Bee Cave approves $5,000 HOT grant for BFAST volleyball tournament and stroke-awareness outreach

The Bee Cave City Council unanimously approved a $5,000 hotel-occupancy-tax (HOT) grant to the BK Chamber of Commerce to support the inaugural BFAST (balance, function, awareness, stroke time) volleyball invitational scheduled for June 13–14 at Hill Country Endure.

Rebecca Reguera, the city staff presenting the application, said the request was for $5,000 and noted the submittal missed the published application deadline so the council would need to grant an exception to HOT funding procedure. She explained funds would be released on a reimbursement basis. Chamber representatives described the event as a seed project expected to attract about 12 teams and roughly 400 visitors, with an estimated 200 staying at the Bee Cave Sonesta. "This is our 1st year, so it's like, seed project," one presenter said, and Nancy Rocha shared a personal account of surviving a major brain bleed to explain the tournament's stroke-awareness mission: "I ended up having a ruptured aneurysm and a platinum coil put in my brain," she told the council.

Council members asked about application deadlines and existing HOT commitments; staff said approximately $125,000 had already been committed in the advertising and promotions category for the year and confirmed the application was eligible for the advertising/promotions statutory category. Several council members said they supported making an exception given the event's community benefits, and a motion to approve the $5,000 request carried unanimously. Funds were approved to be paid by reimbursement following the event and required documentation.