
( �, I "�, �� Ias^raalaacced
(type o identification)as identification.
=Ny
w6t'tlEatft�caaaus If I .uaa.aa�a°r
y Commission l,.xpircP9 J, rtr ,�y J'Q' (
Coryipetitivc,Szrdla im ion Go I"rofcssiosud Public kchaakms Agpmq a'rt aaa s-2022
FORNI
Ile wWcrMWxd vmdor in accordmice vOth J]k,)rkhj Stattite 287.08,7 hemhy cettifics,fluw
J!,n ----, ,----........... ............ .......
(Nurne of BuAnem)
L PuNisks a swWrneant rrotif",hlg 0111ployces that the unlawful manutheture, distribution,
its vdng, p n ro tcW or im; ofa corilmlled submaricc is prohiWr,,d ir) the %vorkplace and
sNxoi(yming the actions flot wifl!!,,w la'ktri agalnst enlployms fl,)f Violations of'such
2. lohnns empkyees about the dangers oftlrug obuq-,iri sheworkplacc,the busincss'.s I'mlicy
of ou'dalairting a drtig�kkx,, vantpla.4 iwq gwaflablv� drug
cluployee assistance PMWWM&MW Me p=Wdm dial may be intposcif upt)n am'iployms for dmg,
sbust:Viobalons.
3, Uves cach employeic engsNed in Immilng the commodlHes or awmaual semices dutt ote
undeT Proposal to copy ofthe in Subsectic"t UK
C In Mc �tntertieni spe�,,,�iFTC4 hi submeawl 1, ltodfics 111C, Volployms tbat, as m Condition of
Working,0i'l lbe Coriltriodifies or contractual services ilvit are Linder Propom(il,Uie(mipfoyce wW
libide by tbe terins of dw smemerit MW Ywill nolify kite orriployer of any Conviction of,Lit Plea(4,
guilty or nolo a ntcn&ry to,ajoy viohaioji oJ'(,1wp0Qr 893(Florida Slattitco or ofany controRed
substancc; law ofthu Wwd Sums or any staw. for a violation occurring if)VIC workp%acc It(,)
later than rive(5)days,nftcr such conviclion,
I WPM=as swx(jobi on,Or require thvmlistbclory participatioll ni a k1mg abltsc assistance,01,
rch=wWn prognini if sudi is avabblu in Me ampkqeds commurthl(w Lanny onVkqcc who
is so Ccawkted,
6. Makes to good' fbah cWt to cauthue to nWain a drug,1'rvc workplojec throagh
implcn leritation of this sccfion.
As,the pemon authosized to sign did s0dwitunt,I uwf,Mat thim Agcney munpNes NJ wth Me
Aiovu requimmeas,
March 9
... ,2022
... ....
We
STATIV OF: Asida
('10UNTY OV-,—,
� jamf�,L ...............
Subsc,rilwd andsworn to(oraCbrizd)b4ore ine,by awans of t)Phy'sic."'d pre;wnix or t taruufNuule
notart/Alion. on-) V 202 b,
4411,b to, U jj0
---jDa Y 'A ;—*
(nwne of aftlant), HeNte is personQ knovAi to ine or his produced
NOTAAY�ih�iR
SA ),Jt�J�("�Alltl�l
My Con'trniision E"xp fires:
Yll;jnlh, J.2,23-
CU411OWY0 solichatim lur Notmimai Public KvNoiosrs Ngvx� v) 1wrvxxxq-2(r22
119 —
.. ". ^b P"�, II YAWN
t a�,
�............�..., .�,.� ... ,me..µ...,.,......... rnwtm i 'Nmamiuuumiroiwimmuu'ni aumww......
" parson or rat"lilitttw;who has la xii ltltr ed on itlw Convicted wrrtndor list kAlowing as convic°llot'a
for poblic emity rrlc c.may not morn ar laid on as c:artratr wt tca laroOdct any goods or .rvlct* to
public 011taty,r acy not scrlrat^rtt,tr bid on at contract with ca putilic entity for t o constraction or
mp a r o to public ltaal,lcllr°rf,or public work, may nut submit bids on tcraraa s of real pivperty to
Public entity, rratay riot K, rawvurm`ded or lvrforrra work as ca t,"t."INTM "l'C:111, stt lallc,r,
setter car°rtrrat tatµ,car(t ltcl"'1'lt wt`"1°C tl cartwlrtr as c^orrtraac°t awtltla anypublicenfily.atid may not trattasixt
lwtasiness with any puh he entity in cuess of than,thmsholtl araraount,tarovidexl in Section 287,017,
fret(7,ATf"()ORY TWO for a period of 36 o trtlLs frame the date of being placeJ raxt the convicted
vendor
l have read the aalltowr rared srattr that wither Sumn Newnan, t aaattataµw LA A,
,
omrrt,l"t°a";alticuM)(l ctslaoradvnt,s raatrtrc)nor arty, ff liate!tars boon placed on the convicted,
S"C ador list Watleara the list 36 monflis,
w,:„ „� .:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........ .....�..
(Siguaatarrc)
„AIT', F: !tart
COUNTY 01,`» trtl�l r
Subscribed and swoyn to(of,taffirrr cd)!raters me.,by m aaaas off",talrysioul lares'unce or C.1 cartllrtra
wtotrtrlrrttorr, or) rtrolt t',a�Ch?" (Date) labw rtslr�c, a a . la wyw thaw_... .... ,,.._.......�.w.w..w
t ratarrrc^ of a ftlaatrtl„ !l ISItwr is personally known to taint or his produced
(type ua.f'ideratl ficatiota)as'identrlrr,u„rtirm.
" b`r t M Pd?jm
�,��.m �/u �y.�y`'p '�y'y,g to^,µ^� g+ ,.. ,....
A Y ��?yyy.b,4'YB.R iMyy%"��k d.p5p✓�����yy1iN¢".�N'0.9�t,�p&gm�9in iF� P W�5 F 1 al g d l�l AC P11 ,vv
Fl.I�t�ae�wrll.R+lll�bWltb"d'w��a�,@W"A>% k
w �, t rurars nc rwwtt„saa'a y t"aart rarrsslc:arr F,Xjlircsu M, gl µ2&:
4 oju G ivv'SAa4kAsstrayou oy Pa"aJ'v&4iim31 PaarwheRc.iAitmwaftu^maa.y Stirwrapmw 2W2
— I20 —
LOCAL PUITRENCI FORM
A Vnxion rdmurg,a aouy prederewe aar>wr dan tra Soc Nfow d wzy CO&WA1,11
COMFA*tr sftsa'faarrra,
rd.=*offarrwet a
Duc,
k. x% m4m ha%,*3,VOW xrr,rdpr to rkrr'a amedr ra x ra tt To Ito,M ararraaa('04my T'Iw
Cold r dared*d least one year poor to rr'ar m regw.9 fees bid a m17
db vwdrar hnv 3 physicA braaaxa ar dressy Ia And rowutm.,' uar C
orb"rdw T,,,etdm op rrraaa rar r¢fomn brrrdra r'a.rr a day-rra-&Tbara;r dot as asubstZmal
m4oawr of ad f fr or %emu*% burs v5w*4 to Mmtoe
aaaaraaraa°" �r�r � a rr�, ;air aaa�rarn b aarr;rosaab,
the rare off regwn fbr'bids or propmah, (Pk%sehiu! coyyofFkci&r)epsmwat
of Stme Deriul tw EaMy islam she shown);Jh apal err)
pL„drr'leas',
y'e'lepfhmeydr k tt.
fi. L rda r daarcrrrara rrarr rrd ar grad rr rcr�s rar a f tda bra 'a,,,err arm
Ca COwtnxV=aua 9aasal'baardm,ws weenug,tda,,crp mU mbeve as to hcemaard and ImmOCRO
f. CMy of eaayat of t ,barraa rr I=pad to the M=oe d,"ea sm Tam arodLraaarar bd`adr
vibc rrairrrir dsted r!t Imm erg y r paaet to dwoomt or requ rr fut btd OT ptoposal,
.'. '�aabc max arty exr ar'darra dr'' ^y,fr�rsa ww ada�agar trrr err;t,ar;
Takphow.yd ar r
r m4wimV'aati ;umom.'fm PaC�V7 MUCW1'pda R'AUftm..aq&,), ac,^,
Feats.NewrnanPR does iwt a dda fity for kxaPpreference.statuls, how �t i
nth noting that TIC account supervisor Andy Nemian o1wis a residence
inislamorada that frequendy serves,as a sateNte Wce for ffie� agency, In
addition, the Keys PR senior account xecuttve and web editor/Upper-Middle
Keys stringer are full—time fuff-time residents of the Porida Keys, as is the tr ct d
LGRTQ media specialist.
— 121 —
" C C°�C"
Prqjed
heslmcculcrat'Vamdwar Slraraue¢ Stuart Newmark,Awwasa;Nates
Vemfiar's Atrf�rl�It tcc�ntatw
a w Su Nnme and 1 trle „ii«c1C,re^, A Newman __._ .....w..
1°"lac+r°ac 1"~lututww w:.,ltw i 3 14ti' t 32 wk.l. .
1?rraatllwetcbrsn..«««rw1 rtltatt,ytraaaau„r«e«« ,
rcstica;�1�t.1t1S,yCct1 St°atatc�lrerrmlfrhttra at aaarwrrry hrwrrw hlctul&rat„uru"��lmrmrlfttat,a rrl�marsatl t"rww°„ur c¢mtatr latrw
tar r�ewlrt� eraaamtwata tlmr 1Graa�rwr twaww,nta wtl"arty acwrr�lf,eat the t1rc rat°"t°u �ccrtluy„e. tctr ^ruwraC.flme a` twaray
'is on flrc Serrutrmtved Gwripaniesdull Boyc(At lssaacl C S1,pvtuacd 1+crsa ull to Senrtlrat.15,4725,1a66c Staxwei,ear
is camyttped in a 1'10ycrttt of Israel„Section M,t 15,Pltarlwlar Sfatwc,t„al.wr"w latohllatts 0 comrmny ltwursa Rrlcleltrryt Oft,
m-thmining,a pre trs4tl for,or cotering tetc or renewing ar Contra t6r S vcs 'wwcaVlces Of"S 1,0 ,t Or MUM,thAl
ut,crt clthar the Sc ulini zd t"csara,«zanies with Activities in�udarra List or lbe$cf utirmcd C;,`raarbyw crti wish Actwitio
in Ott Iran 1wct alerrarw R?6'rrc y Scvlor Ltwwts which vrcrc cicwwafeel laaar ant to a„2 t 5,�473,11oritia Swim,or 1s etrgagpd
6 lt'rr541CSS a'a IN AaUGM,aa t;:;errlwar Or SyriJJ
As Mite perstar a utlwar io-A to s gla on Whaty ,Ros'pa lulllow,11 ra ay Celt that tho ccwrraCaanly%dcwrtHt Vd above iru fifes
.c #teat ewti(km1"Reqwwadeot Vendor SAW,k meat Wed oo rlte ScrartlaCzed t,aarraCt miff thwwr Koyctm Israel Lk or
erryraattesal in u Wycrwtt of lfwa°twrtl fatal taww lwrr«,ovate°34 wwt"S1„fluty„d;,00 ewr more L^ rpcaf iistel ecm c,btlrrmr the Sef`autifttzert
t.`owrsyaaarcz wltlr Aoivifies in Sudrol List.the ftralraswl t"ctrtp~ mttiev with Activities in lite frwsa Pewireakuuaam is ugy
Sector Lim,or erwto'rR ayl In tatrwtrwesesA awtaersrttwawres in d:rrl,"I,aa or Syria,
1 undmund that leumumrt to ScOon 287,05,Fl(midu stmotes,the,arahml wl r of ri filse Certification"my subjecA
omilimily to civil perutlfies,zttoro "a Cees"ara su ccsf s,l lrethof that ally Ceatatr t Willi Ox Ownty may
lmu wimirOvii,as fC %Aw,cf the Cw rrfty,if the CoInIm ry is round to i wvaw Sulmlitted c f4kc wrtifictoiom Or l aw
lacwraa lwlamd east time Sw"rwrtaarolzewf(:"rwrea«sua ims that Boycott kr„ael List or crt«tw go3 nrt a hoyrwrtt of Wad or pr uccaf eats
dht Cw'mmrw aaalm wvath Acfuvrltts ltt Smian loot or tyac Scratirtuerd 4"emrcC amics with Activitim awl Ow"lwarf
lact"t amrr Lnerf""Y Sa,*e or List or hmn in husinesso teameflaarw in Cmha or S,riwk.
Clcmdicd Oy A;�«wt,it �r . rrw ly � ...._ . ... ... who atrabod i to Sign 0"
4 hwt1C°cf live above rwa.r�emcd cmr raray , 1
a"tiarftsmarcel lily«aratarw—mw........... ".�,,,
Print'Name: Aadiew A,Sewnatreaarw
TOW
tutc;tl'hc C.iwar uwm,aw crtCal'mCc art time fawltr»wwlstt fyclaaztarrCrat oval 1wlzwru ry ewttcarf Scrvacvs Site;
t rtL..; wy wm Alan wITrrfef t(I<s klh tayd to a Atrotrt tadwcart,,°wI to Jaaim«;wait, is t we arewl to wrr0wry vupttwaawa c,txaw,< w r s Olih aRw,«
iz^awcrewwwawrwwas cwaawtrwaa'a aretNawr tayw
' aray tltww c iuticut atic wr 1"Orj'tijieziuuW 1 ubfic Metal ins Agvwya Sir„rvic a�It1"U
I22 —
NewrnanPR corn lies with aH insurarice requirements as set forth in the Instjrance checkfist for
vendor's subnutting proposMs or bids for work ki this request for competitive solicitation.
Signed insurance agents statements foHow on this and the next page.
NSURAPOIT AGENT";SUATEMENI'
t have mvimod Ow k0ywc rqWrvrwav6 WWI dw,WW4,r flamed b6rw,11w 60lowing
4)pty it e phey
.............................. ........Comm.Gmend Lialw&ty 112095378447 No drductiMe
Auto LuaA RVY)5578447 No dMucolyle
................. ......
13 0w,w5 $t
wlorkwl,Comp, W67)755949 No
Labkh(v
Risk S(n M
CO. Lwla Yq,—offiCO
1w,"nume Agway SaWvauvv
�,wr)FRS S rA IfArl"Nl
mdmuind Oc,hmmanov,(fim WM he"nondalolly Ow omarao amd wM cmiply in
Andam A. -----i-----d-e-re- ------------ ...... ...............lnsi -
ffidda'Ar mid Tildc rvwmfuwa
Cognpany Nxrc':
�14
Aw Pa4v 9 xwl PwAA,Wflaw"fm SO,,,,W,4,a
123
Section 11, Oth�er Information, IOU
1. ore tbiain 41 years of experience, product cede and ai keen
understanding of the Florida treys with a deep-rooted affinity for the
destdirnabwi, fts people and resources,
. Proven,trusted red baan.s ps with:media„ the Florida Keys s tourism
4�d( sector and government Acfads,
Superior pnnbdbc retabons sftdfds featuring a wordy etfndc based on
ante rVit ,dedicabon and a 4,,/7/36,5 get-the job-done attltude.
dwng awnd twimg eye
know C /
f`�ll
t"atandbr J, Agency Founder
trmmpp, SGI Stuart N ftnin
raMaxh 41A W19
i
i
"He, saw something
0 the destination
a#610se year's ago,
that no one else
ttt . Stuart is a her
to tine tnrnis ttadit
uurnd'tnst annd"the
trntnrr,srr-base
economy we, enjoy
trf'ay.'
