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 — approved unanimously — requires the county to pay 20% of the new manager’s salary from general funds and the Tourist Development Council to pay the remaining 80%. Whitehead said she will present the amended proposal to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for final action and that if the BOCC declines the funding split she would return the matter to the council.

Whitehead said the tourism office can accommodate the position in the current fiscal year's budget by adjusting operational and promotional lines if necessary but acknowledged the council could delay hiring if members preferred to wait for more clarity on county revenue projections. She noted recruiting a candidate with both operations and marketing experience has been difficult: the Agri Civic Center manager vacancy has been open since October and applicants lacked the mix of promotional experience the role now emphasizes.

The council separately approved several promotional and event items by unanimous vote: - A local radio sponsorship proposal with WOKC for a fishing segment (the board approved funding the WOKC opportunity in addition to continuing the existing "Hooked Up with Steve and Deb" programming). - A $30,000 host fee for the Bassmaster College Series tournament planned for January 2026 (the board approved the fee; other related expenses fall within the director’s spending authority).

Whitehead and staff also reviewed results from the recent Bassmaster Elite tournament held in March. She reported more than 10,000 visitors attended final weigh-ins and described strong social-media impressions tied to the event; that item was informational and did not require a board vote.

In other operational updates, Whitehead introduced Jared Romanello as the county’s new public information officer, summarized second-quarter advertising spend (about $13,167.72), and described an influencer marketing pilot executed through Sherpa that produced social content for the county. Angela (tourism staff) told the council, “So for $2,500 we got a huge amount of content delivered through Instagram,” a result the staff said gave the county additional digital reach.

The council scheduled its next regular meeting for July 9, 2025, subject to room availability. Whitehead said the staffing action and budget changes will go to the BOCC for final approval and that advertising and host-fee obligations will proceed while the county processes the BOCC review.

Votes at a glance - Motion to close public comment: passed (motion recorded; procedural vote). - Motion to accept the agenda as presented: passed (procedural vote). - Motion to accept the consent agenda: passed (procedural vote). - Motion to accept the tourism budget as presented: passed. - Motion to approve the staffing proposal (create tourism and event facility manager and add a maintenance technician), as amended to require 20% general-fund support and 80% tourism-fund support for the manager salary: amendment passed unanimously; amended main motion passed unanimously. Final hiring and funding depend on BOCC acceptance. - Motion to fund the WOKC fishing sponsorship (in addition to existing programming): passed unanimously. - Motion to provide $30,000 host fee for Bassmaster College Series (January 2026): passed unanimously.

What the actions mean - The council approved moving an administrative manager position from the general fund into tourism revenue funding, with the council assuming most of the salary cost but the county agreeing to pay 20%. That split still requires BOCC acceptance; Whitehead will present the amended proposal to the BOCC and said the BOCC could accept it or request the council revisit the item. - The tourism office will advertise and proceed with the WOKC sponsorship and will host the Bassmaster College Series pending the usual operational arrangements (venues, ice deliveries, first-responder notifications, and insurance were discussed as deliverables).

Budget and staffing numbers (clarifying details) - Projected tourism revenue used for FY planning: approximately $505,000–$510,000 (Whitehead said “if we stay on course … we should recognize about $509,000 worth of revenue”). - Current initial budget submitted: personnel $130,967; operating $326,095; total at current staffing approximately $457,061. - Proposed manager salary range in the posted job description: $60,000–$91,000 (staff said typical new hires start at the low end); Whitehead noted benefits would add to the base salary, bringing total annual cost closer to $100,000 when benefits are included. - Proposed new full-time maintenance technician starting base salary: about $37,000 per year.

Context and next steps The council acts as an advisory body responsible under state statute for ensuring tourism revenue funds are spent for tourism purposes. Whitehead emphasized that tourism revenues derive from bed taxes collected at the state level and returned to the county and that this revenue stream does not come from local property taxes. She will bring the amended staffing/funding proposal to the BOCC; if the BOCC asks for changes, the council will revisit the item at its next meeting.