Council may seek ideas for marketing area tourism

By George Andreassi, staff writer
Copyright 2001 Stuart News Company
Article date: August 2, 2001
 

If voters approve a referendum on a 2 percent bed tax in November 2002, revenue projections indicate almost $700,000 would be collected in 2003 from the people staying at about 34 hotels, motels, cottages and mobile homes.  
 

STUART - The newly reconstituted Martin County Tourist Development Council had its first meeting Wednesday and discussed inviting representatives of the restaurant, golf, fishing, boating, sports and ecotourism industries to help them formulate plans for attracting visitors during the off-season.  

"We actually could serve as a great conduit and actually invite those folks to come to us and say, 'How can we help you. . . . Tell us what your problems are during the summertime," said Gary Guertin, a council member from Pirate's Cove Resort and Marina. "We're not just going to work in a vacuum."  

Information gathered from the invited representatives could be incorporated into an advertising and marketing campaign to promote Martin County as a tourist destination, several council members said.  

The council also discussed the possibility of asking county commissioners to provide a small budget for marketing consultants and advertising campaigns to promote the county's tourist attractions during the next 17 months. The money could be paid back after revenue from a proposed bed tax starts coming in.  

If voters approve a referendum on a 2 percent bed tax in November 2002, revenue projections indicate almost $700,000 would be collected in 2003 from the people staying at about 34 hotels, motels, cottages and mobile homes, county records state.  

Another referendum could be conducted in November 2005 to ask voters to increase the bed tax to 3 percent, said Kirk Sorenson, the county's Fiscal Planning Administrator. That would generate more than $1 million in revenue in 2006.  

St. Lucie, Indian River and Palm Beach counties each already have a 4 percent bed tax, according to county records. In other business, the council unanimously elected Ron Haven, the president of the Hospitality Group, to be it's chairman, and Bernie Malone, the manager of Stuart Main Street, to be vice chairman.  

The council also voted unanimously to have its meetings the first Wednesday of each month in the County Commission chamber.  

It was the first meeting of the Martin County Tourist Development Council since it disbanded in 1994 after a failed attempt to establish a bed tax. County commissioners revived the group in July at the request of the Martin County Hotel and Motel Association.  

"We're not trying to bring tourists in here during the season," Haven said. "The major objective is to stimulate the economy and stimulate the industry in the off-season time frame."
 

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