TDC Director
SUM Mitchell, ed in
the f a mi HerAls obitrarar
on Stuart G,
124 —
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL C HEC KLIST
Hease ensure that all items have kx T� n check-ed before sulnnittmg, Requwst for Comm pe,unve,
Solicitatiou,Submit du s the ck-listas the last page of your proposal
I over Page V
2 NxTative SelfAumb,,ms V
3, References V
4, Ghent hifonnation V
5, Financial Statements,Accomiting mut Bookkeeping,Puxrdures oe
6 Staff Inknmation
7 Service, Capability to,\IonrcK-(",murry oe
8, Compensation W,
9, utigibon V
10 CotuitvAnsmmice Fonns(Your Agens-Must Sip Insurmw Mxurmuts) V
I I truer Infonnation are
12,Completed CompefitiveSobeitatim(IrcUst
Competitive Sohemition for Rotessioual Nblic Relatons Agency Servicts 2022
- 125 -
Appendix III
NewmanPR
Written Responses
To Auditor Questions
126
October 26, 2023 Written Response to Auditor Questions
n' .
E MAl' P
2140 South Dixie Highway,Suite 2N
Miami,FL 33133
Oct. 26, 202
Mr, Noah Browning
Senior Internal Auditor
Clerk of the Circuit Court&Comptroller
5,00 Whitehead Street
Key West, Florida, 33040
Dear Mr. frowning:
The following provides a primer on Graphics 71 and also answers questions that you
had that have not already been answered by Sandy.
Graphics 71 was initiated as a separate entity within Stuart Newman Associates to
properly document work done by the outside the scope of work detailed in our client
contracts not only with Monroe County„ but others as well.
Specifically, it focuses on photography„ print production and an occasional video
production project„ that would otherwise be done by an outside vendor..
It is not commonplace for a PR farm to include photography and production charges
within a contract, because it is extrernely difficult if not impossible to predict what is
going to be required within a budget year.
To be clear, our contracts with Monroe County have never included producing
photography, print production and video production.
We use a number of vendors to do projects and their selection is based on their
experience to get the job done as well l as their location IlNews videography,and news
still (photo acquisition is different from any other visual marketing discipline and it
requires people who have had that kind of experience.
Mr, oah rownnng t
— 127 —
Using those individuals provides us the ability to achieve coverage in major
publications, news websites and broadcast piatforrns around the world. Our success
rate in achieving major media coverage is something not to be taken lightly and is a
program that other DMOs would love to have.
My father, the late Stuart G. Newman, came Lip with the concept to begin Graphics 71,
sometime after I joined the company in 1980. My father oversaw the company's
finances up unfit his death in March 2019,
1 don't recall exactly when he initiated it, but I believe that Graphics 71 has been in
existence for at least 35 years and, as,far as Monroe County is concerned, the firm has
been billing photo and production charges through Graphics 71 for a long firne. Sandy
has Quickbooks records that go back to 1996 that show this.
Stuart began Graphics 71 because there was a realization to use my news experience
that sterns back to doing work for the Miami News, United Press International and
WTVJ� I understand differences between news and marketing imagery.
I do the billing for Graphics 71 and I started using a software package called Filemaker
back in 2000, 1 currently have 950 invoices that go back to March 2000, They include
TDC, Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise Lines and other dients.
The hourly rate is only for actual time spent shooting, editing and digital post-
processing, transmission or in production. I don't bill travel time, lunch time, etc.
In earlier times, before digital, there were expenses such as film and outside film
processing. Now with digital, expenses have been minimized.
Now, let's get to Your remaining pending questions.
Proof of Paymen
In addition, please provide proof of payment(copy of bank statement showing wireldirect
deposit, cancelled check) for the following:
• Check 1247 to Graphics 71 dated 1217122.
• Check 1016 to Graphics 71 dated'612812,3.
• Check 1347 to Graphics 71 dated 7125123.
• Check 1345 to Graphics 71 dated 712,6123,
Originally, Graphics 71 had a separate bank account, but that account was closed
several years ago when we changed banks. Stuart,who died in March 2019, did not
see a need to incuir bank charges for Graphic 71 as it is simply an internal transfer.
For the past several years, Sandy has been processing bills frorn Graphics 71, as with
any other vendor. But the check is not cashed. Our bank will not accept check
payablle to Graphics 71, so she destroys checks,
Mr, Noah BrowNng 2
— 128 —
Sandy rnakes an accounting entry recording the,payment to Graphics 71 —a separate
income account in Our books which is obviously,subject to company income tax and is,
processed by the company's accounting firm.
The check and deposit offset to$0 in our books. There is no bank transaction,
This is why there are no cancelled!,checks to Graphics '71
Invoke 118,14
In voice 116 1'4 is for Mr. Newman to tra vel to the burning of hurricane flags sued'a
manatee refease. Per Invoice 11815, Graphics 71 also charged for photography
of the burning of hurricane flags and the manatee release, It is our understanding
from the contract that the managorrient fee is to cover staff expenses for
Newman,PR. How is the work charged by Mr. Newman under Graphics 71 not a
staff expense,covered'by the managernent fee?
Our contract with Monroe County, nor other clients, covers photography,
Hopefully, my overview presented at the beginning of this document
answers the question.
Why does the Graphics 71 fee not cover the cost of travel?
Travel expenses,are always reirribursedfor any client. Again, as outlined
above, I have never charged an hourly rate for travel, Travet expenses are
normally reimibursed via a county travel voucher which has,been
processed as a Stuart Newman Associates expense, as all of our travel is.
Invoice 11982
Invoice 11982 is payment for various services to Graphics 71. /1 is our
understanding from the entrance conference that Mr, Newman is responsible for
Graphics 71.
How does Mr, Newman track hours bitted to Graphics 71 in order to ensure
the invoice frorn Graphics 71 is accurate?
I track the hours based on a start time and a finish time. Se veral times, if
the project goes beyond a reasonable firneframe due to factors beyond my
control — !such as weather, etc. — I don't bill for hours not working. Other
vendors do because they are on the job and have committed to the time.
Who prepares the Grz phics 71 invoices?
Andy Newman prepares Graphics 71 invoices,
Is Graphics 71 a legally separate entity from Newn7anPR? Please provide
the corporate paperwork and Sunbiz annual reports,
Graphics 71 is not legally a separate entity. It is not a corporation. Nlor has,
it boon regiis,tered with Surrbiz.
Mr. Noah Browning 3
— 129 —
* How does Graphics 71 detemVne the hourly rate charged to Newman PR?
The hourly rate is determined based on market rates examining other
shooters with the same level of experience and knowhow. Rates are
typicaily lower than comparaWe resources.
* It is our understanding from the contract that the management tee is to
covered,at expenses for Newrr)anPR, How is the work charged by Mr,
Newman under Graphics 71 not a staff expense covered by the
management fee?
Hopefully, I have answered t.his question above.
Feel free to reach out with any other questions or needed clarifications,
Most sinoerely,
Andrew A. Newman,
President,
Mr,Noah Browning 4
130 —
Updated October 26, 2023 Written Response to Auditor Questions
1Pi
aide Soudi Dixie ie Highway,Suite 209
i ewmaanl? . om
Oct, 26, 2023
Mr. Noah Browning
Senior Internal Auditor
Clerk of the Circuit Court& Comptroller
00 Whitehead Street
Key West„ Florida, 33040
Dear Mr. Browning,:
The following provides a primer on graphics°l1 and also answers questions that you
had that have not already been answered by Sandy.
Graphics 71 was initiated as a separate entity within Stuart Newman Associates to
properly document work done by the outside the scope of work detailed in our client
contracts not only with Monroe County„ but others as well.
Specifically, it focuses can photography„ print production and an occasional video
production project„ that would otherwise be done by an outside vendor.
It is not commonplace for a PR firm to include photography and production charges
within a contract„ because it is extremely difficult if not impossible to predict what is
going to be required within a budget year.
To be clear„our contracts with Monroe County have never included producing
photography, print production and video production.
We use a number of vendors to do projects and their selection is based on their
experience to get the job done as well as their location. News videography and news
still photo acquisition is different from any other visual marketing discipline and it
requires people who have had that kind of experienced
Mr.Noah tar n�nq t
— 131 ^
Using those inidividuMs provides us the ability to achieve coverage in major
publications, news webisites and broadcast platforms around the world, Our success
rate in achieving major media coverage is something not to be taken lightly aind is a
program that other DMOs would love to have.
My father, the late Stuart G. Newman, came up with, the concept to begin Graphics '71,
sometime after I joined the company in 1980, Stuart oversaw the company's finances
up until his death in March 2019.
I don't recall exactly when Stuart initiated it, but I believe that Graphics 71 has been in
existence within the company for at least 35 years,anid, as far as Monroe,County is
concerned, the firm, has been billing photo and production charges through Graphics 71
for a long time, Sandy has Quickbooks records that go back to 1996 that show thiis.
Stuart began Graphics 71 because there was a realization to use my news and
production experience that stems back to doing work for the Miami News, United Press
lintemational and WTVJ, I understand differences between news and marketing
imagery. Furthermore,there have been significant photographicIproduction equipment
and software purchases over the years.
I do the billing for Graphics '71 and I started using a software package called Filernaker
back in 2000. l Currently have 950 invoices that go back to March 2000. They include
TDC, H�oltand America Line, Carnival Cruise lines and other clients, past and present.
The hourly rate is only for actual time spent shooting, editing and digital post-
processing, transmission or in production, I don't bill travel time, lunch time, etc.
M earlier times, before digital, there were expenses such as film ands outside film
processing, Now with digital, expenses have been minimized,
Now, let's get to your remaining pending,questions.
PArDt 9 t EA YM 2133!
In addition, please provide proof of payment(copy of bank statement showing wire direct
deposit, cancelled check) for the following.,
# Check 1247 to Graphics 71 dated 121712,2.
0 Check, 10,16 to Graphics 71 dated 612&2'3.
Clieckl3,47to Graphics 7l dated 712,�213.
Check 1345 to Graphics 71 dated 712612,3.
Originally, Graphics 71 had a separate bank account, but that account was closed
several years ago when we changed banks. Stuart,who died in March 2019, did not
see a need to incur bank charges for Graphic 71 as it is simply an internal transfer,
Mr. Noah Browning 2
— 132 —
For the past several years, Sandy has been processing bills from Graphics 71, as With
any other vendor. But the check is not cashed, Our bank will not accept a check
payable to Graphics 71, so she destroys checks.
Sandy makes an accounting entry recording the payment to Graphics 71 --a separate
income account in our books which is obviously subject to company income tax and is
processed by the company's accounting firm.
The check and deposit offset to $,0 in our books. There is no bank transaction.
This is why there are no cancelled checks to Graphics 71.
Invoice 11814
Invoice 11814 is for Mr. Newman to travel to the burning of hurricane flags and a
manatee release. Per Invoice 11815, Graphics 71 also charged for photography
of the burning of hurricane flags and the manatee release. It is our understanding
trorn the contract that the managerrient fee is to cover staff expenses for
NewmanPR. How is the work charged by Mr. Newman under Graphics 71 not a
staff expense covered by the inanagement fee?
OUr contract with Monroe County, nor other clients, covers photography.
Hopefully, my overview presented at the beginning of this document
answers the question.
,o Why does the Graphics 71 fee not cover the cost of travel?
Travel expenses are always reimbursed for any client. Again, as Outlined
above, I have never charged an hourly rate for travel. Travel expenses are
normally reimbursed via a county travel voucher which has been
processed as a Stuart Newman Associates expense, as all of our travel is.
Invoice 11982
Invoice 11982 is payment for various services to Graphics 71. It is our
understanding from the entrance conference that Mr. Newman is responsible for
Graphics 71.
o How does Mr Newman track hours billed to Graphics 71 in order to ensure
the invoice from Graphics 71 is accurate?
I track the hours based on a start time and a finish time. Several times, if
the project goes beyond a reasonable timeframe due to factors beyond may
control -- such as weather, etc, - I don't bill for hours not working, Other
vendors do because they are on the job and have committed to the time.
Who prepares the Graphics 71 invoices?
Andy Newman prepares Graphics 71 invoices,
Mr, Noah Brow6ng 3
— 133 —
* Is Graphics 71 as legally separate ent4 from NewmanPR?Please provide
the corporate paperwork and Sunbiz annual reports.
Graphics 71 is not a fully separate entity. It is a division of Stuart Newman
Associates, d/W'a NewmanPR as outlined above, There is no oorporate
paperwork, nor Sun biz annual reports for the entity.Graphics 71 revenue is
reflected within the company's books and is subject to revenue tax that is
pro by the company's acoounting firm,
* How does Graphics 71 determine the hourly rate charged to Newman PR?
The hourly rate is determined based on market rates exarTuning other
shooters with the same level of experience and knowhow. Rates are
typ,ically lower than owiparable resources.
It is our understanding from the contract that the management fee is to
covered staff expenses for NewmanPR. How is the work charged by Mr
Newinen under Graphics 71 not as staff expense covered by the
management fee?
Hopefully, I have answered this question above,
Feet free to reach out with any other questions or needed clarifications,
Most sincerely,
4g,144-4o'-A ItAo",,#X4-0t,
Andrew A, Newman,
President.
Mr.Noah Browning 4
— 134 —
NewmanPR Accountant Emails Responding To Auditor Questions
Noah Browni
Front san�dy@ r wvm onpv xorn
Senh I hursd,,sy,Octobou 19,202 2:25 PIA
Tw Noah Brckwni�and
cc: andy@nevimanpr coni
SuNect; RL f4st buwh,of pwof of payiIient
Attachnvontv JOJO Mo<'Iys 24 pdf
HeHo agaHn—
Nease caH one Swidy.Ws much shorter to type,0;
d pay JoNeil frrornro her kvvoices.She's been Wfing$4,500 for socW/web ed0tor,not the$4,750 on her contract.(Copy of
her recent hnvoice attached.)
KBC payrnerit us adjusted by$35 to defray our cost of an tlnternauorvaH wdre transfer,
Ashley is reimbursed for her out-of-pocket and miteage.She also car6es a company credit card,whWh she usats for mems
and incidentaK These are ktOuded 4t the per dierns that are submftted to TDC for reirribursement,
RespectfuHy,
Sandy
NewavdOR
Fra=Noah Browining derk corn�,^
Sent-Thursday,October 1%2023 1:54 PNI
Tw
Ccu andV@nPwrnaiqjr)r,com
Subject:RL first bunch of proof of payment
Good Afternoon hAs.CamlipbeH,
11 uevkswed the dnformalion in fl"nis batch. ?How V%what 11 was We to ft
11 reconcHed the payrrients fur Greg'rv,omba and Carcfl Shaughnessy to thOr ves;wOve contulcts
d was rwt aWe to re co Jo NO Madys, My inalh by t1he ContraCt ds that he p ayrneira shouki be$7,750 "rhea
payment reads as$7,500,Newvp h0lis me unde stand the variance
t was riot abh,,'�to nnatdii fl'ie IKBC payment to the certificatksn My math shows thir maP payrnent shoWd The
$52,907 67,whk1h is$»:fPr above the S'S2,872.67 on tine 4ro trainsfer.V kuxsvo its sniall,bUt[fleaSe ilO�)rne
understand the vwiance,
11 was not We to: vnatch AsNey Serrate's r6nibursemerit to the cerbficaVon or the travO form
My ivafl'r shows her r6niburseiineinl shwdd be!,,P345 41 for the 3/15/23 payrnent,wrkh is albove the, S205,41
Owwri on t1he: bank staterymm, Nease h0p me understand the vahance
WHtIh4 those exceptions,Ow docurnentahoin ds workung,Orxe If woirf our the rwaroes,11 Ih opefiflPy won't bother you and
the cancefled checks shcwld be very st4ghtfsoward,
Thanks,
I
135
Noah Brown n �
Fmm: sandy@ newawnpoco m
SW Thursday,October 19,2023 231 PM
To: Noah Browning
Suhje,ct 11835
AsI ley's notes are in hfile
11835
hni"cc 1183 5 1 s 16T tr,,,v,c to Ic I h%on Nn 11,202 2 TEK' n r co qi,!,r Yt K W
* %Vhy Id M,Sermix smk mkibmwmait Ayr Huce days uf rolal am ugge wit ono one Mgfit
in Key Wcm? What wo Ow bwktos nmd Rn Me Als of u mnwl vim? I Idukud up Me renU
em(w&mQ 12 1 t Ar m eky dMarowe on Nlmda,,,�mo,rnmg� 12 d 2 1 tk"pari"xJ bcton,,, 0le
rl,,,nLjl luau aEvspru arlri.iva.6 an N'Ion da"", x,vvc had an"],mPvcungs rQJlt luk:,di"'Oldo en
r,,yru1, uur lw a a \Vc-,t,
* V"y did Mv Sam seck 4,ir gialu ty kw11ae tr(,)RI,Y`Fhoc is no
I,6rm ta11 u.Vrryal ilttscrRrAig We pwpw6witmak !Or lhu can hum tmialAninal is linQui U),
entertaining rne&a and"sit f("m,staff', f loua a roHcy Nair v,'as part of s vrdeoshoot fin,ow,soci d
"Kha Channek, %VC CaNUMI LAMM IINn? Ww", us'e'd f6r 0t("dc"min"Ifion's sociiA mc&l ch@ ,alnck
Reds edhJy,
SaWy
NewmanPR
136 --
Noah Brownin9
From sandy@nevimanpr com,
Som. Th�,osday,Oclobiei, '�19,2023 236 PtA
To: fbah MvwWng
CC: airwdy@0iim,)iiniiinpr,cowvi
slubjmt,: 11853
11853
lnvoicv I 'l�--63 is for reknImrsernent for an inAueneer ldp Sm CumWa.Alur"mact ivith the inVuenceir
sum that Agwance on A whWe is not reimbumsuhN, I k)wuvco NewmaOR pAd le 9JAH aw of le
llvlvoik"A" frorn PO N kicludung insmauNx,
o %lq dW NoNnmnPR a1mv !AtA U) NvAm A the Wsmatme?
a Mly dM NewmuWR pms Me wo on W the TDC?
