04/23/1986 Special
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Special Meeting
Board of County Commissioners
Wednesday, April 23, 1986
Key West
A Special Meeting of the Monroe County Board of
County Commissioners and the Tourist Development Council
convened on the above date at the HOliday Inn Convention
Center, Key West. Present and answering to roll call were
Commissioner Alison Fahrer, Commissioner William Freeman,
Commissioner John Stormont, Commissioner Ed Swift, and Mayor
Wilhelmina Harvey; and the following TDC members: Margo
Golan, Mayor Samuel Feiner, Mayor Tom Sawyer, Frank Romano,
Bill Sellers, Bill Wickers, George Fetherston, and Neil
Boyce. Also present were Stuart Newman and Dennis Taylor
from the firm of Newman, Blitz & McConnell; Danny L.
Kolhage, Clerk; Sandy Higgs of Keys Advertising & Marketing,
the TDC Administrator; members of the Press and Radio; and
the general public.
Sandy Higgs introduced the Tourist Development
Council members and members of the Advisory Committees.
The Board proceeded to view a video concerning the
work of the TDC.
Sandy Higgs advised the Board of the annual collec-
tion statistics on the Tourist Development Tax.
Mrs. Higgs then addressed the Board concerning the
makeup of the Advisory Committees and their functions.
Discussion ensued on lodging rate increases vs.
increases in the number of visitors to Monroe County and the
need to assemble information concerning the two.
Commissioner Swift discussed work he had personally
done concerning statistics on number of rooms, rooms under
construction, and the number of tourists visiting certain
major cities in the United States. He indicated that the
information concerning those areas was very poor. He
further indicated that the Tourist Development Council would
provide a great service if they began to assemble a data
base of such information for Monroe County.
Sandy Higgs discussed the recently adopted Policies
and Procedures Manual of the TDC.
Mrs. Higgs read her Annual Administrative Report.
The Board then discussed the language in the
current Ordinance concerning the percentage of gross
receipts as it relates to administrative expenses. Motion
was made by Commissioner Swift and seconded by Commissioner
Fahrer to authorize the advertisement of an amendment to the
TDC Ordinance which would provide that administrative expen-
ses would be calculated at 7% of the current gross receipts
from the Tourist Development Tax and that administrative
funds would not be carried forward from year to year. Roll
call vote was unanimous.
Mrs. Higgs discussed pending legislation which
would affect the tax that visitors to Monroe County could
potentially pay.
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TDC Members and the Board then discussed the
current conflict of interest law as it pertains to certain
TDC members and their membership in private non-profit orga-
nizations which seek funding from the TDC. Motion was made
by Commissioner Swift and seconded by Commissioner Freeman
to place on the Agenda for the Board of County Commissioners
a Resolution concerning the exemption of TDC Members from
the provisions of the Statute pertaining to conflict of
interest as it relates to their membership on boards of non-
profit groups which seek funding from the Tourist
Development Council, and refer this to the County Attorney.
Roll call vote was unanimous.
Motion was made by Commissioner Swift and seconded
by Commissioner Freeman to agenda a discussion item at the
next County Commission meeting concerning the Conflict of
Interest Statute as it relates to payments for services to
TDC Members and a possible exemption from the provisions of
the Florida Statutes and refer same to the County Attorney
for his advice. Roll call vote was unanimous.
There being no further business, the meeting was
adjourned.
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