[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6477071,"mediaKeyId","5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7","parentId",5713521,"title","TDC approves three event grants and $130,000 EDC study funding; motions unanimous","audioSeconds",1091,"startMs",4106000,"endMs",5197000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7&start=4106&end=5197","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7/thumbnail_4106000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6477071/Clay-County/Florida/TDC-approves-three-event-grants-and-130000-EDC-study-funding-motions-unanimous","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477071-3fb1e32a2de23e99d327ae9e7caf5643/orig.mp4?Expires=1770817576&Signature=HPaHWih59x2Bq8i2gMxypMEN~Z6rLIHxLsu0coHE-dEQRXeLedVjBXBDB6c60EMuOBKEOMqkvusE9pVgQWKzFzoQ768WTvo8juPi8qaVjpTw0iCnsMREeTOmncUmwF72i~xnVwxwcW1Zkg9KFAlxwyoshAbYaJoVNOStxn7ejhwAhRj0QMTficVF9rz-KMJCAKfTUCe7q~s4cAb7Ap8LxeAQWMjpHaKaBWKTXHyY5ZRRhtLdbFRSL-fHcBnSKtw6N7x4IuRm~QRSHe5Uuxuqeg1~EiHUWQEfBEYJoCY3Qsvh90Uh35lly129kEcCGfxYc~nioDRaFjfCKDVDwxYF~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Clay County","date","2025-09-03T00:00:00Z","article","The Tourist Development Council took formal votes Sept. 3 on multiple grant awards and a funding agreement. All listed motions passed unanimously on voice votes without roll-call tallies.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes for July 16, 2025 meeting: motion to approve carried unanimously. (Motion moved and seconded on the record; no roll-call recorded.)

- Moose Haven 15th Annual Chili Cook Off: council approved a reimbursable grant of $5,000 to Moose Haven for the November event; staff recommendation was to award the full amount. The applicant said the event typically brings about 6,000 attendees and projected additional room-night demand tied to Moose International staff and a ribbon-cutting; staff noted 180 room nights at the prior event and the applicant projected higher attendance this year.

- BNA Nightmare Flag Football Tournament: council approved a $12,500 reimbursable grant for a new two-day flag-football event to be held at the Regional Sports Complex (staff recommended $10,000 based on initial materials; the applicant secured a second day after applying and requested $12,500). Staff and Airstream Ventures described the promoter’s prior success in other markets and projected roughly 294 room nights and strong out-of-area participation.

- Hub Pickleball Florida–Georgia Classic: council approved a $25,000 reimbursable grant for the Hub facility’s multi-day pickleball tournament (Oct. 31–Nov. 2). Staff said the tournament is a recurring, large regional event and recommended $25,000; the applicant projected 250–500 room nights and described pro and junior divisions and additional spectator programming.

- Clay County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) feasibility and marketing study: council approved a funding agreement not to exceed $130,000 to support the EDC study. Staff and council members discussed that the study is a tool to attract development and that the expenditure does not guarantee future private development; the council recorded a unanimous vote to authorize the funding.

Outcomes and next steps

All grants are reimbursable and contingent on post-event deliverables and compliance with the county grants division; staff said Placer.ai data and post-event reporting will be used to validate outcomes prior to reimbursement. The FY 2025–26 grants pool was increased in staff materials to $325,000 to accommodate additional event funding requests. Council members asked staff to supply post-event room-night and Placer.ai summaries for future evaluation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Clay County - Tourist Development Council Sep 03, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Tourist Development Council on Sept. 3 unanimously approved three reimbursable event grants totaling $42,500 and authorized up to $130,000 for an EDC feasibility/marketing study.","taxTitle","Clay County, Florida","taxId",12757,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6477078,"TDC tightens signature-special event grants, raises grant pool to $325,000 for 2025–26",348,2708000,3056000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7&start=2708&end=3056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7/thumbnail_2708000.jpg","/articles/6477078/Clay-County/Florida/TDC-tightens-signature-special-event-grants-raises-grant-pool-to-325000-for-202526","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477078-7556952bb4875b2caf1e205008d4a022/orig.mp4?Expires=1770817576&Signature=h3hT4bwiHJ5dYvHL205evhK4bXGFa4GVcW0PN9BDlEhSV-ebL5KANpIYvWe8lla4SYDPdJ7EnnLC0CLkwgnCl3uWUz3B09xsyskbtxcQa7uMPu-J~4xNU6AC9vSZpBTB5AVJuuXGSs3UJIDNU2Y6VbS8VH2YqfxLUqvwRtpmTEpYWFeO-sZ-qHLCL2CohPz59ymWrMpmpvIt4TMLaHVV-71IoyzfcdwUMQEsRmb28-9B3yu8MawrvaZ4JMjlu6VNfyuKfeXv9h~NCNa2--twff4MEr1MaphVQ0N7~fCyRaVKKFioe5dnz~PeNfMa6L-zcq4c6Pyz55zqtaVgtl1OcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tourism staff proposed and the council discussed Sept. 3 a revision to the TDC grant framework that restores a “signature event” grant in place of an open sponsorship format and tightens application requirements.

