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Columbia County TDC approves event grants and renews Paradise marketing contract
Summary
The Columbia County Tourist Development Council approved multiple event grants—including $10,000 for the Olustee Festival, $5,000 for the county fair/rodeo, $5,000 for Old Florida Gravel and $2,500 for the Florida GOAT—and voted to renew its Paradise marketing contract for three years at the same rate. Staff also reviewed bed‑tax and STR metrics and provided updates on a 500‑acre sports project and RC track.
The Columbia County Tourist Development Council on an afternoon voice vote approved a series of event funding requests and renewed its marketing contract with Paradise for another three years at the same price.
Staff member Cody opened the business portion by reviewing May tax and short‑term rental figures, saying May 2026 bed‑tax collections were $211,565 compared with $198,073 in May 2025 and that year‑to‑date collections were $1,538,430 vs. $1,745,771 the prior year. On the funding items, staff recommended routine grant conditions tied to application benchmarks.
On discrete grants, the council approved $10,000 for the Olustee Festival and $5,000 to Columbia County Resources to support the county fair and the Porter Gateway Pro Rodeo. Regarding Old Florida Gravel, staff recommended a reduced award after noting last year’s event generated roughly 71 hotel room nights versus a projected 770; staff said, “based on that performance, it is staff’s recommendation to award a maximum of $2,000.” Organizers and council members discussed event marketing, volunteer recruitment and how registrations were tracked; after debate a member moved to fund Old Florida Gravel at $5,000 and the motion carried.
A first‑year, two‑day tournament called the Florida GOAT was presented by Joe Wilson, who introduced himself as the owner of Leedsports and Florida Georgia Fast Pitch Company. Wilson described a footprint he said could reach 500 room nights over time; the council approved a $2,500 first‑year award.
The council also approved a three‑year renewal of the county’s contract with Paradise, the tourism marketing agency that presented recent PR placements and digital advertising results. Stephanie Buchanan of Paradise said the agency would continue multi‑channel work including earned and paid media; staff noted that the renewal will move to the Board of County Commissioners for review and final approval.
The meeting record shows motions were made and seconded for each funding item and the Paradise contract; votes were taken by voice and recorded as carried. The council received staff direction to continue attaching funding releases to the benchmarks in grant applications and to coordinate further on hotel tracking and local partnerships.
The matter now moves to the Board of County Commissioners only for administrative review where required.
