BROWARD COUNTY — The Broward County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 21 unanimously approved a change to a multi-year advertising and branding contract used by the county’s tourism and transportation agencies, raising the reimbursable cap on outside production and media buys.

The item prompted public comment and an extended discussion among commissioners about the size and purpose of the agreement and whether county general‑fund (ad valorem) dollars were paying for the work. County officials said the added money comes from Tourist Development Tax revenue and is intended to fund media buys, production and other pass‑through costs tied to Visit Lauderdale, Port Everglades and county transit advertising.

The vote authorizes increased reimbursables for the existing agency contract (the five‑year contract total referenced on the agenda was $87,955,000). County staff and Visit Lauderdale representatives said the entire sum is not a single advertising fee and much of the contract is pass‑through payments to media outlets and vendors. Staff said the immediate change raises the reimbursable cap from $500,000 per year to $2,000,000 to allow a new creative campaign and production work that staff said should have been funded earlier.

Why it matters: Commissioners and members of the public flagged the item because of the large dollar figure on the contract and a general public sensitivity about government spending. County leaders responded that tourism remains Broward’s top industry, that media buys in a single year approach roughly $10 million for CVB activity, and that the reimbursable change does not come from property tax revenue.

Public comment and staff response

Chris Nelson, a resident who described himself as a recovering substance‑use disorder patient and county observer, criticized the contract’s apparent size during public comment and said the county should be tightening spending. "This seems to me like an example of somewhere where we could cut back," Nelson said.

The county administrator replied that the contract is paid 100% from Tourist Development Tax dollars and is not funded by ad valorem (property) taxes. The administrator said the $87.9 million figure on the agenda reflects the multi‑year contract ceiling and that this agenda action is only a reimbursables cap increase to align the contract with how vendors are paid.

Monica Ritter, identified as representing Visit Lauderdale, told commissioners the $2 million request covers reimbursable production and vendor payments needed to create a new tourism campaign. Ritter said media buys and retainer fees already budgeted for the CVB account approach $10 million a year and that production for a new campaign routinely exceeds a $500,000 annual reimbursable cap.

Commissioner questions and vote

A number of commissioners pressed staff to be clear in future agenda summaries about funding sources and the different uses of the contract — advertising for tourism, airport, seaport and transit — so the public will not assume general‑fund dollars are being spent. Commissioners also asked that documents showing tourism performance be placed in the record; staff agreed to add a statewide tourism report to the meeting materials.

After discussion, the board voted to approve the contract adjustment, with commissioners noting the change reflects accounting of reimbursable costs rather than a new general‑fund expenditure. The motion passed unanimously.

What remains unclear

The agenda item summary and public remarks left space for confusion about the contract’s total ceiling versus what is actually expected to be spent each year; staff said the latter is considerably lower and is constrained by individual agency budgets and the Tourist Development Tax revenue already appropriated.

Ending

Commissioners said they will continue to monitor advertising and tourism expenditures and asked staff to make future agenda language and budget references clearer so residents understand funding sources and pass‑through reimbursements.