IQ 8OW3 bWkg
IMs N a,Wake, I didnl we an Omqw Or haummy I AN dmet see iW 14case show mr lls v011 pmbuWy
happc'ln "llgaki,
ReWenhAN,
Sandy
Ne iron mPR
137 --
Noah prow
From: sa mly@ nevw 111,11 a ri;p r,cr�)im
SM: ��v,�irsday,CktobeT 19,2023 239 PNI
To- NwhBwmQg
cc
5441400. 118B2
11882
Invoice 1 tl882 us Ar MmA rdmhw=nwiU Ir AsIIIWX3ppqZ R to LA Tmvd aW Abmuw Mmw.
o Re spuddom nWhW pnmwm W mitt vnrr�,°,fboid shows the nifleogic an,�J pen, dient inica jr�'�kl to
AAWy W 3n513 Oa dkmt dpoW, ha Ow NemnmPR hwAce U) nX" Whwd 2nWAV3,
1%6 ara n pmWmjblc under We contmo. Why WWwrtimOt invoicing IpHor lu the paymont dMe?
lo The inyc4ce nows a LYR chuse Air tmvd thm hmm,tcm thc Nfiacni Airport, 1)w,a n'0e6a't;V,',t chairp;c
Am be Ap Emu Ae Pvfi irni ,'Nirpov to,Imme How dW AAWy We bom be ATom wkn Ow und
LyA h)get to the alMon?Tbem is no car Imuking the alwched,
2152W3
The papnou daw imue was my WWL The pWn mms k)KeWde he"eirril)ursernent wilh lux next payrc U
area dep(Q. I reallaxi after Irepadng Ow knoWe IM h %us too late toadd 0 u(,)flit Feh 28 payroll,
as I chianged the date cm de spreadsNe to the next pay datc,when At wotfldactuaUy 1)e pai(L
The Tiffleq;e vs Lyft issuc- shley took LyA to Me akpw't,, I fer husimnd picked her up from the Wrpwt
vOimi she rcummed, I remernber ffiis one It luoked odd to ine,too, so I ivwked ahmat nat the firne,
Respecd^,
Sandy,
NewnunPR
138
Noah Brownill
From: swidy@ newmanf"n xarn
Sent Uhtv,sday,C)<tober 19,2023 2A3 PM
TO: Noah an")Winnf',)
CC: ar�,dy@ i�iiewii nanpi,coai
1451utqOrt 119D6
11906
41 Invoice 11906, k kw LGBTQ mingerscrOcew "The invoice is dotal aka mh 29, 2023 wKI the cenikahon,
of pymon moms be pay dwe as Marc li 30,2021 Mwova Ae xnvok korn ffic:L(",3BTQ stringer is dated
March 11, 2023. I'ler Ae omuno boween Be TDC and NnvmmPIAAmbwahQ eMmum sue w he
hivcwiced,.,kfier paid and.rµw ww uw,v,r Ir1ruh:,red,
a My dW N&wrnwiPR NvAc the TDC pAw to the date the subconnacuir WnWued an OWN?
a�wWhy(hd NewriniinIsR invirAce p1rior,taw servicc,,%twing fidly riender(Ni I)y the stringer?
NNW-Greg Twrnbe
'Fhe was procc-ssed En ffic last week of ffic nionth so the contiactorwoiLfld ix paid timely,
ReMmOdy,
Sandy
NewmanPR
139
N oai lij Brawnit 4.1
From; saindy(s rwwrrvmpr,con'�
Sent: Thursday Cci,.tcb,,v' �9, 1023 2�41 PfA
Tm Nwh BmmNq
cc andy8n*wrrvmpvtom
SIUNW. 11B99
AmchmenW NH MeGmMh RmemMmmPdf
11899
0 Invowe I I 8m)9 Is' mcnlrlbulscrn("W to a ftaw'cl wntcr fix,cerwin Itt jmt�l ex�,sciivsles, uPilclrofing an mnWnvmfiatc
rumal can he invoicc k&,acxl a fitH week pnor to the chic of paymm on the cuaiRcation or pay mm°umu..
c Why Md NcwmmPR mQm p4m h)Me date of payment? IN Me cor&ml an invokx;mm be
pak,J before sevkk g rein'abtwsai nvW,
r:c The agreeinent between the sulckontyacl[or aad Newnuufl"R includes riem;nKirsernera for an
ssze renlal llxyweve�" flille tnvci writcr renllcd (airsd mos, charge(l) 1i'iir p,wrcnaiun% fufl
&C Vultiew
Why did Newnaanl'R Ipcinnrn Ilre ci%,crcharge?
Why did mnvok'v tho T F Im the(o,'cichaq,,q,?
70"'trch -." %V01 N/IcGonh
&YA dMe 3n2 vs pqqnma dme 119(WH dMe 211)
Alwy "was omt of thic office the Of MaMh 111 PMPMMI UIC ill%'0i0C,kd the,Cheick %v,'isn'L
rrdi 29,
ned & sem unffl Nlarch!�,) Thms was si�.flmiwmd tol'[)Con Pvt.
"NS[ACY's note,�1x")el the premkim rental:
E=WWM qmMbm I bwMd thl lax Nm and woWd no! have bmked Ana priernkmt renlall, even fihlougtt of says
NH ske can Maybe they upgraded Nm hr the same rahs,
Thle-orqqpir l emaO v)nfirr'nafion mws a TWoM Unry or mmbr wd Me pke I Me swm.me mmded Of,
RespecIfOV,
Sandy
NewmanPIR
140 --
Noa,h Brownin,"Ift
From sandy@ncwmanpr.corn
sent. Thunsdaiy,Oclober 19,2023 2-51 PNA
To: Noah Browning
CC: widy@newmanpr,corn
Subject: 11947
Anachme rut s. Florida Keys HAt Mary 4 Diwwr hvita6on(1)putt
AsWcy's notics in Nue, Ako, attached is the emad invilation to the dinner sent to altendecs.
11947
4, lnvoicc 11947 is for travel R)r A:t�InIq_ ;,gv to, a National Wcatlwr Scrvi(x event in Maraflwrn, Florida
INA was cancelled,at the last norvule,
* What is ilte business purpose for dw Irip(Monroc Couinty'TDC is not listed as a boodt parficipwit)?
ThC 0/cM was the Monrcw County Hur6canc A,svarcncss, Tour and ffscr Florkki Keys, ,Ir our I�srn
Council organind a dinner f6r ffie parliciparits,on the nighl of May4th at Castmvay Riestaurant at
4pm. "lira;. group was to arlivic 11"Ia� 'afternoon and attend the clinner prkw tc, ihic formal IOUr the
fi)Howing day, May 5(h.
* '11te publushcd finws fin tlw cvent are 1230 P,1%4, to 4.30 P.M, Wiml necessitaled this overnip
stay?As one ol'tbc organizers of flie dinner on ffic nip ht of'% ,/lay,111i, I arrived (Kat afi cnicson�,,ihcad p,
offfic rest ot"flic group, S4icc the dinner was in Marath(:m at 8p n, 1 mas R)slaty ovcrnlgbt lor the
fornial event the fiolh,)wijrrpp tnornmg.
Resrmctfully,
Sandy
ate wnnanPR
141
Noah Ormmilill"ll
Frow
Sent- rhui,sday,Cktot)er 19, 2023 2:55 PIM
TO: 6Wah&wwnMq
Cc: andy@nc,,,wrnanpr comi
Subject: 1200 1/12033/120,401$2042
1200 f 12CO312040/1 2042
a Thme hwMcm me Aw Anpi fevs, However, the are bcm ng submitled pfior to the and of the,,
month Ir whih Hy my pnMding Per Oun convai boweci Swan Ncmmn iUuo:Kws mu Me
BcwcvrDC.AmbumaKu expcnsvo are to he subnAux!a0cr the Inoduct or scrOcc Q ddhvmif
I'leasc,prolOde an cxowmHon ash)uty imvkxs wore bdng suMitted p6ano savOcs being My
wndued pry- th whammood shngm,
11 has l'),ec"n our pr"'Ichce tcu 1.,wy o.varziclors "'Ind hrvcukv fiwl in ffic vniddle c)ffllc irloroh, "I'llis
Wkwo us to suWnh uur WIN Omdy you pymmt W le cW of Me mmuh,
RespedfWN,
Sandy
NewmanPR
142
Noah Brown n
From- sandy@newrnarp,corn
Sent: Thursday,October 19,,2023 2159 PM
To: Noah Brown ng
Cc. ardy(Sinewmanp,rorn
Subject fl
Invoice 11995 (torn NminanPR contains an reimbursernent request fi)r the Digital Island Media work on
the world's kirgest key,How pic,
* Why is NewtnanPR rmpicsfing 1,611burstmcm for travel exjwnsar,, for Digital Island Mexlia?
* Why zuc tea c travc]exIvnses not covered by ffic fac charged to NewrnanPR for the work')
It has been a long-standing practice ftir Digital Island Media to separate travel expW1111ses firom their
tw . I undermood that this was a requirernent from TDC, but that was beftwe iny timc, "I'licy do riot
charp,,e for travel withirt Key Wast,(mly whem they arc on assigninent mil of'K,ey West
o by arc Digital Iskind McAia and Graphics 71 txwth covering flic Nvorld's largest key firne pic
cvcm?NemnanPR Invoict 12000 to TDC is for coverage of the wofld',s,largest key firne pic event.
Digital Island Media look video of ffic evera, Graphics 71 ux)k still photos.
Resper:tfully,
Sandy
NewmanPR
143
Noah Brown in,
Sent: Thumday,Ckwbe,� 19,20tit'3,-04 PM
T o: Noah erownnng
Can andy(gtinewmanpr icom
subjed'. 11994
119,94,
Invowc 11994, is tbr as travel writer to visit the llorlidai Kcys, Per the cvnvacr betwevi the wrilet, and
NtmiranfIR, Newn-iianifIR is u)pay fin-one lank of gas lbr the rcrual car and no insurance.
* ["tic um vic"ipi from Budget Car Rental shows I)as loss dalliage Waiver and 2)as chaq?,:e l'or fuchng the
car ulw)n its rcitum (flic writer akwi FLICIC41 tile,car), Please provide an explanation regardlng why
fl,ICSC CilargeS arcre purmitted if they are mc,ut CA"PnSislent with the written contrad,
* Why thd NewmanAIR pass Ole uniallow"AlIc Costs on to tile, 111)(11"',
7-5-2023 Briaiiiii Web , Hcrnnioculturc
This is cleafly iny tnislake,
Respectfuilly,
Sandy
Newirmtli)R
144 —
Noahgum
From: our,
Sent: Thwsd,,,,q,Om)be, 19,2023 335 PM
Tw Nwh Bmw0i,ri
Cc aWy@wwmwpuorn
std)jecl� 12011 M 2 01(,,A
12011/12016
al Invoice 12011 �s a r1rxprest for reirnbtArstinent Ar Cimphics 71 coverage onlemingway Days and'Nur Eh-.
T'Urfle- lrwok,�c Q016 ids rcqwst fi,)r r6mbursonent Ar OuveI fin,.Mr. Newrn,xn fi,:vr owerage of0w same
CVMd,
a Mly dws be GrapMes 71 riot cover the cost,ofinavel'!
It, is okn,tuldo'standing duo A md shoWd N NHa sepanilely on as travel vwwfier.
RespecdWN,
Sandy
NevananPR
145
VI h 8r,ownill to
ranrr^aaaratlrruwampuu°w
Sent: Thursday,October t ,du.023 'a3 PM
To N'aalh Iltru'uwunulrq
u bjed: 1206,4 .m nw c 1ptim
,12064
• Invoice 120,64 contains, as request fear rtulrnnlnun.r t°unnent 6or one might at Baker's C"aay, I to wr°v u°, the uunvu icc
does not Contain au l"6ho Shimving "u zero balance for au rwnw n. Rather, 'thic,, f ho uuilached stiows the room
service ac e charges,
cn R asa.°provi e as C" luan with da mro balance for this rwnr'nana.
V've enuaulla Jcn,lr(at LMA) 10/191' 2 3 to ask laa'ur a correct Elnllu .
• Invoice 120104 irwhides an contract with the influencer that notes that the tang is June 7 through June 'l <
,.The atlun ranrw"also cruses tl'wse dates, llow+w° woo', the itincrarn nwat s that Baker's is .:"auy+ is 0uosre lw urudwrwlirn ,fbr
June'7,
o Why is there at single night being n autwaanlced to tl'n l lyt:`Since(lie stay'is hosted"?
The atluneraainy is pvepaaradwl for the traveler"s hint6rannartion."Hosted"on the utuanw rtur'y untcaans Mawr tra vele da;esn t luau +
to pay,()l"t un ffic resort Covers,(lie Slay; Sanunn tlrraws NwnvwimrnP (or in this case, 1,,IA)has gwanid When the resior
doesn't cover tlnwa wlnanle w'.an'wt,they,rutlw;nn cover t'°anrt ofthe stay or charge as reduced rate:.
Respectfully,
Sandy
Nr°waarm anPR
146 —
Noah Browmn
From: sandy@ ruwery�a n p r,c:o rr�
Sent T[uosdi,,wy, Oclol�,xr 19, 2023 2-29 PM
To., Noah 8rcvwiiki,g
Subject,- AdmlnMrattve Fee hv6ces
iNj Lifulm"Wo—th wm�mlccl
17Y 2022: 1143511 1452A 147T1 14,)SA 1521/11550/1158111653/11684/1 1718
FY 2023: 11 763/1 17701/118 11'1 1843/118671/11890/1192611194,2/1 In)8
1"1rese invokx,,s are for the adininistrafive fee NewmanPR is enfifie'd lam pc-r ille contr r"t. flom"ever, I'ler ttic
conol,act,the ,ulmirfistnifivc ft,,c is tar be reimbur,,,,, I in ,irrcars,
o by is N'ewmmil,'R not aw(micing In'arrears,as p,er the contracc"
It has bern our practice w invoicc f6r, the trionthly fnx in the middicz oftl,'w irsonth. This �iflows us U')
wt,jmit ot,w biHs finicly f(,,,wy payrnent at the end(,,)f the mcmth,,
Respectfully,
S,a n d y
NewmanPIR
147 —
Frorn: RUSS Yagel<;RYALP'lam LY!awj,2m>
Sent:Thursday,December 21,2023 3:09 PM
To:Noah Brownrng<LiLrc_)w�
Q:Theresa Dawn isqdav s LVilylqy qgLm>
j_ L
Subject.Payroll Data
You don't often get es-naif frown umt!@h—ty1Lt&2M 11JULWhy-this"M n�Ln. t
L--Sq—
Noah:
With respect to yours of December 15, 2023, as I expect you know, Stuart Newman
Associates, Inc. a/k/a/ NewmanPR ("NewmanPR") has multiple clients.
