Subject:
Title
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VisitSPC) Chamber Marketing and Visitor Center Funding Agreements with 9 out of the 13 participating local Chambers of Commerce for support of visitor center promotions and assistance with visitor center staffing during Fiscal Year 2026.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval and execution by the County Administrator of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) VisitSPC Chamber Marketing and Visitor Center Funding Agreements in support of nine (9) out of the 13 participating local chambers for visitor center promotions and assistance with staffing.
• Funding is allocated based on an established formula and distributed across the following categories:
o $335,400.00 - Visitor Center & Chamber Promotions
o $180,600.00 - Visitor Center Staffing
• A total of $516,000.00 is approved for distribution to nine (9) participating chambers of commerce to support visitor services during FY26.
• The remaining four (4) agreements will be brought forward separately due to timing considerations.
• The funding Agreements are retroactively effective as of October 1, 2025.
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Strategic Priorities:
Prosperity and Opportunity
3.2 Provide and promote tourism opportunities
Summary:
This request includes nine (9) Chamber Agreements, representing a subset of the total up to $600,000 authorized to support thirteen (13) participating chambers of commerce for visitor center promotions and staffing costs during FY26. The remaining agreements will be brought forward separately due to timing considerations. All agreements retroactively commence on October 1, 2025, and expire on September 30, 2026.
Background/Explanation:
The purpose of this program is to support chambers as an extension of the VisitSPC sales, marketing and visitor experience departments and programs while coordinating a unified voice for the travel, tourism and hospitality stakeholders throughout the County. A total of $600,000 has been approved for chamber funding in the FY26 Adopted Budget.
During FY24, VisitSPC worked with Crossroads Consulting Services LLC and chambers to develop a more equitable chamber funding formula that would be utilized to determine funding allocations between 13 participating Chambers of Commerce beginning in FY25. Visitor metrics, which are reported by the chambers and a requirement of the funding agreements, were also updated during this process. The FY26 VisitSPC Chamber Marketing and Visitor Center Standard Funding Agreement(Standard Funding Agreement) is the outcome from these discussions.
All chambers are subject to the terms of the Standard Funding Agreement which include deliverables that are customized according to the size of each chamber.
FY26 Chamber Based Funding Allocations:
$171,000 Amplify Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
$15,000 Central Pinellas Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
$51,000 Greater Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce, Incorporated
$15,000 Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
$60,000 St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
$72,000 Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
$39,000 The Greater Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
$39,000 Pinellas Beaches Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
$54,000 Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
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$516,000 Total
Fiscal Impact:
Total Expenditure: $516,000
Support for Standard Funding Agreements is provided through VisitSPC FY26 Adopted Operating Budget. The source of funding is the Tourist Development Tax Fund.
Delegated Authority:
Authority for the County Administrator to sign the Special Agreements is granted under Code Section 2-62 (a)(1).
Staff Member Responsible:
Brian Lowack, Director, Convention and Visitors Bureau
Partners:
Tourist Development Council
Attachments:
Chamber Marketing and Visitor Center Special Funding Agreements:
Amplify Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Central Pinellas Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Greater Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce, Incorporated
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
The Greater Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Pinellas Beaches Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Inc.