Subject:
Title
Approval of an extension to four (4) Tourism Development Council Beach + Lagoon Grant agreements, three (3) with Brevard County Department of Natural Resources and one (1) with Florida Institute of Technology.
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Fiscal Impact:
Original award for these Grants was $202,343.00, of which $42,494.73 has already been reimbursed leaving $159,848.27 to be reimbursed.
Dept/Office:
Tourism Development Office
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested the Board of County Commissioners approve an extension to 4 Tourism +Lagoon Grant projects and authorize the Tourist Development Director to execute the necessary documentation. The original contracts were to expire on September 30, 2020. The extension would extend the project deadline to March 31, 2021.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
The Tourist Development Council at their August 28, 2019 meeting, and the Board of County Commissioners at the September 17, 2019 meeting, recommended approval of the Tourism + Lagoon Grant Projects as well as make the following legislative findings: (1) the Indian River Lagoon is an estuary with multiple public access points for tourism purposes and a long history of use by tourists, and (2) each project specifically improves, maintains, renourishes, restores, protects or assists with erosion control in either the Indian River, the Banana River, or the Mosquito Lagoon (all part of the Indian River Lagoon); and (3) each project is an authorized purpose for the expenditure of TDT revenue under section 125.0104(5)(a)5, Florida Statutes and section 102119(4)(a) of the Brevard County Code of Ordinances.
Due to the rapid and large drop in Tourism Development Tax (TDT) collection because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the TDC recommended in April that all IRL grant activity be put on hold until till was a clearer projection of TDT revenue. In addition, the Beach Committee at their May 26, 2020 meeting and the TDC at their May 28, 2020 meeting voted to approve extens...
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