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TDC adopts draft capital project funding guidelines; board adds $1 million economic‑study threshold
Summary
The Flagler County Tourist Development Council approved proposed guidelines for a Capital Project Funding Program, adding a board amendment to require independent economic impact studies for projects requesting $1,000,000 or more; the board also approved the program application process.
The Flagler County Tourist Development Council approved draft guidelines for a new Capital Project Funding Program and voted to require that projects requesting $1,000,000 or more provide an independent economic impact study. The board also approved the related application materials.
Amy (Tourism staff) told the board the guidelines are meant to align the program with industry best practices and the county’s strategic plan. “This is still in draft, but the overall concept and direction is what we're looking for approval today,” she said during a detailed presentation of proposed eligibility, evaluation and reporting requirements.
Key elements of the guidelines approved by the board include: a two‑year funding cycle (with the Board of County Commissioners approving the total funding pool before TDC solicitation), expansion of eligible applicants to include local government entities (including school boards) and not‑for‑profit organizations open to the public, a scoring model with an initial threshold (applications scoring below 70 would be asked to revise before appearing before the board), and stronger reporting and accountability requirements. Amy said staff will require quarterly status reports during project construction and a final project report plus project impact reports for three years after completion so the TDC can track outcomes of its investments.
On economic analysis, the draft established that larger projects could require either an in‑house impact model or, for very large requests, an independent economic impact study. Board members requested a clear, written dollar threshold for when an independent study would be required; after discussion the board amended the guidelines to set that threshold at $1,000,000. In the course of debate a board member observed that many projects at that scale already conduct feasibility work, and members discussed options for hardship waivers for applicants that could not afford a study.
Amy outlined additional protections staff will include in a funding agreement, drawing on examples from Monroe and Pinellas counties: the agreement will include terms and conditions, default and remedies language, audit rights and other protections for tourism tax dollars.
The board voted to approve the guidelines with the amendment to include the $1,000,000 study threshold and directed staff to forward documents to county legal counsel for final drafting; the motion passed unanimously. After that vote the board also approved the application form and materials for the capital program (Item 6B) by unanimous vote.
Staff said next steps include legal review of the funding agreement language and presenting the finalized program to the Board of County Commissioners for their approval of the funding pool and final implementation.
