Amelia Island Tourist Development Council

Amelia Island Tourist Development Council 3:00 PM, August 25, 2025 James S. Page Governmental Complex, 96135 Nassau Place Yulee, FL 32097 OFFICIAL MINUTES Call to Order at 3:01 p.m. Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call PRESENT: Commissioner John F. Martin, Board Member Barbara Halverstadt, Board Member Bob Hartman, Board Member John Beasley, Board Member Tim Poynter, Board Member Lisa West, Board Member Joshua Summers, and Board Member Will Wiest ABSENT: Board Member Phyllis Davis ALSO PRESENT: Abigail Jorandby, Deputy County Attorney, Marshall Eyerman, Assistant County Manager, and Melissa Lucey, Deputy Clerk Expansions/Deletions to the Agenda: Chair Martin requested to expand the agenda to include Board Member Poynter's proposal to consider using Tourist Development Tax (TDT) funds within the City of Fernandina Beach (COFB) as Tab K. Motion: Approve to add expansion item to the agenda. Maker: Board Member Poynter Second: Board Member Beasley Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab K) Expansion Item: Board Member Poynter’s proposal to consider using Tourist Development Tax (TDT) funds within the City of Fernandina Beach. Discussion: Board Member Poynter explained that with the introduction of Florida Statute 125.01.04, Tourist Development Tax (TDT) funds can now be allocated for infrastructure projects. He acknowledged that the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council (AITDC) has done an excellent job of attracting millions of visitors to Amelia 1/7250825 AITDC

Island. However, he noted that downtown Fernandina is struggling to meet the demands that come with this influx of tourists. Board Member Poynter further elaborated that there have been several discussions regarding the city's efforts to secure funding from sources outside of the Ad Valorem tax base to address infrastructure needs, including electricity, sidewalks, and streets. Motion: Approve recommending to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners to enter into a local agreement with the City of Fernandina Beach (COFB) on prorating portion of tourism involving tax that is raised within the city's limits to be spent in city's limits, as limited by the requirements of the Florida Statute 125.0104. Maker: Board Member Poynter Action: Approve Aye: None. Board Member Poynter expressed that the funds generated within the City of Fernandina Beach (COFB) would be utilized accordingly. He believes there is a 70/30 match with the AITDC. Mr. Eyerman mentioned that his financial presentation would provide valuable information regarding this matter and requested the opportunity to present it before moving forward with the motion. Chair Martin noted that this issue was brought to his attention before the meeting and asked whether it is the Board's standard procedure to have all agenda and action items reviewed by legal counsel in advance. Ms. Jorandby confirmed that this is indeed the Board's procedure. Chair Martin recommended that, before making a decision, the Board should allow Mr. Eyerman time to present his case and give the County Attorney's Office the opportunity to conduct a legal review for further consideration at a future AITDC meeting. Motion: Table Tab K Maker: Board Member Beasley Second: Board Member Hartman Action: Table Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Nay: Board Member Poynter. Absent: Board Member Davis. Approval of minutes: (Tab A) Approval of minutes for the July 23, 2025, Amelia Island Tourist Development Council (AITDC) meeting. Motion: Approve the minutes from the meetings held on July 23, 2025. Maker: Board Member Poynter Second: Board Member Wiest Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. 2/7250825 AITDC

New Business: (Tab B) Consider and approve a Resolution recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the use of tourist development tax (TDT) revenues to sponsor Amelia Island Museum of History, Inc., to enhance visitor experiences and promote tourism in Nassau County for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 in the amount of $20,000.00. Discussion: Mariela Murphy, Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau (AICVB) Director of Special Events, reviewed the request. Motion: Approve Tab B as stated above and authorization for the Chairman to sign Resolution 2025-148. Maker: Board Member Hartman Second: Board Member Poynter Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab C) Consider and approve a Resolution recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the use of TDT revenues to sponsor Crescendo Amelia Big Band, LLC., to enhance visitor experiences and promote tourism in Nassau County for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 in the amount of $5,000.00. Discussion: Ms. Murphy reviewed the request. Motion: Approve Tab C as stated above and authorization for the Chairman to sign Resolution 2025-149. Maker: Board Member Halverstadt Second: Board Member Summers Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab D) Consider and approve a Resolution recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the use of TDT revenues to sponsor the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, Inc., to enhance visitor experiences and promote tourism in Nassau County in the amount of $25,000.00. Discussion: Ms. Murphy reviewed the request. Motion: Approve Tab D as stated above and authorization for the Chairman to sign Resolution 2025-150. Maker: Board Member Poynter 3/7250825 AITDC

Second: Board Member Hartman Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab E) Consider and approve a Resolution recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the use of TDT revenues to sponsor Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture, Inc., to enhance visitor experiences and promote tourism in Nassau County for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 in the amount of $15,000.00. Discussion: Ms. Murphy reviewed the request. Motion: Approve Tab E as stated above and authorization for the Chairman to sign Resolution 2025-151. Maker: Board Member West Second: Board Member Halverstadt Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab F) Consider and approve a Resolution recommending to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners the use of TDT revenues to continue membership in the Chairman’s Club with Gator Bowl Sports, Inc., to enhance visitors experience on Amelia Island for an additional five years in the amount of $50,000.00 per year. Discussion: Ms. Murphy reviewed the request. Motion: Approve Tab F as stated above and authorization for the Chairman to sign Resolution 2025-152. Maker: Board Member Poynter Second: Board Member Halverstadt Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab G) Consider and approve a Resolution recommending the Board of County Commissioners the use of TDT revenues for the continued engagement of Cellet Travel Services, LTD., to execute destination marketing related to services in fiscal year 2025/2026 in the amount of $250,000.00. 4/7250825 AITDC

