Okeechobee County tourist board approves budget, funds new tourism-and-events manager and event sponsorships

The Okeechobee County Tourist Development Council on an amended vote approved a staffing and budget proposal to move an Agri Civic Center manager position into the tourism department, fund a new full-time maintenance technician and cover most of the new manager's pay from tourism revenue tax while the Board of County Commissioners will consider a 20% general-fund contribution.

The change comes as the council prepares its annual budget and follows an update from Denise Whitehead, tourism director, who told the council the county has collected roughly $509,000 in projected tourism revenue and that the department faces continuing workload pressures.

Whitehead said the county's tourism revenue comes from short-term rental bed taxes and stressed the funds are “not coming from local taxpayers.” She told the council, “I will need the board to accept the budget as presented and to also accept this proposal because it will affect this year's budget if you approve it and we go through the BOCC.”

Under the approved plan, the county would reclassify the vacant Agri Civic Center manager role as a tourism and event facility manager paid from tourism revenue. That manager would oversee promotions and administrative work for both the Agri Civic Center and Scott Driver facilities; the plan also calls for hiring a full-time maintenance technician at the Agri Civic Center to reduce overtime costs. Whitehead said the proposed manager salary range in the packet is $60,000 to $91,000, with new hires typically starting at the low end; she added benefits would be additional to base pay.

Council members debated how to split the manager’s salary between tourism revenue and the general fund. One amendment —…