Staff said the revised signature grant requires an event budget, marketing plan, financial statements, targeted sponsors, SMART objectives tied to measurable outcomes (for example, ticket sales or room-night targets), a post-event visitor survey and an event emergency plan. Staff said the changes are intended to create clearer deliverables and to improve the county’s post-event ability to measure return on investment.

Staff added that a county grants-division process will handle post-event compliance and reimbursement. For smaller special-event grants (previously capped at $5,000), staff added an explicit note that the TDC may exercise discretion to award amounts above the listed maximum for qualifying events. Staff said the changes correct prior situations where sponsorship payments lacked measurable deliverables.

Finance staff presented an overview of tourism cost centers and noted county operating adjustments. Staff proposed increasing the event-grants pool for fiscal year 2025–26 from $250,000 to $325,000, funded from reserves and unspent prior-year carryforward; staff said other operating lines were trimmed to offset the increase. The council agreed the larger grants pool would support recruitment for larger events tied to the county’s sports complex and venue strategy.

Staff said post-event data sources will include Placer.ai visitation analytics and the grants division’s compliance work to validate deliverables before reimbursement.

Council members asked whether the signature grant form had been used previously; staff said the form was developed earlier but not consistently implemented and that the current change is a reactivation with refinements.

Staff said several events already approved or pending in the new fiscal window will use the revised grants framework.

No formal board vote was required to adopt the revised application and budget proposal at the TDC meeting; staff said the Board of County Commissioners will review and adopt the county budget in subsequent meetings.","Tourism staff told the Tourist Development Council they are returning from a sponsorship model to a signature-event grant with added requirements (marketing plan, SMART objectives, budget, visitor survey, emergency plan) and said the grant pool will increase from $250,000 to $325,000 in fiscal 2025–26 to support recruitment of events.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6477083,"County staff flag July drop in collections; STAR data shows mixed hotel trends",169,2356000,2525000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7&start=2356&end=2525","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7/thumbnail_2356000.jpg","/articles/6477083/Clay-County/Florida/County-staff-flag-July-drop-in-collections-STAR-data-shows-mixed-hotel-trends","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477083-41b215ff09d5f9fc73a0a19617052c28/orig.mp4?Expires=1770817576&Signature=kipl9X6JPcnLyCOCwCu~skSH1JzttwW4d2YzivB6zP-o8k-hrtSZm8lVmCDIL58V2lMnowY6MwP60K~-3IAmRoC8CfyALMYDOBF3es0YO3UfZPQkr98AZWoD5SdavdtIVOHeylIjs4wJ-jzA2JxzDHtCySazmVA~tPXwPEdrq2ZA0YbE7MffCZOklMObjjILT6eMEXyZKNK3unwU0bIzttVCtS6cvWZ65fVkLz4Y8doTrhvyDrHi9oKnfdQv2jP1G7zmsKvbAH0J7zUc2rmmr2HlEoD~-H9ie87qb-dJlAss-7dfR1nayPGmpLAbTL4IouRx~P1qZ8H36eUls-Edng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tourism staff reported Sept. 3 that Clay County’s July bed-tax collection showed a year-over-year decline (a negative 12.9% figure cited in the presentation), a change staff said aligns with national tourism trends discussed at the Florida Governor’s Conference.

