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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem D10 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COUNTY of MONROE Mayor Michelle Lincoln,District 2 The Florida. Keys Mayor Pro Tem David Rice,District 4 p Craig Cates,District I James K. Scholl,District 3 Holly Merrill Raschein,District 5 Regular Meeting April 15, 2026 Agenda Item Number: D10 26-1440 BULK ITEM: Yes DEPARTMENT: Tourist Development Council TIME APPROXIMATE: N/A STAFF CONTACT: Ammie Machan AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval to update Section II of the TDC Operational Manual to update the Purchasing Card Policy to clarify items that are permissible use of the PCard; updates to the Media Buy Policy to include equitable access and rotational guideline in the Business Representation in Marking Materials; and inclusion of a Familiarization (FAM) trip Standard Operating Procedure. ITEM BACKGROUND: These revisions are being considered by the TDC at their meeting of April 9, 2026 1. Monroe County Business Representative Policy: Proposed updates to include more detail on rotation and equitable access for the participation of partners. 2. PCard Policy: Proposed revisions to clarify that trade shows and award submissions are permissible uses of PCards. 3. FAM Policy SOP: Proposed updates to the Familiarization (FAM) Trip Policy Standard Operating Procedure. PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: INSURANCE REQUIRED: CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: STAFF RECOMMENDATION Approval DOCUMENTATION: FINANCIAL IMPACT: N/A Effective Date: Expiration Date: Total Dollar Value of Contract: Total Cost to County: Current Year Portion: Budgeted: Source of Funds: CPI: Indirect Costs: Estimated Ongoing Costs Not Included in above dollar amounts: Revenue Producing: If yes, amount: Grant: County Match: Insurance Required: The FloriddKeys Aey st ®®0. COMe dS YOU dre DATE: March 27, 2026 TO: BOCC Members RE: Consideration and Action re: Operations Manual Update Approval is requested for the following three policy items: 1. Monroe County Business Representative Policy: Proposed updates to include more detail on rotation and equitable access for the participation of partners. 2. PCard Policy: Proposed revisions to clarify that trade shows and award submissions are permissible uses of PCards. 3. FAM Policy SOP: Proposed updates to the Familiarization (FAM) Trip Policy Standard Operating Procedure. Monroe County Business Representation in Marketing Materials Purpose Visit Florida Keys (VFK)features Monroe County tourism businesses in its marketing materials to drive visitor awareness and overnight stays throughout the Florida Keys. Selections are made to serve destination marketing goals—not to benefit any individual business. This policy ensures selections are made consistently, equitably, and with a clear record of why each decision was made. Policy Statement Visit Florida Keys is authorized to feature tourism businesses and their offerings in advertising, promotional materials, and content campaigns, provided that: • No Financial Exchange:Visit Florida Keys neither pays businesses for inclusion nor receives payment from businesses for being featured. • Marketing Purpose: Inclusion is solely for the public purpose of driving visitation and overnight stays in Monroe County. • Destination Benefit: Featured businesses are presented as representative examples of experiences available throughout the Florida Keys and are not exclusive beneficiaries. Selection Framework Before any campaign begins, the Sr. Director of Marketing documents its objective, target audience, and the types of businesses needed. Staff then identify candidates based on whichever of the following factors are most relevant to that campaign: • Relevance to campaign objectives and target audiences • Geographic representation across the five districts • Seasonal relevance or time-sensitive visitor demand • Event or experience timing • Diversity of tourism products (lodging, dining, activities, attractions, arts, and culture) Operational Guidelines • Selection is made by Visit Florida Keys marketing staff and its contracted marketing agencies based on campaign needs. • No application, sponsorship, or competitive process is required. • Featured businesses receive no compensation and are not guaranteed future inclusion. • Inclusion does not constitute endorsement, sponsorship, or a vendor or procurement relationship. • A record of business utilized in marketing materials will be kept, including business name, category(i.e. lodging, dining, etc.), type of campaign utilized (i.e. print, email marketing, etc.), date(s) of campaign. ROTATION & EQUITABLE ACCESS VFK utilizes tourist development tax dollars to benefit Monroe County's business community broadly while ensuring that business representative opportunities are rotated and equitably distributed, while still meeting the campaign objectives and goals. • Repeat inclusions must be justified in writing. Any business featured in VFK marketing materials within the prior 6 months must be flagged in the campaign record. Staff must document specificallywhythat business best serves the campaign over an alternative not recently featured. Convenience or familiarity is not an acceptable justification. • No business may dominate. No single business may appear as the primaryfeatured business in more than two campaigns within any rolling 12-month period without written approval from the President/CEO, documented in the campaign record. • No guaranteed future inclusion. Past features create no expectation, entitlement, or implied commitment to future placement. • Category and district balance tracked.The Sr. Director of Marketing maintains a running log of inclusions