All of NewmanPIR's employees are salary)'exempt and do riot turn in payroll
timecards. Also,there are no reductions for vacation or sick days reported as such time is
informally tracked (but not reported) since it is paid time off, and it has not exceeded
allowable absences, To the contrary, NewmanPR's staff members consistently work well in
excess of 2,080 hours per year.
AdditionaHy, Key Personnel asset reed to the NewmanPR clients or jobs do not maintain time
sheets or job cards where they identify time associated with performing tasks for specific
clients, and the contract wlth the County does riot require them to do so.
Attached are redacted surnmary reports for the past three years showing the names of`the
employees and the hours reported for the employees for each year. I have also attached a
redacted report showing the hours worked by employees during the most recent payroll
period.
Please note„aS Of Rine 1,2023,Buck Banks is no longer an employee of New,manPR but does do work as
an independent contractor.
The TDC was informed of this change and his successor, Julie Elfis, pursuant to the
succession plan provided to the TDC pursuant to the contract, assumed his role as senior
vice president
Also, Carol Shaughnessy has never been treated as an employee and always been
comperisated as an independent contractor for services performed for New manPR , which is,
separate and apart from her services as a stringer, and it is for this reason that she is not
reflected in payroll..
You are correct in your statement that the contract allows you to obtain payrofi information
of NownianPR, but implicit in the contract is also the requirement such request must be
made in good and not for, any improper purpose,
— 148 —
Because NewmanPR does riot record speoffim tirne dedicated to a chent or require its staff
to cornplete payroll time shoots, detailed data concerning the wages paid to Key Personnel
or,other,NewmanPR ernppoyees, during any pay period and/or the total wages paid to swath
persons during the year,cannot yield any vafid conclusions regarding whether,Key Personnel
fisted in the contract are the persons actually performing the services.
As we understand it,the detailed information you have requested wM be subject to public
disclosure.Under these 6rCUMStV1CeS, any such disclosure would MSUft it)a gross and
urVustrfied invasion of the privacy of the New manloR employees and damage to NewrnanPR's
bus4iess interests as weU.
It is for these reasons we ask you accept the inforrnation provided instead of the detailed
information you are requesting,
With best regards,vwo are
Very truly Yours,
Russell A. YagO, is
r y A Le I�Ai ilY-Laff S—0M
Hershoff, Lupine&Yageq, LLP
88539 Overseas Highway
Tavernier, FL 33070
Phone:305-852-8440
Fax 305-852-8848
Fronu Russ Yag0<Ryfflp�-L�Ia.wxom>
Sent:Monday,December 18,2023 2;5,4 PM
To:Noah Srowning�,nlLr ownir° i amu unroe rler k, >;Theresa Davis<!L�xis-2-t�Y11Aaaq>
Subjert:Re.Audit of Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc,
You don't often get ernafl ftorn
NoM
I an)in receipt of your re-sponse.Please note,we need additional time to respond to your cornments
and compile any agreed upon information due to limited staffing throughout the holidays„but we wdl
pf ov de same as soon as possible.
Russ YagO
149 -
With best regards,we are
Very truly yours.
Russell A.Yagel,Esil.
m4.e.qjL:tit )i—w.mQ.m
Hershoff,Lupincr&YagO,LLP
88539 Overseah Highway
Tavernier,Fl,33070
Phone:305-852-8440
Fax:305-852-8848
.........................................................................................................................
From-Noah Browning<nbrownjngk���?
Sent.,Fhday,December 15,2023 4:17 PM
To:Theresa Davis<Ldavjs2hjyNWXOM>
Cc:Russ Yagel<aYy,0@HLY�aw.cnrn>
SubjecC RE:Audit of Stuart Newman,Associates,Inc.
Good Afternoon Mr,Pagel,
I have received your response to rosy request for payroll mforniatiorr.First,I would like to express
inyappreciation for the ongoing cooperation from your client I would also like to clarify that I do
not want air),, personal rafonnation (stich as social securit,y nurnbers, any account information,
her addresses,etc),
NewrnaaPR's contract with Monroe, County assigns specific people to certain toles (Key
Personnel), There is air expectation that the principal personnel performing services are those
personnel listed NewtnanPR's contract does not exclude.payroll records from audit, In addition
to the pa)jott records,requested,we are also requesting copies of tunesheets/tinie records used to
process payroll T'he review of these records are a necessary for us to complete oast audit tesung
Please provide the requested by the close of business of Wed,Dec.20,2023
Thank you in advance for your continued cooperation
Sincerely,
Noah
Noah Browning
Senior Internal Auditor
Kevin Nfarlok,CPA
Clerk of the,Circuit Coral&Comptroller
500'%Intehead Street,Key West,Florida,33040
Phone 305-292.3439
W%'Wm1onrOe-c1(-rLCojn
150
PLEASE NOnTE: The information contained rn tHs mesa and any acrompanying a"w-lhnients fray
contain privileged,private,and/of confidential information protected by,state ainidl federal law.if you
have received this information in error,piease notify the sencleir immediatOy anid destroy the
information.
Florida has a very broad pubfic records law.Most written communications with any pub4c agency in the
course of its official business are public record,and available to flie pubfic and media upon request.Your
e-mad communication with this office may be subject to public disclosure,
Fr warms Theresa Davis<141�Ir�Rhl L�wxrp
Sent:Friday,December 8,2023 12:26 PM
To-Noah row niing,'L�firo LylLngL-x),,12onrop- g",
Cc.,,Russ Yagell qRY2g2pt@ HINw.corn>
Subject:Audit of Stuart Newman,Assodates,In,c.
wou donli oftem Cer emaH from Lit Loam w LM 6 On dmm
Dear Mr.Browning,
Please find corresporridence fronn,Mr.Yagel,attached hereto.
Ilieresa L Davis
Legal Assisumt to
Russell A, agel,Esq.
H L Y
Hefshoft VvP4010&Yogti'LLP
8"Orfuys 4%1,A%
88539 Overseas H gIrwa3
Taverniei�,FL 330,70
(305)$52-8440
151
November 17, 2023 Written Response to Auditor Questions
n
t�ylC "wry""tubr�thtP"�'�
r avaaroy�w�q°��aruaru
Nov. 17, 2023
Mr. Noah,Browning
Senior IInternal uaidttur
Clark of the Circuit Cuuuurt&Comptroller
Ott Whitehead Street
Key West„Fhruruda
Via e-mail
Dear NoaK
f am combining your second round of questions to Sandy as well as these regarding
Graphics 71 your sent to me.
Before f address your specific questions. III feet it's umjprwrtant to let you knows that we take
the spending of TDC P,R expenses wary seriously and work difugentfy to rruuuwirruw e
expenses without sacrificing quality of work,
It is�iimportant to emphasize that in,the 43 completed years of service to Monroe County
we have never exceeded the budget, More often than not, we Ihave Cme Way sunder
budget,That is because we are extrer neily conscientious and dui our best to get the imost
barwq out of the TDC expense r10 lfar.
With that said...
KBC and t ut Pre-Approval for Expenditures
• Per the contracts between NewinanPRand both, LMA and KBC, expenditures
exceeding$5010 rruuust he approved in advance by NevvivanPR. Please provide the
agency request and the NewmanPR approval for the tdttruw ur"uq:
• trawa~ ce 120,04 World Ocean Day Marketing Expense
• Invoice 1 y qty KBC Samuel Bradley Press 't"hp and Mwhette Jackson the Novel
Traveler
• Invoice 11851 LMA Kaitfi n Nardso and Ulf Hoherndarf'Press't' tau
• Invoice 11802,KBCIGIA t L t'yt Conference Attendance
• Invoice 11728,,LMA Discover America Day
Page t of
152 ^-
Mir Noah Growning
Nov 17,202 3
Invoice 11'6 7 1:KBC Group FAM''"rip to Florida Keys
Invoice 11658: LMA WAC Conference
Invoice 11'6310- KBC O ut There LG87`0 Campaign and FVW Media Partnership
Woice 11628:KBC Martin Perry Press Np
Invoice 11286: KBCIGIA IMM Conference Registration
Some of the above are contained within the PIR marketing plan which is approved
by the TDC board and BOCC,while others are verbal or email approvis,following
frequent Zooms or phone calls between agencies. There Is no requirement for
these approvals to be in writing. It has always been about not exceeding the
expense budget,
Stringer Contracts
0 The contract between Greg Tiomba and' NewnianPF? states that the scope of
services is to include representation of the agency at Key West Busirwss Guild'
meetings, with the compensation beiing "the flat rate professional fee"of
$2,350.
# My review of Newo)anPR invoices found instances of reimbursements for Key,
West Business Guild events, Since flat rate fees include expenses, hourly costs,
markup, etc, aselparate reimbursement would not be alowable (the point of nat
rate being that the risk is on the subcontractor to,maximize protil), Moreover, the
contract between Newman PR and Mr. Tromba does not provide for expense
reirnbursement or describe what expenses would be allowable.
0 My is Newinan,PR reimbursing for the Key West Business Guild since the
compensation to Mr. Tromba is flat rate, and his scope of service requires
attendance at Guild events?Flat rate professional fee describes a, fixedrymnithly
fee as opposed to an hourly rate, Although he is no longer associated with
Newman,PR,please provide a siqned copy of the contract,
Per the contract under Terms of Agreement, item#3, travel and expenses wvilli be
reimbursed,Signed contract is attached.
* The contract between Mr. rrornbal annul'Newman,PR requires monthly reports of all
activities expended on behalf the TDC. Aease provide copies ot the reports for
January Cl222 through the tern,)ination of his contract (April 2023 1 believe). To
simplify the process,please forward the emailed reports.
* 'rhe contract between Carol Shaughnessy and Newman PR states that she is to
provide a manthly report tint all activities and hours expended on behalf of the
agency(under both the stringer and public relations contracts).
* The contract between Jo Nell Modys and Newman PR states that the scope of
services requires contributions to the agency's six-week report of all activities
expended on behalf of the TDC. Please provide the conthbutions froin Ms, Modys
Page 2 of 5
153
Mr Noah MownOg
Nov,17,2023
for the six-week reports from October 2022 to present. To simplify the process,
please forward the emaded reports.
In order to streamline the process and keep our stringers, engaged in work that
benefits TDC,we no longer require imon'thly reports from them.Rather,we meet via
Zoom twice a week to evaluate the status of projects and work needed and
completed.In the end,all work is reflected in our six-week reports to the TDC and!
District Advisory Committees. Reports,follow this document.
Selected Reimbursement In voices
* Invoices 11750, and 11176.:, The invoice is for reirnbursement for expenses
associated with WFAA"s Good Motmnq 'Texas. Invoice 11750is dated September
30, 202Z but the affidavit is dated for Novernber 9, 2022 and notes payment was
made on November 9, 2,0,22, Similarty, Invoice, 11176 is dated September 30,
2020, and the affidavit is also dated for, September 301, 20 01, However, the
payment is dated as October 20, 20201.
* Please explain why these invoices were sent prior to payment being made. The
contract between Newmar)PR and the TDC states that expenses must be pad
prior to seeking reimbursement
It has been our practice to date the billing in the applicable fiscal year. Bills
submitted after Sept 310 are dated September 30, not when actually submitted. In
both of these cases, we paid W'FAA's bill the same day we submitted our bills to
TDC.
* Please provide proof of payment for both invoices.
2020 bill paid 10,12012020 by Ink credit card-attached
2022 bill paid I IM2022 by check 12,38 Bank of America Op.attached
Invoice 11524: 'The invoice is reimbursement torlonch hosted by Mr.Newman Wth
the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Florida Highway Patrol, and Florida
Department of Transportation.
The reimbursement request foan attached notes that actual costs are reimbursable
only if meeting with travel writers, tout, brokers, or others connected with the
industry. In addition,, the contract between Newman and the TDC allows
reimbursement only for entertainment of media and travel expenses.Similarly, the
scope of services states NewmanPRis to interface with county officials,How does
NewmanPRjustify this expense as atlawable within the contract?
The purpose of the lunch meeting was included with the invoice Noah. That said,
here's a more detailed!explanation,Beyond the sheriffs office representatives that
there was also a Keys-basied Florida H�ighway Patrol officer and representatives of
maple,3 of 5
154 —
Mr Noah Browning
Nov 17,2023
the Florida Department of Transportation.As you can imagine, an unencumbered
Florida Keys Overseas Highway is not only pertinent for tourism flow to and within
the Florida Keys, but also a priority for residents as well. We maintain
communications' conduits with all agencies because we want to be able to
communicate - if needed - projects in advance to prepare our visitors for any
potential delays. In the case of this lunch meeting, at a very modest Islamorada
restaurant, the purpose was to ensure that FDOT contractors (that have replaced
FDOT staff in the Keys)was communicating with MC SO,as well as FHP,regarding
the then upcoming Sea Oats Beach highway project which was set to be a two-year
raising of the highway between MM 73 and 75,as well as other associated projects
throughout Lower Matecumbe they. That project is in final completion now and
throughout the process delays and traffic backups have been minimized. I truly
believe that that the meeting was a contributory reason why things went smoother
than it might have been.
# Invoice 11671: The invoice is a reirribursement to NewmanPR for KSC expenses
associated with a group FAM trip. In reviewing the supporting documentation,there,
is a charge for international data for Mr. Ezra, The contract between KBC and
Newman Pr states that the fee paid to K8C is inclusive of all communications
charges.
0 My did NewmanPR reimburse KBC for the data charges?
Long-distance calls while traveling have long been reimbursable for TDC business
and Sandy assumed that the $,81.25 was modern iteration of long-distance calls.
She should not have assumed.
Journal Entries and Time Sheets
• Please provide the Journal entries(Quickbook screen shots or Quickbooks
report)and the firne sheets for the following invoices with Graphics 71
reimbursement
11216
11400
11414
* 11419
* 11433
o '11481
* 11734
* 11795
* 11982
The journal entries follow.I do not do written time sheets for Graphics 71
invoices.
Photography Services
Page 4 of 5
— 155 —
Mr.Noah Brownmg
Nov. 17,2 2;
�► Please provide the market r m t rate analyses for the 5 hourly rate and the t 55
hourly rate,
l have never performed a market rate analysis. l believe our rates are,more than
fair,otter tmrlltwrrmmr clients significant cost savings based on the level of expertise
and our,proven results.
How does Newman NewmanPR determine which events are to be photographed l by
Graphics 71 versus other photographers?