Staff member Sam (presenting from the statewide DMO conference) summarized results from a Tourism Economics session and said world affairs and tariffs are among the national factors affecting travel. The county’s STAR hotel-data report, staff said, shows Clay County remained up year over year relative to peer counties even though some local indicators showed declines.

The council discussed whether the bed-tax decline reflects hotels, vacation rentals, or both. Staff said bed-tax totals reported to the county include registered vacation rentals, and that vacation-rental collections have shown the larger drop. Staff said they can request STAR or collection reports that separate hotels and vacation-rental performance for more detail.

Staff also noted a new hotel in Middleburg is expected to open within a month and said that additional room inventory should be positive for future bed-tax collections.

Council members asked staff to provide separated bed-tax details (hotel vs. vacation rental) in a future report and requested continued monitoring of STAR and other industry data. Staff said updated numbers available as of the day before the meeting showed a 6% bounce-back from the earlier drop.","Staff reported a 12.9% negative figure in July bed-tax collections but said STAR hotel data for Clay County showed occupancy and revenue trends that compared favorably with nearby counties. Staff attributed part of the decline to vacation-rental changes and noted a new Middleburg hotel is opening soon.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6477088,"Airstream Ventures pitches broad sports-event pipeline; flag football, lacrosse and triathlons targeted",932,913000,1845000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7&start=913&end=1845","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7/thumbnail_913000.jpg","/articles/6477088/Clay-County/Florida/Airstream-Ventures-pitches-broad-sports-event-pipeline-flag-football-lacrosse-and-triathlons-targeted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477088-e5b8c7ed643019c53de0b68c5ca395b6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770817576&Signature=UHpEFLzbzJUCDbDvEdstTes3gk9qLAGKKUVmDu0W80LiddVqkJrufOmOIdmqjJUhLPi326GbSkCSWEIzRKnipK575vWtXdXX8AVQJ5XctPbC1rzvICMIfCYPKNRcTLnZAjgDMDmuuAI~WAavsc~3RW7kng70MuWBt8STF4R5wbHitaB~fDVlLKTyKBBhf5cTuIJH7~Xd9hQ5KSUTTlvRhEUkrhykwgnte~IC8BGGsVBDdUVGAOskSORyUh9XcWQsBEMHsNvO3WO~miOJfDYnKQBGtL62dk9XoJJZJS0bqRyk5tYeURm0kcFpXXF9YsHHFELJ2KZzmA-DOvbuQ2BLdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alan Verlander of Airstream Ventures told the Tourist Development Council Sept. 3 that sports tourism outreach over recent months has produced multiple booked and prospect events for Clay County, and that the county’s new regional sports complex makes larger tournaments possible.

Verlander listed four already-booked events he said will recur: Athletes (girls and coed flag football), the Minor League Golf Tour tournament (third year), the Black Creek Showdown (girls flag football, planned as a two-day event), and a cross-country invitational returning to Sea Mark Ranch. He said the golf event can draw Korn Ferry–level players and that the flag football market has grown since flag was added to the Olympics.

He and staff described ongoing conversations with dozens of event organizers and national governing bodies including USA Archery, the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), USA Pickleball, college club-sport organizers, and others. Verlander said the county is pursuing NCAA regional championship bids and that bids are typically submitted in March with awards in October.

Verlander gave a goal of bringing 10 events that together would produce more than 3,000 room nights and about $2,000,000 in estimated direct economic impact. He and staff told council members that event conversion depends on logistics such as parking and operations at the regional sports park; staff said they are working through solutions.

Council members and staff discussed niche sports the county could target—Verlander emphasized flag football as a current high-opportunity sport and also noted water sports, barbecue events, pickleball, triathlon, archery, and others as prospects. Staff said regional partners and a new USA-sports liaison (Bailey Robinson) are actively pitching national events that can fit available facilities.

