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Columbia County tourism office unveils redesigned website and accessibility features; resident urges more inclusive event representation
Summary
The tourism office showed a redesigned site and restored events calendar with ADA accessibility tools and reported social-media gains; a public commenter urged the TDC to include Black cultural events and address perceived funding inequities in underserved neighborhoods.
Columbia County’s tourism staff demonstrated a redesigned tourism website and events calendar and reported stronger October social‑media metrics at the Oct. 25 Tourist Development Council meeting.
Michelle Moore, market coordinator, introduced Paradise representative Haley McKenzie, who said the office’s October organic social work increased Facebook impressions by about 41% and Instagram impressions doubled month‑over‑month. Haley reported roughly 32,000 Facebook impressions and about 8,600 followers on that platform, and “over 700 engagements” on Instagram with the profile above 2,000, attributing growth to nature‑focused posts and collaborations with local events.
The website relaunch includes a restored events calendar (list, month, photo views), a signature events page, linked affiliate pages and an ADA accessibility bar that offers visual and focus adjustments for users with vision impairment, ADHD and seizure sensitivity. Haley said the calendar had not been functional for almost a year and that the new version is “bright and vibrant.” Michelle noted the site now hosts a Gateway Outdoor Center video and will feature a new funding‑request page.
During public comment, Sebastian Warner III urged the TDC to broaden representation of events and called for inclusion of Black cultural celebrations such as Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth.