It depends ray the iimiportance of the story to the Keys„ my ww mmlmmlmlllt nd distance to the
story location as well as miy ability to actually perform the job, For instance, N do not.
possess the drills to facilitate underwater ptmmmtmm rmmplm w nor ammo l an accompfished
videographer. l endeavor to hire people pl r lmmm not only have excellent photograpHc skills,
but understand t needs of news which are different than advertising or other
marketing platforms,
Most sincerely,
Andrew A, Newman.
n.
r Sandy Campbell
Page
156
Appendix IV
Monroe County
Attorney
Legal Analysis
157
+4A +�`4ay4�+�"°1Cy com n a ;+r
County my Monroe aYw«a craq ayaiem,Damatt°uaa 1
The Florida Kevs MicbeUeLi walau,Daaarswa 2
raaaies:t Soch*l➢.:Llawtu a n
Pemtawa t Nterwadoc x Aa uwtaxat Co=ty Atntmey,
CrAtWa L,RaU,Sr Atazrotaaaat Co=ry An=eyrI'*
Derek V HowanL'Lr.Awwcwaaamt t»'mmwmrmry Aatomey" comic*of Rhe C on sty Attttraraey
'Wn uaaae L r ben-Barraamwrm"A mwaataaw d aama try"Aatm mey* 1 n t r t ^""Street.a(we"t E
Peaec as Mwrraa,Attaim=a Comm AaCaascaea w* Key""teas,FL 5,040
nraeph X DtNovo,Ammmw Cm rr Amavrxeyy— (n y)„lhtran.5,p FIX
EeUy Dug=,Am ua taaa C rmmmary Ananvy
Cnamaamaa Corw Asttmttmi tt:wm=n,s Aaaarrwwa^a
taachatta Anse Amttamtta»mtt L,o%=ry Aattroaaaey-
w w B aaar�Certified 6a d:u .1,aw.a m m;l.Law
To` 1'xvirn Madax»alc„Monroe C"unurrt'tyr Clerk of Courtmid Comptroller
Through: Robert B Shilhua er,Monroe County Attomeyr
From, Christine 1.imbert-1 aarrows„assistant,County' ttor neyr
Date, Noven'nnlaer 7,2023
Re: Stiml,,Newtumi.Associates,Irrc "s A reennaernt Scope of Services relating t:
The Clerk's audit recaarnnnnmndatnunnn to the" BOCC to tanlrae irnarnnediaate action to work with
the,TtC'tcn deternuuinue flue nue t steles for addressing the seem---- 'lyr the double billing of
smices by the TDC" ,s Ptiblic Relattom Agency of Record or clarify,these services,
Thus uurenum anuduunnn addres s the scope of services me er Stuuart Newman, Associates,,llinc,,'s
(Net rnn )Agreement for professional l ubfic relations agency smices as it relates to the"above
,referenced"audit finding aanad specifically whether lnluratcu naluhy:nand%ideci rauphy services for which
rennnnbuursemennt was, sought aa;re sen ices included in the scrape of services.The Cminty and NeasnnuaaruPl..
entered into this Agreement on August 17.alt�t22,for the period of October 1 2021-stud txpiriag,taro..
September ber 30.201251.The Agreernent my be,extended for an additional Q 2l two-year period.
The Scope of Senrnces in Rmagxaph 2,of the gmernnennt reaads as follows,
2, Scae,o_f S Mjc j- The Contractor will se ate as the full-service
public relations agency for tine Monroe County, and Comity, 'Me
Contractor-sand the,public relations lnrca rkanm are subject to review by flue
Monroe C'ciuurn yw TDC
A keys Personnel: This Agreement is an professional seivice
. dr,.tnenut with earpectaatiott, that principal ncipal scmntrnel perfonning the
sen ices are those,'lnerscrnnael listed. Notice of my change in personnel sha11
be sent to the TDC for approval, The principals assigned acre the following',
n.
158
1) Andrew k'Newriza President-md Account Supervisor
2) Buck Bmiks, Senior Vice President and Copy EdoovOtilure Media
Director'Strateggic Director
3) Carol Shauglmessy,Senior Account Executive
Contractor slWl have a successor ply for the Key Persm iel of President
and Senior Vice President of the agency. The successor planshall include
Who nray take over the obligations and duties of the former TDC's Key
Principal in the event of incapacitated illness,death or other circumstmces,
tbal render die,Key Principal unable to perforni their&ties and obligatiotu
under this agreemem The Contractor Qmll provide their successor plan to
the TDC adrninistrative office within 30 days of approval of this,agleement
by the County, The Contractor shall anread said successor plan.as needed,
to ensure it renmins Current,In the event that the TDC'does riot approve the
Key Persomel, the Counr may lenninate the Agmernent in accoi&mce
with section Is
ADDITIONAL MINIMUM STAFF PERSONNEL ASSIGNED:
1) Account F-\ecutive
2) Media mamager
3) Account Suppov
4) Fiiitixe,Accatuit)'C'Ieiieel Support
In addition, the agency will sub-contract with Keys-based individwils to
provide for an Upper Keys/Middle Keys snutget" Lower Keys/Key West
stringer, mid m LGBTQ- market stringer to be funded fi-oin the public
relations ex1mrse budget-
B. Tire Senior Account Smdenisor and/or account executhresball meet u%'fth the
Monroe County TDC at all regularl�.!sellecluled meefings of the TDC and
.Advisory Conmurtees,and at my other tisanes as directed by the TDC,
C Contractor ap-ees to,assign a Pul)hc Relations Sera or Account Supervisor
Who will devote such nine and etTorl is necessx7 to The account on a
priority basrs, including ftill time when reqtured, Duties of the Senior
Account Supmlsor will include contact as required with the Chairperson
or Vice Clumrpeason of the TDC. Marketing Director or other designee,
interfacing"rith offiff agencies of record such as Ad%vvisiug and Website
provider a ,directed by the TDC relating to the developnxnn sal"an effective
marketing piogrzan for the Florida Keys Either the accomt salpervisor,
account mcntive, or district stringer will consult with TDC Advisory
Conunittees within the keys.
1 , Provide staff senices to timmage conmrimications., to develop awareness.
promote favorable nmige and goodwill for the Florida keys tourism
product,
2
159
E, Provide the development of favorable national and international publicity
for the Florida Keys tourisin product
F Provide the establishment and maintenance of contacts with print.internet
and broadcast niedia including bloggets and social media influencers
G, Provide,the preparation of digital media kits and art otiline tx%v sloom
R Coordinate development and distribution of news materials for trade and
consuinef media
I Develop and coord"ite nu fintiliarization tours for the Florida Keys,
and assist titedia nichkiing travel bloggers and wcial media influencers as
needed during individual visits In addition. develop and coordinate,
inner ines for broadcast crews and provide onsite saipport as needed
J WoTk xvith media personnel to gather infortnation for their reports
K. Develop the public relations section of the TDC"s amuml marketing Plan
establishing objectives and measinable goals ivInle interfacing with
progrants produced by the advertising agency and sales department
L, Provide representation of TDC at selected trade shows, salesVniedia
missions,FA NI tours,inedia workshops,and jotunalist conferences
M. Provide at least one representative to attend TDC ineetinggs'- District
Advisory Conirantee,(five individual DACs);' cultural,diving. fishing and
Key West Business Guild meetings.
N, Provide periodic written and/or oral reports on public relations activities to
the TDC'and District Advisory Committees
0, Provide the establishment and niamigentent of Agreements with sub-
agencies for internatiotial,specialty or other public relation nuukets and/or
progranis,
R Prepare for vid respond to emergency crisis situations that affect tourism
and provide a crisis communications program w1itu needed. working in
conjunction with Keys Emergency Management and other local. state and
federal entities as appropriate,
Q Coordinate crisis coninninications trairring for selected Keys totirisin
officials
R hiterface vvith Comity officials xid other local municipalities to consult
xvidi and provide communicatiotis,assistance,to deal with issues that relate
3
160 -
to tounsin.
S Provide media traitor g for TDC staff' an&or TDC Board members as
deeimed appropriate,
T, Provide contentsuppon for TDCA'eb site and social triedia chmmels,
U, Provide publicity before.,during.and after selected speciii events,
V Provide assistance to the Florida Keys Film Collullission,
W, Maintain aPP
, ropriate records ofprun clippuigs. intemet, and tmoadcnst
Coverage,
X Provide development ind mannenmice of%ideo and still anage libraries,
Y, Provide a measumbaity process to evalmite the public relations prog.X1111s,
Z, Provide inIpleillfluati011 of SUCII semcesas oullniedwithin time objectives,
goals. and strategies of the muuW rimtketing plan,
AA Perforni sucli other public relations acrivities as requged by th,e TDC
Thescape of services as set forth above does riot niclude photog%aphy or videograpby services or
pro(hiction,
ne-amriud agency adininisitrition fee"is,courpensation for"`the Performance of all public relations
staff senrices,outlitied within the Scope of mices as defined by[the]Agreement mid the approved
?%larketitig Platen"
Pia;,raph 3. Con4vusafion of the AgTeernent provides that "compensation shall be paid fbi fees and
reimbursable expenses,subject to availability of Tourist Developarent Tax Funds-The Agreement then
provides Illat the"Agency Fee"is for"the perforrilatice of all public relates,staffed services outlined
witlini,the Scope of Services as defined by t1lis Agreeinent"arid"Renubursable Expemses"is "for all
acam I expenses nicmed for comm cted staff,,inedia nialmials,postage,shippirig,clipping senrices,
special event,support,research,Nvebsite maintenmize, promotional items,senimars or sbow registrations,
5Lib-agency Agreenients.enterl a innient of media,jg—oa"k I I t swwg-P-11 Qtaglwlpv�§19 alkast ImAm 101-1
kflier vjAto=daudjoTiolgcts,travel expenses and all o'dier projects or Production materials that we
necessary for the fulfilltnent of this Agreement-and-zooiri and video conferencing".
"Broadcast support,photograplry,broadcast production,other%ideo,and audio pro)ects"is listed as a
reimbursable expense under the agreement" Reinibirsable Expenses under the aggeentemtare outside of
the Scope of Jaen ices amid are in addition to the almlial agency adaunistration feeiagency fee,
Based upon the contractwil provision,it is my opinion that the invoices for Photography orvideography
smices arid prodixtion are no services that are included wider the Ageement's ScLW of Services mid
therefore,are not services included in the annual agency adimnistration fee or"Agency Fee-,No rather
they axe specifically listed as"reinibmsable expenses" Tliusininyiiea%,,no doable bilhageusts far
,
these set-vices,tuider the provisions of the contract as set forth in detail above.
4
161
Th*Agr**nxent between the County and NawmarwFIR for the petaled of October 1,2017,to September 30,2020,which was
extended to September 30,2022,has substantWIV the same Scope of Sar,Oces as the current Agreement for Publr:R*Wifon
$#Mr"
4 3�Ls ern Rfftj"W : col"Pensalion that de,Pa4d for fees and roontru"erytent expenses,sub)ert to ava0abiNty of Tourist
Drivel,opment Tax Funds Monroe,County"s performance and obtigatkon to p ay under this Agmerment a contingent upon
an annuW appropriation by the Monroe County Sward of County Commissooriors.
A, &tuy-fw.: Laduqa—s fatLkd
Markeij2g Nan for an annuad agency adrn6npstrwtGorr fee of$731698, The Contractor shaU submit to the
CDC',rnontWy bidings rrr arrears for one-twefth(1/12)oaten anmW agency fee, TheContractorthaPhave
aH ftes p aced on 4ivvices thin have the proper approved purdtase,order account niumbts and foAcw
County requmernents for payroom FoUowmg the,third Vast, tho Ccrunry has an op 6ofn to extamd this
Agreement for an addaionam two(2)pear period under the same conditicrns subj*rt to negotoition of
monetary terms'(under Agreernenr negovations th s n7ay be subjeor to monetary terms,stpon SO doys
Pnor Voritten ousvce of the Apreemenr exrension to Contractor)
Re"erne bnu,j#are ent EIg&n., AD reimbursaWe experuJiluses paW by the County shaH be subkoct to the
annuaB pubfic Watf*ns experta,bud et appraved bythe'TDC and County.The Firm shaB heve,0 exp*nses
p acxrd Cin pOVOKOS that have the proper approved ptuchase order account number,have been pitW for
lby th* agency to tho vondcw befoio being submated for r6mbussement wnh product or s*rvkts
doWe,red,and toflow olhor County for paVrnorrt,
Th#Contractor wOl bo reimburced at cost for aH actuaW expenses pnzurred for contracted staff,medwa
mateoWs, postage, stupping,OWpmg strvvaei,special event support, research, wettiae maintenance,
promotrcinaV itenn,s*irinars or show regostravons, sub-agency Agreerments, entertainment of rntr$4,
broadcast support. I travew*xptnots
and atIl othor prq*cls or producuon matesoWs that are mircossary for tho tur!'WIniont of this Agre,eiment
and ha,ve been approved in advance by the TIDC pest Year Nlaoke6ng PWt or budget accordong to
&4onroo(.�ount)rProcure, went Pohkie,s, lh&Contwactor'st0octi,miniun(cation sei'vuces are incpt,ailed antheipr
pmf*ss�6onap feoswrth the exception&Zoom and othtr vkluW conferonco progrann,
162 -
Appendix V
NewmanPR
Lower Keys/Key West
Stringer Contract
- 163 -
Agreement for Stringer Services
"This document is a contract between NewrrianPR, d/b/a Stuart Newman,
Associates, Inc,, and Carol ShaUgIVMSSY, all independent contractor, for ce�,rtain
Florida Keys& Key West pubfic reiaUons services on behalf of the Monroe
COUnty, Flodda, Tourkst Dovelopment Councli (I DG),
"rl'w contract with be between Carol&i°naugtwnessy, 1411 Sun Terrace,Key
West, FL 33040, and IY ewin,wanPR, d/b/a Stuart Nemflan Associates linc.,
(Agency) 2140 Southi Dxie Highway, Sufte 2013, Miarrii, FL 33 133 as Public
Relations Agericy of""lReco,r(,iftirroc,
SCOPE SERVICES
pn fUlfilling the Scope of Work aftHs Agriecnnet)l, Shaughnessy agrelesto:
1. Provide seMces as as correspondent (known In the cornrnunk;aUorls
profossiorr as as 'strint ger)in the Lower Keys arid Key West, 'ea sponsibMfles
will indude, but ate not finifted to, identifying, rosearchkig and writing stories
that have potential to favorably reflect on tourisrn„ research and Haison with
hospitality industry personnei 41 the areas;preparing the agency's periodic
Mstdct Advisory Committees' and TDC re port working with the regions,
speciai events coordinator to develop pub relations support matehW;
w6rking with We and taped broadcast production personnel and spot
coverage ofspe6ai events as deslgriated by the agency,
2.Other ser0ces Inckide escorting indMdURI tr-cJV01 journaHsts or groups of
visiting journalists to the re&ns. rranging stoiry-gathering Itineraries for
visithig jourriaftts, When necessary, fact-checking stories arid visitor
g0debm)k rnanuscripts.
3. Ropresent the agepcyant TDC IDistrict E arid 11 distdct adv�sor,y cot,in6i
rune efings; TDC rneeting and other ineefings or gathedngs when directed by lbe
agency,
4. if needed, repiresent the agency and TDC at 0Ut-0f-l1DWV1 events
designed t rornote tourisirn to,the Keys,
5. Shaughnessy a!gmes to piraviidea, inondilly report of all activifies and hours
explenic1ed an behalf of Ore TDC.
- 164 —
TERMS OF AGREEMENT
I., The crAitract will extend from Oct. 1, 2 022,through Sept.30, 2025, and the
flat rate professional fee Is $4,625.00 (four thousand five hundred eight five
dollars)per month.All fee and expense payments are subject to availability
of TDC funding by the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners,
2. Forty-five (45)days of notice of termination of this contract In writing,with or
without cause, Is required by either party unless specifically otherwise
agreed by mutual consent,
3. All travel and expense reimbursements are to be made as per existing
Monroe County, Florida, finance office procedures. Expenditures for any
local taxes or South Florida airport parking are not reimbursable in
accordance with existing guidelines. The finance office frequently updates
procedures.
4. Shaughnessy Is a permanent Monroe County resident and is the
holder of a current Monroe County, Florida, or C4 of Key West
occupational license.
5. Shaughnessy acknowledges she is an independent contractor to Stuart
Newman, Associates, Inc. and is responsible for her own insurance,
including liability, health, auto and accident coverage as well as
employment benefits and all taxes and social security payments.
6. Shaughnessy agrees to be governed by the general limitations of the
Agency's current contract with Monroe County which Includes a prohibition
against communications work for Individual resorts or tourist attractions
within the Florida Keys without prior approval "by Stuart Newman, Associates,
Inc. The contract also prohibits work for another Florida TDC without prior
approval by the agency and Monroe County.
Signed and agreed upon this 2"nth day of September, 2-022.