by business category and Monroe County district. Where a pattern of concentration is identified, it must be corrected in the next campaign cycle or documentation as to why the business(es)were featured. • Quarterly review required.The Visit Florida Keys Executive Team reviews the inclusion log every quarter and produces a brief written summary confirming equitable distribution or documenting corrective actions taken.These summaries are retained on file and available to the Monroe County Clerk upon request. The following will be revised(added language noted in underlined text; deletions noted in strtl ) as noted below. SECTION II TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TDC PURCHASING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES & BUDGET STRATEGY Revise as new Section titled TDC PURCHASING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, PURCHASING CARD POLICY & BUDGET STRATEGY (Before Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) Budget Strategy on page 16 add the following:) Purchasing Card Policy The Monroe County Purchasing Card Policy & Procedures establishes detailed procedures and policies which control the use of Purchase Cards (See ATTACHMENT C to the County's Purchasing Policy Manual). VFK employees that are issued county purchase cards will comply with the County's Purchasing Card Policy & Procedure (Please note that where "Department" is referenced in the County's P-Card policy it shall be replaced with"VFK" and where the term "Department's Director" is referenced it shall be replaced with"VFK President & CEO or VFK CFO"). There shall be absolutely no personal purchases made with the County issued P-Card. The P-card can be utilized for purchase in accordance with this policy, even if a vendor has been previously paid via check. VFK will be permitted to be issued P-cards in accordance with the Purchasing Card Policy & Procedures. Below are some specific items that will be allowed or disallowed for P-card use. • Corporate expenses: P-cards can be used for annual registration fees, payment of insurance premiums and items of this nature. However, monthly payment of office space rent and larger items of this nature must be paid via check to the vendor. • General office expenses: P-cards can be used for nominal purchase of office and operating supplies. However, bulk or replenishment of supplies should make use of the County's purchasing contracts with vendors to take advantage of favorable pricing. • Training/Professional Development & Conference fees: Training/Professional development expenses, including_Gconference fees and other travel-type expenditures such as lodging and airline fees, certification exam fees, course materials, training software and job-related professional membership dues if allowed by VFK Personnel Policies and Procedures manual or the TDC Operations Manual) are a proper use of P- cards. • Research tools: VFK should follow procurement policy requirements when procuring research tools, such as online data subscriptions and software data tools. The P-card may be used for online subscriptions and software when the term of the subscription is one year or less and has a value of less than $50,000. A County purchase order must be issued, and the subscription must be capitalized if a subscription exceeds one year and has a value of$50,000 or more as required by generally accepted accounting principles. Purchasing online data subscriptions using the P-card requires adherence to the County's procurement requirements and must be preapproved by the VFK CEO. • Press/social media and hosted business visit expenses: Travel-related expenses would be acceptable, including meals, airfare, ground travel (taxi, van/shuttle service (if other ground travel options are first determined not to be appropriate as documented by VFK staf ,ride share. Local Attractions and activities and other media experiences that would provide a journalist/social media influencer/hosted business clients/booking aizent/affiliated stakeholders with first-hand experience of the destination for research or development of potential media coverage and for business and group bookings. P-cards may also be used by authorized P-card users to entertain journalist/social media influencer/hosted business clients/booking agent/affiliated stakeholders in meeting with VFK staff to develop and expand on destination information (e.g. when the writer is in the destination, VFK staff may meet for lunch etc. to discuss the destination, news and story ideas regarding the destination). As required by s. 125.0104 (9)(a), F.S., all entertainment-related expenses, including entertainment-related expenses paid with a P- card, must be substantiated by a receipt and documentation identifying the person(s)who received the meal(s) and/or entertainment and must document the business purpose of the expense. • Social media influencers: P-cards should not be used for these types of expenditures. VFK should enter into a contract with social media influencers; if a contract is involved, a P-card should not be used. Payment to social media influencers, due to tax reporting requirements it is important that payments are paid directly through Workday via check. The P-card may be used for press/social media visit expenses as set forth above. • Marketing, Sales, & Technology subscriptions: The P-Card can be used for on-line subscriptions. Depending upon the cost, procurement procedures should be following including documenting sole source providers when applicable. • Special events: The P-Card should only be used for the purchase of goods. VFK should enter into a contract for services; if a contract is involved, a P-card should not be used. Payments for the purchase of a service may also have tax consequences and will need to be paid