Discussion: Paul Beirnes, Vice President of Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau (AICVB), reviewed the request. Motion: Approve Tab F as stated above and authorization for the Chairman to sign Resolution 2025-153. Maker: Board Member Halverstadt Second: Board Member Poynter Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab H) Consider recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the approval of the updated AITDC Funding Policy, for requests for sponsorships from TDT. Discussion: Mr. Beirnes explained that the updated policy mainly involves administrative changes, including clarification that the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) refers specifically to Amelia Island CVB (AICVB). He also noted that the policy addresses sponsorship agreements by specifying that a post-event report will be required within a certain timeframe the agreements cannot exceed 50 percent of the overall event budget. Mr. Beirnes emphasized that the policy provides clearer language, such as changing the word "may" to "will." Mr. Eyerman indicated that the updated policy would clarify the application process and funding. Motion: Approve recommending to the Board of County Commissioners the approval of the updated AITDC Funding Policy, for requests for sponsorships from TDT. Maker: Board Member Beasley Second: Board Member Poynter Action: Approve Aye: Commissioner Martin, Board Member Halverstadt, Board Member Hartman, Board Member Beasley, Board Member Poynter, Board Member West, Board Member Summers, and Board Member Wiest. Absent: Board Member Davis. (Tab I) Fiscal Updates. Discussion: Mr. Beirnes provided a PowerPoint presentation that reviewed the average daily rates and paid occupancies for hotel and vacation rentals between the time period of October 2024 to July 2025; projected booking pace for August to October 2025; Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) year-to-date budget; and collections by budget and type for FY25. Informational Items: (Tab J) Marketing. 5/7250825 AITDC

Presentation: Mr. Biernes provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding the performance metrics for July and August. He discussed the upcoming Amelia Island Dining Month, scheduled for September and provided a brief overview of recent social media content and public relations efforts. He summarized the economic impact of tourism, covering the number of overnight visitors, day trippers, sales, transportation, and the tourism development tax collected in Nassau County. He noted that 25.6 percent of the tax revenue is allocated for Nassau County wages, while 27.8 percent is dedicated to jobs in the county. He concluded by stating that the total economic impact of tourism in the area is $949 million. Maurie Dugger, AICVB Director of Community Engagement, provided a brief history of the Tourist Development Tax (TDT). She outlined the purposes of the TDT, which include funding tourism promotion and infrastructure, helping counties enhance local attractions, maintaining beaches, and building venues that support tourism. Ms. Dugger noted that Nassau County adopted Ordinance 88-31, which approved a two percent tourist tax following a voter referendum. This Ordinance also established the AITDC to oversee the use of the revenue. She mentioned that the state ratified the statute, which allowed for growth in collections over time, resulting in Nassau County's current total rate of five percent. She further explained that the TDT is collected from visitors who rent hotels, motels, and short-term lodging. Ms. Dugger provided an overview of the oversight concerning the expenditures, allocations, and uses of the TDT revenue. She presented three additional regulations as defined by the Attorney General ruling: (1) activities that are not specifically permitted are explicitly prohibited; (2) Florida Statutes 125.0104(5) does not indicate that the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) is a broad funding source; instead, the tax revenues are a targeted funding source aimed directly at promoting tourism; and (3) it is the responsibility of the County's governing body to determine whether a particular facility or project is related to tourism and primarily serves that purpose. Mr. Eyerman explained that 15 percent of the TDT funds are allocated to AICVB for their contracted services, while the remaining 85 percent is divided among three categories of expenditures: marketing and special events, trade shows and travel trade, and beach improvements. He mentioned that Nassau County currently has a bed tax rate of five cents and cannot raise it to six cents as it does not qualify as a "high tourism impact county." He emphasized that the funds received must be used strictly for tourism promotion and other broad- related purposes. He provided a brief overview of the projected TDT revenue budget for Fiscal Year 2025/2026, noting that these figures may fluctuate based on market conditions. Mr. Eyerman discussed Florida Statutes 125.01.04(5)(a)6, which outlines the authorized uses of Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenues. He mentioned that certain uses of these funds are restricted until a county exceeds $10 million in TDT revenue for a fiscal year and Nassau County surpassed this threshold in Fiscal Year 2021/2022. He explained that any public facility must aim to enhance tourist-related business activities; however, no more than 70 percent of the cost of the proposed public facility can be covered by TDT tax revenues. Mr. Eyerman noted that an independent professional analysis would be conducted to demonstrate the positive impact of the infrastructure project and he provided an example. Mr. Eyerman addressed House Bill 7031, emphasizing that since the County is not considered fiscally constrained, as it is already 6/7250825 AITDC

permitted to utilize funds for capital projects. He briefly highlighted that the new language allows for the funding of lifeguards. He presented part of the City of Fernandina Beach's (COFB) Fiscal Year 2024/2025 budget for Ocean Rescue Services, which amounts to $900,000.00 He noted that the County is in an interlocal agreement with the COFB to allocate $200,000.00 for those services. General Public Comment: None. Adjournment at 4:13 p.m. _____________________________________ Chairman 7/7250825 AITDC