Carol Shaughnessy Stuart Newman, Associates, Inc.
d/o/a Nle��Tanl?R
Do�
Andrew A. Nb man,
Prosklent
— 165 —
Appendix VI
NewmanPR
Senior Account
Executive
Contract
- 166 -
Agreementfor Public Relations Se ices
This docurrent is a contract betwoon Stuart Newmwi, Asso6ates, Inc. (d/b/a
New rnanPR)and Carol Shaughnessy, an independent contractor, for public
ro afions services priniarfly geared, but not limited, to the Florida Keys.
The contract wifl bo between Carol Shaughnessy, 14 11 Sun Terraco,Key
West, FL 33014,t1, and Stuart Newiman Associates, Inir, d/t,)/'a Newmanf,"IN,
(A4,y)ncy)2140 Souith Dxie Highway, Suite 2013, Miami, FL 33133 aS PUbfic
Relations Agency-of.Rerord for TDC.
I S,CO,PE OF' SERVICES
ln fufffflling flu,,, 05cop e of Weerk of this Agreement, Shaughnessy agrees t :
1. Provide public relaUoirrs and rnedia, relations servicx,,,s inicluding, but not
limited to, identifying, researching and w6fing stories that have poterifial to favorably
reflect on toudsm research and liaison with hospitWity industry personnei in the
areas;working w0 the regions'spe6alll events coordinator to develop PLIbft
relations support material and spot coverage of specW events as designated by
the agency,
2 Other servk.es include escorfing irw(fividu6l travel journahsts or groups of
visiting journalists to the regions, Arranging story-gatherl rig iflnerarres for visiting
jOlUrnahsts. When necessary, fact-checking stoiries and visitor guidebook
nianuscripts.
Represent the agency at meetings or galhedngs when &ected by the
agency,
4. If needed,represent ttle agoicy at oot,-of-town events designated by the
agency.
5, Shaughnessy agrt,)es to provide a monthly report o,f all activities and
hours expended on behalf of the agency,
TERMS OF AGREEMENT
The contract vd�,Ii exteindfrom 010- 1, 2022,through Sept.301, 2025,
arild the flat rate professional fee wHI be $3,710.010 par rnonth, st,ibjeicl to 0 ie
availability of funds from Moinroe County Board of County Cornirrrdssloinots,
2. Forty-five(45)days of notlCe of torrnination of thls contract in,writing, witt or
— 167 —
without cause, is, required by either party uniess specifically otherwise agreed
by mutual consent.
3a All travel and expense reimbursements, are to, be made as per
exIsfinig Monroe County, Florida, finance office and/or agency procedures.
Expenditures for any lea,l taxes or South Florida airport parking are not
reirnbUrsabik) in accordance with existing guldefines. The finance office
frequiently updates procedures.
4. Shaughnessy is a permanent Monroe County resident and Is the
holder of a ctirrent Monroe County, Florida, or Key West, Flaeg
occupational license,
5,. Shaughnessy acknevviedges she Is an independent contractor to
Stuart Newman Assoclates/NewnianPR and is responsible for her own,
insurance, Including! liability, health, auto and accident coverage as well
as employment benefits and all taxes and social security payments.
6. Shaughnessy agrees to be governed by the gioneral firnitaflons of the
Agency's current contract with Monroe County Board of County
Commissioners 'that Includes a prohibition against work for Individual
resorts, or tourist attractions within the Florida Keys,without prior approval by
Stuart Nlowman Associates, The contract also prohibits work for another
Florida tourist development council or convention and visitors' bureau
vAthout prior approval by Monroe Counity,
7. As an independent contractor to, Stuart Newmain, Associates, Inc,,,
Shaughnessy may be called upon to do other work not related to TDC,
&gned and agreed upon this 27th day of September, 2022'.
Carol Shaughne6s ,
/ndrew A. Newman,
President
Stuart Newman, Associates, Inc.
d/b/a NewmanPR
— 168 —
Appendix VII
Auditee
Response
With
Clerk Rebuttal
- 169 -
Kevin Mado , CPA
Clerk of the Circuit Court& Comptroller _Monroe County, Florida.
Following is NewmanPR's response to the audit report. Because we have fundamental
disagreements with statements made by the auditee in the response, we are compelled to provide
the following clarifications so the public has a full understanding of the Clerk's responsibilities as
the County's auditor and comptroller as well as an understanding of the audit.
The Florida Constitution tasks the Clerk's Office with being the County's auditor. In this role, the
Clerk is expected to protect the County's assets and ensure funds are being expended for a valid,
legal, and public purpose. To that end, the Clerk's Internal Audit Department conducts audits and
issues audit reports that identifies its findings as well as make recommendations, as needed, on
how to strengthen controls over the management of the County's assets. Similarly, as the County's
comptroller, the Clerk also conducts audits of vendor invoices submitted for payment by County
departments (including the TDC) to ensure that payments comply with the terms of the vendor's
contract in addition to applicable law, policies, and procedures.
As detailed on Page 2 of the auditee's response, following is a summary of the auditee's stated
positions and our corresponding responses:
(1) Statement: The Audit Contains false statement of fact. Response: This assertion is false.
Audits, by their nature, do not make statements of fact. Audits express conclusions based on
the evidence observed or examined by the auditor.
(2) Statement: The Audit expresses erroneous legal opinions regarding the requirements of the
Contract which the Clerk's Office is not licensed nor qualified to express. Response: This
position is false. This is an audit report which expresses findings based on an audit program;
the Clerk does not render legal opinions.
(3) Statement: The Audit report expresses opinions on matters which are not appropriate for an
audit and/or an audit of NewmanPR. Response: This position is not valid. The Clerk, as the
County's auditor, is expected to audit any entity expending taxpayer funds,no matter whether
the entity is a County Department or a third-party vendor. The purpose of the audit is to
reassure the public that the entity is expending the funds for a valid, legal, and public purpose.
(4) Statement.- The performance and issuance of the audit by the Clerk's office is improper and
in violation of any applicable auditing professional standards because the office lacks the
required independence. Response: This position is not valid. The audit was conducted in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence to provide a
reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on the audit objectives. The evidence
obtained provides a reasonable basis for the audit's findings.
KEY WEST MARATHON PLANTATION KEY
500 Whitehead Street 3117 Overseas Highway 88770 Overseas Highway
Key West, Florida 33040 Marathon, Florida 33050 Plantation Key, Florida 33070
— 170 —
The following provides further clarifications of misleading claims made in the auditee's response.
Graphics 71. The auditee's response presents a lengthy discussion about businesses using
fictitious names as a smokescreen to hide the real issues involving Graphics 71. Whether a
fictitious name is properly used by a business or whether a business is properly registered with the
State of Florida are not the audit's primary findings. Rather, checks made payable to Graphics 71
by NewmanPR were presented to the County as legitimate reimbursements of expenditures paid
to a third-party vendor.NewmanPR was not entitled to be reimbursed because NewmanPR did not
make the payments as they certified because, as stated by the Auditee, Graphics 71 is one and the
same as NewmanPR.
Clerk's Input into NewmanPR Contract. The auditee's response claims the Clerk has input into
the design and contents of NewmanPR's contract with Monroe County. This is a false statement.
The Clerk had no role in crafting or approval of NewmanPR's contract with the County.
County Attorney's Opinion. The auditee's response states that the Clerk provided an
inappropriate response to the County Attorney's opinion and runs afoul of professional standards.
This is a false statement. The audit tools no issue with the County Attorney's opinion. It simply
stated that the County Attorney's legal analysis was limited in its scope and had no bearing on the
audit's findings regarding NewmanPR's handling of reimbursed expenditures.
Misleading Certifications. The auditee's response presents a lengthy discussion regarding when
a check is paid but stays silent to the claim of misleading certifications submitted by NewmanPR.
The arguments presented are not relevant to the audit's findings. The County and the TDC relied
on the truthfulness of NewmanPR's notarized statement as proof the checks listed were cashed
and cleared the bank as required by County policy. The audit found that these notarized statements
were false.
— 171 ^-
HU11-0
':.... aM f4's
u �..
Febmar y 5,2024
Via E-umil Transmission
—tkbj,o
Noah Brmvnnig,Setuor Inten'tal Auditor
Kevin Nladok,(?A
Clerk of the Court anted'Contptroller
501)Whitehead Street
Key West.FL 33040
Re.Audit of Smmi Newrnmi Association,Inc,
Dean,Mr,Madok and Mr,Bromung:
As yo�u are aware, ota office represtrits Smart Newman, Associme%, Zinc. d;b a NewmanPR
()iereaflei'referred to as NeR?In,anpR),
The following coushnites the written response to the draft mda teporl prepared by your office,the
Clerk of the Cokul provided to Ne%vanIPR on January 19, 2024,arid clated Febmtry 5,
2024(Audit") The following sununarize's out Positions set failb in this respotme I:
I Althougli the Clerk provided our chent and I the oppoitutnty to respond to the current Audit,
NemmianFR was not given the opportunity to respond to the October 2023 midn of the Tourist
Development Council prior to The issuance of the report related to that audit,which was seenungly
premanirely issued 'hat rqoTI made incofrect allegations directed to NeivimmPR which were
subsequently explained and which the Clerk aclaimledges to be-feasouable-in the ctureur report
The mclusion o,f those incorrect 51memews lus already resulted in sigAificmt dunage to
NewmanPR,
Page I of 14
- 1 72 -
(1)The Audit contains false stateineim of fact,
(2)The Audit expresses erroneous legal opinions regarding the requifernents of the
Contract which the Clerk's office is not licensed not qualified to express.
(3) Tbe Audit report expresses opiaions on numers which are 1101 appropriate for an midit
and/of an audit of NeNvinanPR,
(4)The tvrforavince mid the issuance of the audit by the Clerk's office is Improper ail in
violation of any applicable auditurg,professional standards Ivcause the office lacks the
required independence
BACKGROUND
Newaran]?R was started by'Snizi G,Neamuvi,an lionored World War Il officer who steered the
organization until his March 24, 2010, death. NewinuTR began its relationship wvitb Mcnuoe
County~ on October 1, 1080, and it has piovided indispirtably inumiculate service to Momoe
county('Cotinty" helpilig 11 wivigale multiple and sigtificant crises whicli tIvemened the Keys
tourisan-based econoury.Those crises included the Mariel Boat Lift,Hurricane Georges Hurricane
Inna, Covid 19„ and the BP Oil Spill, just to nanie a few, In addition, the agency has either
developed of helped develop ,nvard-ivinnnig proactive programs that have helped 11w,Keys and
Keys officials deal with critical issues including a pioneering hurricane,visitor safety program and
a public mvweriess initiative to ensure that visitovs tuiderst.,uid the itiles during the state's lobster
sport(Inim-season)harvest season, Tliroupl'i it and its subcontractors' relationships with natiorial
aird international news outlets, the Flonda Keys &Key West are commonly featured in stories,
throughout the U S and the, world, Not kinexpectedly, the scope of semices provided by
Newnian]?R changed with glue ritries,adjusting to tecluwlogical advances and changes including
the inteinet,handheld computers(e-g-tPhanes and other smaTtphones),and the explosion of social
media, Succinctly stated, the platfornis upon which public telitimis,must tt inaiaaged changed
dramatically in the 43-year relatiouslup between the County, and NewnranPR with each new
technological change placing increased detnands on tire public relations agency. NeivIMOR
successfully shepherded Motiroe County through all of those changes. NewinanPR has newer
exceeded its allotted budget in the 43-year relationship with Monroe Cotinty NeornianPR's staff
consists of in-house fiffl-time employees and independent contractors. Those who know or knew
the pfiticipals of NewinauM the late Stuart Newman and.-Xnd+y Mnvrrian,know them to be people
of iminaculate character,honest and credible,Neivnia,nP'R has never retained an attorney to assist
at the negotiation or drafling of its contracts wiffilklontroe County nor did it,prior to the illegauorv.
made by the Clerk regarding Graphics 71 in the recent "mkirt"of the'Monroe ounty Touh,ir
Dr%,'eloprnent("OUnCil ("TDC")-,w&or Visit Flon&i Keys,have an ationrey providing advice in
connection%kith the use of fictitious winies or other"irporare related matters,
THE CURRENT CONTRACT
Because the Clerk iriappropriately expresses legal opinions which lie is neither licensed nar
qualified to do and also offets,comments regarding the adequacy of the"dell"between the County
Page 2 of 14
- 173 -
wid. NewkmanPR. a review of the strucnue of the present and controlling 0011tr3ct between
Ne,%vni.viPR and the Comity(Contract")and its critical terms is necessary,
t,,gar ce tu'all,the Contract provides for the payrnnrrt of in atumal fixed fee to NewnviuPR payable
in twelve eqml uistallments.The fee is for maitagernern of are County's pubhc relations fleeds.
Me Contract lays otil certain tecluisenients and mclodes i defused scope of work for wlitch the fix
fee is paid,.
Noticeably,the cuirrein Contract,and any past versions thereof,hm4�,nvvkir required NewinanPR
to exclusively dedicate itself or its employees to Momoe Coturty. nse, terins of the Contract
acknowledge that NelvinaulRand its staff will service other clients That being said,the scope of
ser%ices defined in the Contract, as a practical matter, place demands on NewNmianflR which
require, when measured m hours worked, the equivalent of several full-time employees and
occastonally demands,in employee work full time for Momot Coutity, The Contract also does
not require New,=OR to track tune conunitted to its ditties or Lave its employers log finte
associated with their duties under the Contnact,The best evalwition of Newnuril"R is the results
of its efforts,not a tuneilip,
Inaddirion to the fixed fee tine Contract also provides for the payinent,of the additional arnounts",
nit Contractor shall be reimbursed at cost far ill actwil expenses incurred for contracted
st,aff,wedia nutffwh.postage,shipping,clipping,sesnces„special event SAIPpVll,
website maintenance, promotional itents, serninars or show registritions, sub-agency
agreentents,eirtevaulinent of inedra,broadcast Production,other video mid audio piojects,
nvel expenses and all other all other projects or production materials that are necessary
for the Ailfillineirl of this Agreenieut and that have been approved in advance by tire M�
Fiscal Muketing,likin or budget accorduig to Mourot County procurement Policies
It is unpol-Wit to note that neither IN,above provisron,nor any other provision m the Contract,
pLaces any linutarrons on the ternis or agrectuents entered into with, iniongst others,contracted
staff.sub-agencres and entertaiturrent of media, Tbr�provision,which vests broad discretion in
Ne"mratiM,k particularly important to make a inental note ofbecause the Clerk's Audit expresses
opinions suggesting NewmanPR did siot complY"rith tile Contract,when in fact the deficiencies
claimed by the Clerk were not recpnred by the Ccnitract
UNREGISTEUD BVSV�ESS-GRAPHICS 71
One of the"big reveals"by the Clerk rs that Graphics 71 is ail"unregistered busuiess," The Clerk,
duouglia series of g7,qltious,Attempts to,characterize an admiftedly poor metbodology for billing
services performed by NewmatilR. and not covered by the fixed fee,I.vrtion of the Contract as
Pa, e 3 of 14
— 174 —
some effort to "double bill' the County and/or conceal payment I for services already included
within the scope of the fixed fee
-Graphics 71" was a minie used by NewnianPR to desigtrate and nivoice photograpIly, Print
production and rare video production'prq ects("Photography mices")riot included within the
scope of services for which Newn=nPR Nvas compensated by way of the fixed fee, Graphics 71
is nothing more than a fictions namr,Originally,NewmanPR maintained a separate b ink accoaunt
in the name of Graphics 71 and cut checks from the NemitanPR operating;accotint to the Graphics
71 account mlaich lxould,uUmiately,be disbursed to and deposited into NextinairPR's operating
account,The practice of maintaining a separate,account to deposit the checks into was discommued
some nine years ago by the late Stuart Newman because of the actininisliative costs and barden
associated with mauitaming,aseparme accourit.Graphics 71 is not regimtied as a fictitious name
in Florida,which is riot wjCaj'jWjojj.