directly through Workday via check. • Digital marketing and sales expenses, domain management, digital solution fees, digital marketing subscriptions: A P-Card may be used for annual subscription purchased on-line, digital advertising platform charges (Meta), stock photo/video/music licensing and other digital asset licenses, domain, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), Brand/Digital DNA & hosting renewals, SaaS subscriptions supporting marketing/sales operations (email, webinar, survey, social scheduling, media/monitoring listening_ tools and event registration/ticketing platforms for VFK or TDC hosted industry events). However, if the amount requires price quotes, then the purchasing policy should be followed, and P-cards should not be used unless the purchasing policy requirements have been adhered to and use of the P-card has been preapproved for said purchase. • Social Media Ads and Paid Search: Direct billing and payment with media vendors require use of a credit card. P-cards may be used for paid social media and paid search ads. Social media ad and paid search vendors include but are not limited to Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, Pinterest, Google, and YouTube. • Trade Show Events: Payments for participation and registration fees and exhibition services including booth buildout and other related services needed to participate in the event, including but not limited to drayage/material handling, shipping &packingoof materials &labels, including short-term storage ((shipping from show to show is allowed as appropriate), utilities for booths (electricity, internet/WI-FI, cleaning), lead retrieval (badge scanner and/or exhibitor app fees), on-site or on-location printing/signage (rush prints, banners,booth graphics etc.),promotional items (includes consumable/perishable items and reusable items), and production items (destination ,guides, one-sheets, maps, sales packets) mqy be paid with the P-card. Trade show event registrations, fees and costs paid by VFK staff via use of the P-card is allowed for efficiency and expediency for trade show event participation. • Annual Award submissions/entries: The TDC has customarily submitted entries for Flager awards on an annual basis. There is a fee charged by Visit Florida for said entries which is paid online and use of the P-card for this effort will ensure that timely award submissions continue. The P-card may_ be used for the Flager award or other similar award submissions. Visit Florida Keys FAM Trip SOP Visit Florida Keys (VFK) maintains a formal and consistent process for planning, managing, and evaluating site inspections and familiarization (FAM) tours for travel advisors, meeting planners, tour operators, and media.These programs are designed to educate and inform qualified buyers and decision-makers, generate future group and leisure business, and ensure that the destination is represented accurately, equitably, and in a professional manner. All FAM attendees should be"qualified"to have future business potential for our destination. As is common business practice, participation in our FAMs is free for attendees. VFK covers the costs for all attendees'accommodations, meals, activities and transportation between them. In some limited cases, VFK may also cover the cost of airfare to and from the destination for certain FAM attendees. VFK may pass along some of these expenses to"partner sponsors"who find participation in the FAM beneficial to their business. Fair and Transparent Partner Participation To ensure equal access and avoid favoritism, VFK invites hotel partners and tourism businesses to participate using transparent communication and open calls for interest. Notification is distributed to all eligible properties at the same time, outlining the FAM purpose, audience, hosting opportunities, room block needs, and sponsorship availability. However, participation is intentionally matched to the business segment and purpose of the FAM to maintain relevance and maximize value for all partners. All partner participation is handled objectively based on: • Relevance to the FAM audience segment • Ability to host, sponsor, or accommodate site inspections • Geographic representation across the Keys • Availability during the scheduled dates • Demonstrated interest and timely response to the call for participation VFK designs itineraries that provide a balanced representation of the destination by region (Key West, Marathon, Islamorada, Key Largo) and property type (full-service resorts, boutique hotels, waterfront experiences, etc.). Itineraries include: • Hotel site inspections • Hosted meals • Cultural, marine, and outdoor experiences • Professional networking opportunities • Round-trip ground transportation and logistics management Monroe County Economic Benefit FAM programs generate direct and measurable economic benefit for Monroe County. Each qualified FAM participant represents potential future bookings that drive room nights, bed tax revenue, restaurant and activity spending, and local employment.VFK tracks and reports the estimated return on investment (ROI)for each program, including projected room nights generated, estimated bed tax contribution, and media or editorial value. This data is compiled annually to demonstrate the value of FAM investment to Monroe County stakeholders. Post-FAM Business Development After each FAM: Direct sales follow up with each FAM participant asking for any immediate business opportunity for host partners and other Florida Keys hotels &to collect participant feedback • VFKW collects participant feedback • Tracks leads and business inquiries generated • Shares contacts and follow-up recommendations with participating partners This ensures measurable ROI and ongoing relationship development.