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County tightens TDCA grant rules to measure tourist draw and attendance data
Summary
The Arts and Cultural Alliance presented revisions to the Tourist Development and Cultural Arts (TDCA) grant program: stricter eligibility (electronic ticketing or manned entry to collect ZIP codes), heavier scoring weight on tourist appeal, and reimbursement scaling tied to percent of non‑local attendees.
The Arts and Cultural Alliance, which administers the county’s Tourist Development and Cultural Arts program, asked the Board of County Commissioners to approve a revised FY26 grant guideline that emphasizes measurable tourism impact and stronger accountability.
Brian Hirsch, the alliance’s CEO, reviewed changes adopted by the TDCA council and recommended to the board: an eligibility form to screen projects before full applications; a requirement that funded projects be electronically ticketed or operate a manned entry point that collects purchaser ZIP codes; survey and reporting requirements for 100% of ticket purchasers; and a revised scoring rubric that increases tourist‑appeal weighting. The guideline also ties the second half of grant reimbursement to verified non‑local attendance thresholds (0–9.9% non‑local = 0% of second payment; 25%+ non‑local = 100% of second payment), which seeks to prioritize events that attract visitors to Sarasota County.
Hirsch presented a timeline for the FY26 competitive cycle: eligibility portal opens in early February; applications due April 1; panel scoring and recommendations in May; council awards in June and BOCC action expected in July. The alliance will perform pre‑checks of applications for completeness and handle initial review of reimbursements and final reports.
Why it matters: The changes shift the program to prioritize events that demonstrably bring visitors (and tourism revenue) into the county and create tighter reporting expectations for grantees. The board approved the application process as presented.