The considerable effort the Clerk clainis to lmve undertaken to determine that Graphics 71 was not
a legal"entity"was unnecessary because the nave in and off itself reveals Graphics 71 is riot mi
entity, Under Florida laity.naines of legal entities(Corporatiom. Lunited Liability Companies,
Limited Liabihiry partnerships)are reqlaired to include designations associated 1,vith the entiir/ttirpe
imless a fictitious name is,filed,So,by way of example,the name of a corporation must contain
the word"corporation,""company."oi "incorporated"or the abbreviation Toip-''Or"Inc or
To,-or the desigriation"Corp,"'or"Inc."'or"Co,"as will clearly uidicate Ilikir it is a corporation
instead of a matiral person, partnership. or other eligible entity See, F'la, Star § 607 0401,
Howevei,an entity can drop this designation or operate finder another naine or as more cotrutiouly
referred to, a fictitious naive. An entity operating tinder a fictitious narne should register the
fictitious natne,Not inftecluently,bminesse!s one tianware of this requirement and will operate,
using an unregistered fictitious name Tbr Florida Legislature,having apparently understood that
a non-compliance gives, rise to nothing more thm inconvemence, has enacted penalties and,
perhaps more unportantky,reaffirmed that operation wider in unregistered fictitious narne is not a
basis to avoid liability under contram.The penalty provisian of the fictitiom name stanite provides
as follolvs:
9) PENALUES—
(a) If a business fails to comply with this section,neither the business nor the person or
liaisons engaging in the business may maintain any action snit,or proceeding in any court
of this state with respect to or on behalf of such business unril this section is complied wiffi,
An action, smit, or proceeding rmy not be manitained in any court of this state by any
successor or assigner of such business on any rigbt,claim..or demand arising out of the
g
In hirtherance of this effort, the Clerk points to a response from Andy New of NvxinamPR
wherein he states that "Graphics 71 was initiated as a separate entity within Stuart Newman
Associates"' suggesting this statement was niade to mislead the Clerk- The Matenient actually
reflects Auidy Newman's lack of fmiuliarif.y with the concept of legal entities because,as the Cleri
should quell laim,legal entities like corporations and Initned hability ccanpanies,don't have legal
entities"within''them,
Page 4 of 14
- 175 -
trm. &action of busmess by such busmess in this state until this section has been complied
"With,
(b) The failure of a business to comply witli this section does not impair the validity of
any contract,deed, mortgage, security interest,hen,or act of such business,and does,not
�prevent such business from defending any action. suit,or proceeding in any couil of this
state Hinvever,a party aggrieved by a noncomplying business may be awarded reasonable
attorney fees and coml costs necessitated by the noncouiplylag blustne's's
(c) who fails to coniplylvilli this section conuintsa nonciiiiiiiial violation as
defined in s,275 09,punishable as provided in s 21i 08.1.
Fla.Stat §865,09
The fine,provided for in Fla Sta I §7 75,ty8 3 is S 5 001,(M)
An mider standing of the Contract and the above reveal several undisputable facts�
(1)The fact that Graphics 71 was not m entity"was not a secret to anyone and did not
require array special investigative of atulit tecluuqiies to discover,
(2) The Contract does notpiobibit tine Companyfiouilimmigor
(3)The puruslurient for the Clerk's claimed lack of adherence to all laws,and regulation;
is akin to a traffic ticket(e g,a fine)
NO PAYNIENTS MwWE TO GRAYHIC S 7 UIMPROPER
DUPLICATE COMPENSATION
Aware the coninion mistake of failing to register a fictitious nmue lacks credible basis to accuse.
New-manPR of wrongdoing, the Clerk attempts to associate sonle improper Purposes to this
innocent mistake by clainurig Newman]?R ha s engaged an double billing and failed Io comply with
,,a technical provision of the Contract,to wit: that all expenses shall "have been paid for by the
agency before being submitted for reunbursenient"
The claim"double billing"was first raised in the Clerk's October 2023"audit"of the TDC)Visit
Florida Keys("TDC Audit") whereni the ClerL who, is not a licensed attorney of cliralified to
express legal opinions,opined the Photography Ser%ices being billed under the iiame G aphics 71
were included within the scope of service, for Much NewumnPR was compeirsated via a fixed
fee, The Clerk's inappropriate opinion w-is, however, quickly revealed as incoirect by persons
actually quilffled and properly licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, the County
Attorney's, Office, 'nie Counry Afromey's Office opined The Photography Smices were not
included within the scope of the services covered by the fitted fee component of the Contract,
Diet,,ithstanduag,in the current Audit,the("IrA continues leis unlicensed practice of law anti takes
issue with the Conclusions of the County Atiorney's Office(Audit,p'g,15), In doing so,lie arp,xs
hvo ancient contracts, both of which were entered nito over 30 years ago and have long since
expired, somebow support his position Dune nvo artifacts bear no relevance to the ciuvent,
Page 5 of 14
- 176 -
negotiated iti an areas-length trarwcuom Contract tvnveen the Comity and NewinanPR, which
was drafted by the Counry,Attorney's Office with rmttew and uIput of the Clerk
The Clerk decide-5 to double down and attempts to refute the conclusion of the colultyAttoruey in
the Audit ofNe1=,-uTR In doing so he argues that because NewumnPRjustified reirnbursentent
of a hotel room while attending Fantasy Vest in Key West as being public relations related„it was
urapproprime fm NeivinmPR to bill for Photography Smues which occurred while Ne%kinatiM
was urn Key West for the evern Agirm the Contract whicli controls the relationslup between the
Counryand NewtumTR,denionstrites othen use.
As revealed before.the Contract is a fixed fee plas reimbursable expemes,Contract,not an hourly
fee based Contract,and it effectively Provides for the rendition of SeIVICeS on an as Iteeded basis
It does tror contemplate that ewinaaPR will exclusively dedicate its business to Monroe County
or prolijbir NevananPR from ittenduig to other hems w1rile attending to public relations matters
for the County,prjrljcular y nut uers viluch are for the bemefit of rhv Couno,(,e.g- Photography
Services). The Clerk's view. which ns unsupported by the Contract. would Put NewutauPR in
violation of the Contract for seriding emails or raking.phone calls related to ocher clients since the
Clerkwerns to behe've,iviihoutsuppoft,that the incursion of expenses for attending a major public
relations event prohibits NewinanpR front intending to the needs of other cheats or the client for
which it is,attending to the event. Stated another way.the Clerkmpies that because NewmanPR
subinifted the hotel expense, NewntanPR was precluded from doing anything other than public
relations work the entire tinte it was in Key West, This conclusion is rion-sensical and flies in the
face of the Contract The Clerkseenruiglybelieve,5 the County'sunerest would bavebeen better
served if NewmanPR had increased the, casts associated with covering the event by hirurg a
separate Photography agency that mmuld have incurred reirubursable expenses separate and apart
from those of NewmanPR
The Clerk also atterupis to inake air is5ix- out of Newnur&R not having firrit sheers for tile,
Photography Services Or having a"Market arialysis"to jusfitf the fees charged for Photography
Services&tating
Put differently,NeivnranPR could provide no objective justification for the rates,or hours
charged by Mr.Newinan and could provide no evidence that Ne%mrartPR made my effort
to ensure the County was given the bev pricing for the s mices provided.
Audit,pg, 19,
The Clerk's conclusions are not only factual trusstatertients,but they also overlocA the fact that the
Contract does nor require NewmanPR to maintain any such records Fiu-ffifl-, ilibough the Clerk
suggests the deal entered into by and benveem NewntanPR and the Coutity,was not favorable to
the County,it fads to offer any information suggestuig othenxise, In short the Clerk nukes an
accrri,ation and says it must be true if the accused can't disprove it
The Clerk then again resorts to undernuning the legal opinion of the County Attorney,stating�
[The Mottroe County Attorney' ]linirted legal analysis focused solely on debatrug whether
or nor photography and videography service fill undeT the definition of being, a
Page 6 of 14,
- 177 -
reinibur."ble expense and fifled to address the more troubling issues involvin Graphics
71
He then tdentifies the-tioubluig issAks-which reveal the County Attorney is incorrect
(1)Using a non-existent Company as the conduit.Ne,4vnvuxPR clauned to hive made pa)nnexvs
eligible for feinibursement When, in fact, the agency snide no payments and, therefore,
there Nvere no valid reuxibursable expenses. NewnrauPlk requested reuribursenient for the
County for nonexistent payments nu ide W 3 11101IMStent 00131pairv.
Response, the problem with this statenrAml is there is nothing in the Contract that prohibits
NeixinzanPR from using as fictitious name nor would the contract probibir Newnian.PR fioin nsing
a wholly owned separate legal entity To provide the photography Sen-ices. Additionally it was
cannnorr knowledge that NewminPR billed separately for Photography Services Fujibeirnore,
the Contract does not require a check tot for services be-cashed"by the payee before it is deemed
paid"',
(2)Newman PR is not following Monroe County purchasing policies to enstire that the
inost qualified and coast-effective third-paM vendor is providing services to the TDC'
Response:the Contract does not require NewtnanPR to follow Nloirroe County purchasing polices
when providing out of scope services or Infing third parties to provide,tbose services,
f3)Graphics 71 is not registered as a fictitious nanie for NewxnanPR or registered to
conduct bum3ess in the State of Florida,
Response as,nutted above Ilus non-compliance rr,a minor.frequent oveisight bysirtill businesses
and easily rectifiable Moreover, the gravity of this non-coniphance is revealed through the
penalties:a small fuie and a prohibition to filing lawstins until the fictifious natne is registered
The Clerk then f6tinulates a legal opmton regarding his findings
"These appew potentially to be imMerial breaches of the contract'.
There are several core problems with the Clerk's legal opinion (1)he is not cpmhfied to give it
(2)the iteinswhich the Clerk coinplains about are not in violation of the Contract; and(3)the
Clerk's iniproper legal opinion is not SUPPOrled by law,
firsta tlxe tM"onntract at inure does nnot defunne tine ternnn"'paid..=' 'l�lnenn lanxgun,�ige or a ternna insect fun a
contract is clear and unambigiwus, the plain ineaning,of that laragaage connols Anrhon,Y I,
Arai'caocau 949 So 2d 22!6,22,7(Fla.311 DCA 2007),cifin&Mcl&,Ir v,&rhwnacher,605 SO 2d 481,
4S2(Fia 3d DCA 1-902) The tenn"pard,."as citstomanly used in busine�,s and M, sonal practice,
particularly when"checks,"zu,e involved,does not mran the funds have cleaxed the bank-aand t:he
payoris in possession of a cancelled check, EVell the MOSt 3ggTeSSi%T Cleclitio[S Will reflect Irl item
is"paid"when the check is received,riot collected The payor of person iss um g the check will
reflect an mein as paid when a check has been otailed.
Additionally,to constnute a amterial breach,a party?srranpeifbnnance must"'go to the essence of
the contract, and a parry's Nlure to perform wine minor part of its contricrml duto�cannot be
Page 7 of 14
- 178
Classified as nunerial-coveh Fcvypj(v,L.P-v ABG,.�LLC,9�9,7 So.2d No(Fla,411 DCA, '20,08),
Bek!fi,Trar,Inc,v BeqA,Kfttgfiverpiarjmmt ,Inc�267 So 2d(Fla.P DCA 1972) fiulhm"trivial
noncompliance anti minor failings do riot carystiftile material breaches"Ecleclk S,vmvyv, LLC
asm"trvkr a" d47 So, 3d,2 7, 20(Fla. 4111 DCA 2022), citing Burlingron& Rockenbach, P A, v- Lmv
0,f,Nrcu qfE (71aY Park4er, 160 So 3d 955,960(Fla, 5th DC'A 2015)
Even if"paid"meant tile funds had to be collected before reunbursement,wInch it does,not,the
essence ofilse Comiract between Monroe Comtr,v aydVewmanAR ii,rite management Of1subfic
relatiom for the.11,onroe Counir Tourist Developritent Council Notibly absent from the Cleik's
Atirlit is azvt suptzestion that NeurnanPR has riot done a stellar job muraging Monroe County's
toutism public relaims Thus.conrxar7,v to the Clerk's ill-advised legal aptnion, the alleged non-
cornpliancle,even if true,is bv no mems,material,parficWttily suice the uhunate result lindef the
old methodology(,del.misit fitrids nitc)Graphics 71 account and later renut to NewrnanpR operating
accowit)has the same final result as the cortent process the Aindi are deposited in the opex3tmg
iccouni of NewmanPR Ftrober, this itrunalerial non-comphance could elsilv be corrected
through re-establishment of die prior practice or the creation of a separate%Ulty mvried legal
entity(whicli is nol, proliNted by the Contract)through Much Pbotoggrapby Services could be
billed Tire more viable and sensible op it on would be to, unend the Conti act lo address this set of
circumstances or make clear that,, gobig forward.Pliotography Smxes will not be provided by
Newin xil?R.. an option which NewumaPR would not take objection and it this print, would
Welcome,
Finally,%vIrile the appropriate analysis of the Contrad beams out tbere,was no"double billing"the
idea that Newinan]PR somehow concealed this billing is Amber buttressed by another significant
fact; the critical im'sons involved in the management of Ne%vmanPR and oversite of its activities
throughout the years,which included the past and present marketing duector and various TDC
Iv. ,,-u,d menibers,were fullyawite that NewnraiiPR charged a separate fee for Photography Services
and sou,gjit reiiiiburseu:ietil.foi,iiitic
and the parties concluded the practice was acceptable
AIISLEADrtiG('ER,rirICAII0N'S
In pies,enfing rn�casv�the Clerk next clauns lie,%A-uianPRI)rovidediiiisleadingceitifical'ioiis to seek
reirnbursernent, In doing so, he again igpoies the Contract language arid,in a imost bizarre way,
argues the County is improperly pay urg wire fees.
On page 21 of theAudit,the Clerlk states:
11 is the Comity's standard practice to require vendors seeking remibursement to provide
proof of payment as pail of the supportaig dociunemiation before playraremt inay be made,
Specifically,the County does not renubarstart expearse until the vendor has provided either
a copy of a, cancelled check a bank statement, credit card stitemerrT, or bank, wire
confirmations.
Palge 8 of 14
- 179 -
"I'lic Clerk goes,on to say this"strict documentation reqnirenrent''was loosened for NewmaripR,
and the agency was allowed to stibinn a"certification-in luaus of proof of payment,
Audi t,pg,�2 1,
Ilie Clerk,then clairtis that'sve found instances where checks were riot paid in full as certified
and instances with the acmil amount paid to as vendor were less thm The amount certified as
paid",
With respect to the clalin of paying an inicRuit different than the arnotint-certified."the Clerk
points to a rentibursentent toNmmanPR from a third-pattyvendot for awire fee ThtClerk
states:
Wlffle this appears to be an agreed-upon arrangement between NemnanPR arid KBC[the
vendor in question]. it is not an agreed-upon arrangement beriveen Newmmi]PR and the
TDC Binking charges of this nature are not an allowable cost reuriburs'ed by the C'01111tyr.
This is as cost of doing Imsuress that Ne1hruanPR is expected to asstuneand snot pass on to
the County for reunbursement.Subanitting an invoice for teimbursetrient with an utammite,
mnoutil is not transparent and could be construed as an inseut to mislead by NewumOK
Audit,lip,25
Tlie Clerk does not cite any basis to support these opurions for a simple reason , there are
none,
Fast, is noted multiple turies ma this respmr„ The Contract gives,Neminmr]PR wide latitude in
negotiatuig the tennis,of agreeirreuts that it negotiates with third pailies, Most of the arrangenleum
NewirranPR makes iAith providers are not specifically approved by the Courit;,and the Contract
(lots,not require those agmements,to be approved fin1hermom there is nothing in the C orntra.ct
prohibiting reirnbursement,for banking charges, Finally,most unporrantly,the Comity is not,as
the Clerk opines. paynig, wire charges ,, those charges, are, being paid by the vendor, TIre
arrangement between Newrm auk R and the vendor is nothing more thin the netting of two
trirrsaction& Tiansaction 1: NewnianPR remitting The payment to the vendor via an expedited
inelhod vtrch,utilike a check.,has an issociMed cltarm T msacnon 21 the vendor reunbmes
NewimmPR for the Cost Nemnan]?R incurred in cormection witli that expedited method In no
uncertain terms, the vendor is using its money to pay for the wire fee- This netting of the
irmiactions is frequently used in business transactions As an example, closing agents in real
estate tramactiorts will"It the request ofibe tealtor,subtract the fee associated with paying realtors
their conmussions via wire from the conunission an iount dne the agent,
The Clerk then reiterates its unsupportable optnion.which is at odds with the plain meannig of the
larigulge used in the Contract, that a check mirst be negotiated by the vendor and paid by
Nlewmi=PR's bank before it is"paid"as the term is used in the Contract,In tieing so,the Crieri
I The Clerk iniphes this certification process was Ininted to Nemnan)?R when in fact it applied to
a wide minge of TDC vendors, including Tinsley Advertising, the TDC's longfinie adveitising
agency of record.
