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TDC reports year-to-date revenues of about $42,500 in tourist tax; proposes $85,000 revenue target and $487,500 FY2026 budget
Summary
Hardee County staff presented a mid-year review of Tourist Development Council revenues and a proposed FY2026 budget that raises revenue assumptions to $85,000 and allocates funds for staffing, marketing, visitor services and monument gateway signs.
Hardee County assistant county manager Doug Baber told the Tourist Development Council that year-to-date tourist development tax collections are approximately $42,508.32 and that total current-year revenues—including a cash forward—were reported by staff as roughly $437,059 (staff presentation contained a formatting error on one figure). Baber said the council budgeted conservatively last year at $75,000 for tourist development tax revenue and that, given early receipts and interest income, he expects the full-year collections to meet or exceed that amount.
For the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget staff presented a revenue estimate of $85,000 and an overall budget plan totaling about $487,500, which includes an estimated cash forward of about $391,000. Staff noted $1,000 a month in interest income (approximately $6,000 year-to-date) that has exceeded the $5,000 budgeted estimate for interest.
On expenditures, Baber said personnel is the largest single line item in the TDC budget. Staff currently count 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) charged to the TDC for tourism staffing; with taxes and benefits, Baber said the full personnel cost is roughly $55,000. He told the council they have already reduced the budgeted FTE allocation from a higher amount to 0.5 FTE and are exploring further adjustments to avoid overspending the personnel line.
Other current-year and proposed expenses include visitor information services (listed at $5,800 in the current year), website and marketing work, and $80,000 allocated in FY2026 as part of a $320,000 plan to design and build monument gateway signs (discussion continued in a separate agenda item). Baber said professional services and branding work are a planned increase in the proposed budget to produce a logo, website and marketing materials.
Baber recommended budgeting $5,000 in the promotions line to support community events (for example, the Florida Pioneer Festival) and proposed that the TDC accept applications from qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations at each meeting in the first year while staff develops an application packet and review process. Council members expressed support for an application mechanism and discussed whether the initial $5,000 should be held in contingency or used through a formal application and award process.
Why it matters: The TDC’s budget determines how the council will market Hardee County attractions and support events that drive lodging and visitor spending. Council members questioned long-term sustainability if tourism tax collections remain near the $75,000–$85,000 level while personnel and planned projects consume a large portion of revenues.
Next steps: Staff will finalize the application and review SOP for promotions, continue outreach to local marketing firms and present revised budget documents during the next TDC meeting cycle. No budget ordinance or final appropriation was adopted at the meeting.
