TDC announces expanded hours, promotions and a push on STR compliance and social media
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Summary
Staff told the Tourist Development Council the welcome center will expand to six-day service in February, announced promotions and hires, outlined STR compliance onboarding with a planned April rollout, and highlighted rising social-media engagement and upcoming fam tours.
TDC staff used the Jan. 14 meeting to outline several operational and marketing updates aimed at increasing visitor services and visibility.
The office will expand to six-day operations with Saturday hours beginning in February to meet higher visitor demand, staff said. Management also announced two internal promotions: Christina Lam to tourism research and development specialist (effective Jan. 3) and Stephanie Earhart to social media and content specialist; staff said they will recruit for an administrative assistant and a visitor-service representative to support the expanded schedule.
Staff briefed the board on short-term rental (STR) compliance work using GovOS, noting the program is in onboarding with Inverness, Crystal River and county clerk offices and aiming for an April launch to begin sending licensing notices and improving tax collections from STRs and RV parks.
The marketing presentation covered upcoming trade shows (including Tampa and an international show in Berlin) and a Discover magazine release party set for Jan. 28. Nick Popham reported continued growth on social platforms and the launch of a YouTube channel and a short-form video strategy. He said staff worked with several influencers and fam-tour groups (including a Brazil fam group) and flagged new content efforts such as drone footage now that staff members are becoming certified commercial drone pilots.
Staff also presented visitor-spend insights for December 2025: the report slides said visitors accounted for 23% of total spend and residents 77% for that month; staff also reported collections up 18% at the start of the fiscal year but noted reporting gaps because not all hotels report into the STR/STAR system.