Page 9 of 14
— 180 -
points to air example where the date the check was paid by NewmanPR's bank was after the&-ve
of the certification and claims that the certification is Lilse because the instnuirent had not been
`"paid" when the certification was subitinted, even though NewnianPR had cut the check and
mailed it to the veador.
Again, the Contract does not define "paid," and in ordi iary and cusioulary usage of the term,
`paid"does not mean when the payor is in possession of a cancelled check NewmanPR wrote a
check to the third-party vendor thesairie,day that it subirtitted its,"certification"and thus,paid the
item filar wl,iicliteititbtrrsement was sought, Overstepping his bounds,once again,the Clerk opines
there has been a breach of Contract
INVOICING BEFORE SERVICES RENDERED
Continuing its assault on the character of Neisivan]?& the Clerk points out that NeArnanpR
submits its invoices for payment, including invoices for work performed by stringers before the
services are fully performed.NeuarianPR does not dispute this has been practice for some time,
but makes the following ponits�
(1) Me practice resulted from the Clerk's failure to comply with the provisions of fire Contra ct
that require prompt payment as required by Local Govervintent Prompt Payntent Act winch
is incorporated unto the Contract
(2)Even with the early submission of the invoices, the Clerk routinely fails to pay in
accordance with the Contract and lAval Government prompt payment Act.
(3)Notwithstanding its early subtuittils.NewinanPR nor any stringer his ever been paid prior
to the,satisfactory completion of the required services, and the Clerk does not offer any
inforusation sirUes6ag that lurs actually occurred,
(4)There is nothing to remotely suggest that Newuran]?R has become cornplacent in
connection with the armagernent of its stringers. To the contrary,as noted in the Clerk's
Audit,NewnranPR)tas two weekly zoorn meetings with its stringers,as well as frequent
ardividuil meetings between staff,to obtain status reports and monitor their activities
(5)Men The Clerk's finance office instructed NewnranliR to move its monthly billings to the
end of the triontli,NewmanPR complied,
NO DOC,UNIENTATION TO SUBSTVNIFIATE PERIFORNIANCE
In the next salvo,the Clerk opuses there is insufficient documentation substantiating performance
by stringers and/or Newntan PR As part of its "analysis",the Clerk points to the sub-contract
agreements with the stringers that require them to provide "niontliky reports"of their activities.
The Clerk claims flu it even though NewmanPR lints two weekly update meetings with the stringers
via zooln, the failure to Provide a written monthly report(even flicnigh the sub-contracts don*t
require the monthly report to be,in vvriting)is in violation of the sub-contract and/or there is an
overall lack of-documentation"supporting perforniance, The Clerk also claims NevoritanPR's
as,Aiiion.tluougJi its attorney,that the Coritract does not require NeivinanPR to maintain twine
sheets or job cards related to services performed for the County is inaccurate arguing the Contract
Page 10 of 14
— 181 -
requites NewmarrPR to maintain, books and records in accordance with "generally accepted
accounting pimciples"and-slaadard expectation(s)"of the Clerk requires as such,
Genesally Accepted Accoitafing principles("GAAP")do not require NeNvinaripR to maintain my
job cards or timecards in comiecnon with perfbf ntance under the Contract,which is precisely why
the Clerk failed to cite any pronouncement of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. the
proutulgitor of CrAAP, to support its armimmit lit addition, the Contract, not the Clerk's
expectitions,deter nine the responsibilities and duties of the parties The Clerk apparently failed
to ensure his expectations were codified in the Contract when he participated in its crafting and
now seemingly tries to land blame for his failures on NemmOR.
In short, the Clerk's conclusions regarding a lack of documentation are nothing more than his
lietsonal opinions-,opinions which are not proper,for in audd and Much,like all of his assertions,
reflect his,core complaint is with the terms of the Cmuract with NimuianPR,a contract in which
he had a hand in molding,
As a final con urient on the Clerk's claim of lack of doctunentation to substaimite perforniatice
under the Contract,Ne"mumPR provides monthly reports of its activities to the TDC Board and
TDC's District Advisory Conunittees. These reports are in addition to the rurtnerous oral and
video presentations made by'NewmanPR at TDC board meetings throughout the year. These
repons and presentations set forth detailed information reflecting the agency's activities and
substantiate,fear better than any,tiniecard.Performance of the Contract,
QUESTIONABLE(:OSTS.kND DOCIIIENTATION
In its final salvo,the leik draws into question doctiraeritation and costs submitted in support of
requests for reimbursement Without doubt, the subtrussions,in iltrestion could have been better
documented, and, for this reason, the Clerk flagged them for non-payment. A more detailed
explanation of the matter involving the Key West a cconutiodation is attached as Exhibit"A"
With respect to the issue of the SMOS receipt for a gratuity raised in the audit,w1mb was also
incorrectly presented in the TIC Audit due to its seemingly premature release, that issue was
explained, and the Clerk acknowledges"this explanation appems,teasonable"but now states the
payment of the gratuity is not reimbursable. The Clerk also points to (1)costs incruied by a sub-
contractor attending a conference,clarinuig-Florida statutes clearly prohibits payment of a pet
them if the, cost of meals is covered by the registration fee" ' (2) payntent of expenses for
attending the.Key West Business,Guild meetings;,and(3)costs paid in connection with the Mining
of a TV show,all of which the Clerk claims were improliff requests for reimbursement and/or are
not payable to NewmanPR under the Contract.
The Clerk's analysis is flawed yet again The contracts of agreements winch NewmarrPR enters,
into with other providers are between NewmanPR and those providers.The,County is not a party
to these agreements, the Contract does not require the County to approve the specific contracts,
mid the statutory limititions, concerning pet dierns do not apply to these agivements, Per the
Contract with the County, ,VeurnanPR both controls and is liable for these agreettients,trot Me
mhout c6vng any statute.
Page I I of 14
- 182 -
Cmtniy. NetviiiatiPReff)ectiwvlybijikcolds these efforts with the expectanon it will be reimbursed
b�`the County
Thus,if, in the judgment of NewnumPK reimbursement of m ftem is appropriate to mawfaiii a
rel,ahorLship with a inedia personahty of other provider, it is,withm the discretion of NewmaiiPR
to do so even if the initial agreement did not provide as sucli, Stated another way.NewmauplK is
authorized to modify its origuml agreements, in ixrving,, orally of tluoug_h its .c(m duct (e,g
payinent)to include an item that may not have untially been part ofthe agreement,and it is,entitled
to reirnbufsement for such iterns per the Couttact.
LAC K OF PROCTRIENIEN T POLICY
The Clerk incorrectly clauns"[ajs indicated ar their contract w tli.N,IonroeCotuity,,Newill.utpRi�,
expected to procure these contracts consistent with Monroe Cokinty's Purchasing Policy," The
Clerk does not identify where this expecumon originates, and the Clerk's statement is again at
direct odds with the Contract The Contract coutains only two references to Monroe County's
Procurement Policies mad neither refereare tequires, NewumnPR to follow such polices when
hirmg or negotiating claims with other providers pursuant to the provisions of Pan 3,13 of the
Contract,
LACK Of TDC 31ANAGEWNT OVERSIGHT
The Presence of these stitenmits is inappropriate in an audit of NewmanPR and are not properly
die,subject of air audit.
THE 1UPROPRIETYCAL YHE OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY THE CLERK
The Clerk clainis to be ismirng an intern audit repoil which audited the "records, assets,. mid
activities relatnig to the scope ofsenices detailed in the Contract"' Stated ano flier way,the Clerk
clarras to be peffonning a comphanceaudii. A compliance audit is an audit or tesOng to deternurie
coniplmnce with applicablerequiretnents,or in this case,the Contract, Before anauditorexpresses
m opinion on a matter, the auditor inust satisfy certabi universally recognized and critical
professional standards which provide,amongst other things:
I)The auditor must be
t,'2)Tht miditor Ims the appropriate competence and capabilities to performir the audis.
Professiorml guidance for auditors reveals that independence consists of two elements
a Independence of inuid is trine state of nund that pesnuis a membet to peiform an attest service
without hieing affected by influenoes that compromise profosionaijudginent,thereby allowirigan
itidividual to act with integrity and exeime objectivity and profmimaj skepticism,
b�. Indepenidence in appemance is the avoidance of cimmistances that would cause a Tea sonable
mid infomied Tbad party who has knowledge of all relevant information,inclidefing the saleguards
applied,10 rvenonalry Conclude thal the mgpgri, ,objecInIA,,or professional skel7ficJsm qfafirgn
or member orthe atrem engttgement ream n is a.ornpronnsed,
Page 12 of 14
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'Die Clerk's Audit Report reveals the Clef k lack-s both independflace of mind and independence m
appearwice,
Tbrougbout the report,the Clerk ascribes sinister inotivations to irrinocuous sets of circunistancev
theretvy revealing his report is biased against NewniariPR For exunple. the Clerk clainis that
offsetting the cost of a wite fee from die pal'nnent due to the vendor it the request of Thevendor,
is unproper The Clerk also accuses Nee%rni=PR of inipioperly seeking reinibursenidit of costs
when the Contract clearly pnwidesfor thereunbursementof such costs mid grants NewmanPR the
authority to do so
Additionally, where reading the Clerk's report, it becornes mnlent the Clerk's conclusiom, and
con unents.are not the result oftestulg,Of anal'1110L they are trine result of ant aggressivebans 119ainst
die TDC mid Ne%vntmiPR This biis is paniftilly evident from the Clerk's"recourniendations,"
which have nothing to do widi the putative cotriphance audit of NewinatipR, Thew
reconunendations include termination of the C onTiact.niodification of the compefinve soliculficni
process,ind el i unnation of Visit Florida Ke)75
The Clerk's lack of independence,both in fact and appearance is hwher put on Rill display by his
response,to the legal opurion of the County Attorney,Instead of accepting the opinion of The person
qualified to opiry ou the legal obligalrous required by the Corttrict. the Clerk advocates for
rejecting the Coinvy Attorney's position
The Clerk's burs and inappropriate response to the Cowy Attorney's opimou also runs afoul of
applicable professional standards promulgated by the American Itistimle of Certified Public
Accownants,Those standaids reveal die Clerk should not be interpreting the Contract because,fir
is not corripetent to do so,Instead,lie should retain die sen7ices of a specialist to assist hini in this
regard,
M-N—CJA'—S—IQ—N
Althougli the Clerk cloaks duffs report as an unenaal audit, it is airy thing,but In wbislance, the
Clerk's report is a nLinifesto resvaling the Clerk s disdain for the Contract with NewmanPR and
the over-all operation of the Momoe Comity Tourist Development CotuicilNisit Florida Keys The
Clerk's opituous a1vut the quality of the"deal"that was,,negotiated betweez Monroe County,and
Newniwil?'R.a deal in which the Clerk was involved,is not the proper skitiject of an audit,
NewnranPR has been a Nthfiil servant to Monroe County for over 43 years Thegrolmh urn the
Florida Keys toirrism-based economy dwing its 43-plus-year relationship with Monroe County
=d the tax revenue derived therefrom-substantiate" the perfonnanice of NewnzinPR, the TDC
and its offiet agencies of record. The catalysts for the Clerk's disdain for NewmaaPR ippemi to
be the provisio'n of photography Services by the agency,In this regard,Newina OR would gladly
work With the County to ckum± its filtize role in cotinection with these services or elininiate The
perforria'ance of those semices by NewirtatiM.
Page 13 of'14
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Smcerely,
HERSHOFT,LLTPINO&YAGEL,LLP
............
RLTSSFLL A,YAGEL
KAY/tld
Page 14 of 14
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Exhibit "A"
On September 11, 202,3, NewmonPR's rnedia reiafions manager finoRzed details
for o two-night stay on behalf of an editorw1ith "The Knol,"a premiere weddings'
rnod,,,et magazine,as wPP as a two-night stay for the mtedia rnanuaqr.,r.The dates
of stay were to be Septernber 28 through 30, :1023, rand were part of as iarqeT
media viiO tw--4irinirq&epfember 26,21023.One roorn, provided to the edit0r,,vvas
cornpHryie-intory for both nights and the property,The Grand Moioney un Key West„
offered a 6scounted rate for the second roorn used by the nie&o manager to
accoimpany the e6tor around Key West. The totof charged September 11, the
day the reservofions%vos made,was $66912,
DespRe the request for the rooms tio biz� iolioced under the narnes of those
trave6nq, both reseirvatinns were made under the name Addona ;call„ the
property's pub5c reCation,5 representative.
Ahead of the dales of stay, the NewnianPR media manioger contacted the
property's caH center to have narnes updated but they were not able to do so.
Upon deplarfing the property,the me6a manger rerceived io fo4o for the stay that
induced an addHiono�cieoning fee and loxes b6nging the toia9 bIM to$774. As
there was no option to provide addifional poynient oind the biR contoined a zero
bdance, the manager assumed that the additional arnount woukd be billed to
the cord on flie,
It is worth mentioning that tune hofeU property does not have as front desk, or staff
avoflablle on-site, so an nn-pers,on conversation or formo�chedilout procedure is
not avaiiable. M cornniuNcdtnons, check,-in and chead.-oil actions are, done
remotety via text and emaiL
Upon submitting the inifiai travei voucher, the media manager mistakeNly sent in
the foiio 0111 containing the name of fhe pubNc relations representative whio made
the initial reservation. Once rlewirnanPR's onvotce to TDC was returned by the
finance office, the media, manger was able to address the, issue w4h as
representative at the corporate [evei who provided on updated forio with her
correct narne. TNs fo0o OR contained the amount of $774 and OR had the
conPrniafioini number that was provided.
9n ioie November,when proof of payment was requested, the me&o manager
was advised that a charge for the reniaining bafionce of the hc4ei couid not be
found on the corporate card.Since the rne-6a rnanaqer does,ncJ have access
q
to the rnontMy credR card statements, the manager dd not know that the
deaning fee,plus flax,had been w6yed.
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�n e-aily December„ the me6a manager was ob e to qei in contocl with as
reFoeserdafive al cexporate Wve� who cnformed that ck-aning fees, shoud not
hove been charqpd to the fotii:,even though they were on We fo4o provNdoKj of
ch,eck-out.On December 6,21023,an updated fo4o was FxcMded for the c:orr(..+c::t
amount of$669.72.
However,for reov.,dns vnknown,thPsversion of the fdio contoined a d0erent roorn
cafeq.'ory and confirmoflon number.The media rnanager did not reoflze this when
sendurG the foflo through for processing�x)earn exp�anation was not obtauned.
loo be cl�ear,n6ther the rrwdo rnanager,nor arwyone at NewrnonFR diered any
of the backup riiate,6ds provided througholut the process.
WNle we understand that the above caused rnuch confWon for everyone,
inctuding the finamze office,we appre6ole lhot the scrutiny of the firlance office
reSUl4f-,d�n the correct ornount beinq biReiJ.
Even ff ihot hadn't hoppened, wewotAd hove 9*y evenluaUy d4covered typal
the c earing fees were not chaq;pd and as creqV would rxxve bee-m ii;sued,
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