Council members asked about barriers to hosting large events; the council and staff said parking and an operational plan for the regional sports complex are active concerns but are being addressed by county operations and administration. Verlander and staff also said Airstream, tourism staff and parks and rec coordinate regularly to convert one-day events to multi-day events when possible to capture more overnight stays.","Airstream Ventures representative told the council the county has secured multiple prospective and recurring events, is pursuing NCAA and national governing-body bids, and aims to bring 10 events that together could generate more than 3,000 room nights and about $2 million in economic impact.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6477092,"Explore Clay reports millions of ad impressions, influencer segment to air on Discovery",448,167000,615000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7&start=167&end=615","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5713521-3bb27ddf38ce1e3294b671cf9dbdacf7/thumbnail_167000.jpg","/articles/6477092/Clay-County/Florida/Explore-Clay-reports-millions-of-ad-impressions-influencer-segment-to-air-on-Discovery","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477092-79a85e20db24e36b8c991c007648c45d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770817576&Signature=DKWN~UQPtZ7Mi8w7VsqcmZ-hrZzC7vc-zfBdXGfU2PM4XsbdLC2ZQHW4z8XKG4yDS1no4ds2iDxqyzxi0FtQjbkmXiHJZgSX91GJQ5J1usULm~SjHdVeGWh-YpudFeszs-cx8NIloGQm1ZXEFMINaDqBLe0ykVf342~PxfgnHWIRn3Ifpz8gyUm7vZCbWXmEVi3rxismXQDaITwgwf1PcQTiiKHd0n9u5dpEPwPjWL-AS-8caHw1-C6efFy9ISvrPtXngreNjJWY6vA8ZGomvm58yKp5-wX3kWsUp1q~VByQiHlrjLr~uaD38HDjBAmapkfkOG21BIU1Swbtj73X6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Explore Clay marketing contractors reported Sept. 3 that paid campaigns delivered nearly 3,000,000 impressions across July and August and drove roughly 70% of the new visitors to ExploreClay.com.

The contractors said the two-month push produced more than 67,000 page views and an average session time of 1 minute, 12 seconds. They reported more than 327,000 full video ad views with a completion rate of 97.68% and about 170,552 completed Spotify audio ad listens (90.6% completion). Social ads recorded more than 72,000 engagements and more than 34,000 responses directing users to the website.

The contractor also previewed a video segment produced with influencer Misty Wells that is scheduled to air nationally on the Discovery Channel on Sept. 7. Staff said the segment and other influencer content will be repurposed over time rather than used as a single run.

Contractors described several “key events” they track on the website to measure downstream impact: outbound directory clicks to local businesses, outbound lodging partner clicks, and visitor-guide requests. Of 723 tracked key events in the reporting period, 318 were outbound directory clicks and 153 were lodging partner clicks, the contractors said.

Council members asked whether the marketing team can tie website click-throughs to concrete ticket or room reservations. The contractors said they operate a device-tracking campaign that can attribute devices to Clay County visits, but they cannot directly observe downstream purchases made on third-party platforms. For some partners that use third-party ticketing, the contractors said, data visibility is limited and attribution is sometimes an “educated estimate.”

Staff and contractors highlighted an active day-of-community promotion, “Celebrate 904 Day,” with a landing page on ExploreClay.com listing participating businesses and specials. They also said year-over-year metrics are positive: new users and page views were up, and they reported a 90% engagement rate on the site for this period.

Council members and staff said the marketing results will be used to support upcoming events and to evaluate the return on marketing investments, with more detailed measurement planned post-event where possible.","County marketing contractors told the Tourist Development Council they delivered nearly 3 million ad impressions over July–August, drove 70% of new visitors to ExploreClay.com, and will run an influencer segment on Discovery Channel Sept. 7. Staff said website engagement metrics and outbound clicks to local businesses are strong.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

TDC approves three event grants and $130,000 EDC study funding; motions unanimous

TDC tightens signature-special event grants, raises grant pool to $325,000 for 2025–26

County staff flag July drop in collections; STAR data shows mixed hotel trends

Airstream Ventures pitches broad sports-event pipeline; flag football, lacrosse and triathlons targeted

Explore Clay reports millions of ad impressions, influencer segment to air on Discovery