Morning, welcome to the February 12th, 2026 uh quarterly meeting of the Hillsburg County Tourist Development Council.

Uh this time I'll pass things over to Ron Barton for roll call.

Thank you.

Um Hagan here Castor Antonaccio Collier here Gonsmar Williams.

She said she couldn't be here.

Kilton?

Here.

Mackkinaugh.

Here.

Manthe.

Who's that virtual?

Yes, he's okay.

I just wanted to make sure.

Um Morrison.

Placentia.

Here.

And Ross.

Mayor Ross told me you couldn't make it.

Okay, we have a quorum.

Okay, great.

If everyone's had an opportunity to review the minutes, can we have a motion to approve?

So moved.

Motion, Mr.

Placentia.

Second second, Mr.

Antanasio.

All in favor?

Aye.

Opposed likewise.

Motion carries unanimously.

This time, is anyone here want to speak during public comment.

Seeing none, uh, Mr.

Barton for the administrative report.

If you turn to the tab with uh with the uh financial quarterly report, the first uh table is the three cent, three percent portion.

Um really the only thing of note here is our uh outlay uh according to our contracts in the first quarter always outpaces collections.

So you're gonna see a negative on the bottom, and uh that's very typical for our first quarter.

We begin to catch up as we true up on the second quarter uh with revenues, uh catching up with our expenditures.

So really that's the only thing of note I wanted to bring to your attention on the three cent.

And the same thing happens on the um on the six cent, which is the next page, um, with the um expenses outpacing the revenues in that first quarter.

Uh but we'll catch up on the revenue side, and we know we have a regular expenditure.

Uh there are no surprises associated with the expenditures, so that uh will begin to true up.

If you'll turn to the next page, it's the three cent uh collections uh in the of note here are the uh negatives associated with uh comparing to a year previous.

Um at this point we're running it 17 percent uh below last year.

I would uh before we get alarmed about that, uh two things.

Uh what's really going on there, and I know uh Santiago and his team can talk about this, is we have the hurricane uh factor that we have.

And so it's ironic and counterintuitive, but when we have hurricanes near us but don't really take us out, we actually have a favorable impact in our occupancy of our hotel, so we get a bump.

We've actually graphed the last three years in the hurricane season.

You can see the bumps that come with the hurricanes.

So you're comparing in this case a non-hurricane season to a hurricane season.

That's why these particular months uh seem negative.

Uh if you want to take it a step further, look at the current 26 collections and and then look across over to the 24s, and you'll see either constant or increases over 24.

So it's just it's you know, something to watch and uh be aware of.

We're not frankly all alarmed at this point because of what the circumstances were.

If you turn the page, you know, the only difference is the dollars themselves, uh, because that's the uh one through six, and then the next page is the six cent.

Um again, your percentages are going to be the same irrespective.

And then lastly, you see the chart, and it shows the multiple years, and with the red being the 26th, so you see it uh down a little bit lower in scale, and uh, but it's still tracking trend line.

And uh we expect some correction here as we move into the busy months.

That is my report.

Uh thank you, Ron.

Any questions, comments on the uh administrative report?

If not, can we have a motion to accept?

So moved.

Motion, Mr.

Palencia, second.

Second, Mr.

Antonaccio.

All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries unanimously.

I don't see him.

I'll see him.

All right.

Well, then San Diego.

You're up, buddy.

No money for him.

That'll be a 10% reduction.

Well, good.

Honorable Commissioner, Honorable Mayor, esteemed members of our TDC, those watching on television.

I think I'm looking at a presentation that would be for Lannis Robinson or my good friend Rob Higgins back in the day, because it says uh Tampa Bay Sports Commission.

So you were many hats.

You want me to do that one?

I can't.

I can I can give it a shot.

I can give it a shot.

Uh so thank you, uh Mr.

Barton uh for those comments.

Uh next slide, please.

Uh this first quarter of our fiscal year is a quarter of uh a number of different tales, as as Mr.

Barton has mentioned.

Can we there we go?

So when we look uh at ourselves a year ago, obviously with the factors that were talked about, you see those declines.

But what's really really interesting is when you compare us uh to this doesn't look right to me.

No, this is not correct.

Not correct.

That is not correct.

No, that's us, but that's the wrong page.

Our books have the right slide.

Do you all have the right slide?

If you have the right slides, I can just read off of mine.

I have to.

Is it this one?

That should be the one, but that's not the one that we're putting there.

I know I have it.

I mean, I can talk right through it without the visuals.

If you all have the right one, I can just reference.

All right, do we know?

Let's see.

Don't feel bad about it at our Tuesday land use meeting.

I was reading off of our January 10th agenda.

So been doing this 24 years, and we all we all make mistakes.

There we go.

Well, thank you.

Yeah, now we're no, we're we're good.

We're good.

So if you look at if you look at that first slide, um, yes, you see us compared to last year with that bump.

And it was it was October through about February, where we saw uh the the uptick uh in the numbers, and here what's interesting is that's why I said it's uh it's a quarter of two tails.

You look at us versus ourselves, yeah, we we we're lower, but when you look at occupancy across Florida, the U.S.

and us, we're higher.

So we we really had a good first quarter compared to our competition, uh and compared to a year where we don't have you know some you know inflation due to some event.

Okay.

Next slide.

I don't think I can move forward.

Or can I yeah, I can do it.

Yeah, I can control so good.

So again, you see uh hurricane impact, uh hurricane impacts from uh last fiscal year, slightly lower than fiscal year 24 on occupancy, but pretty much on par.

But then when you look at average daily rates uh and you look at RevPAR, better than 24, which was a record year, but again, we see the impacts from from the situation we dealt with last night, and then revenue for the first quarter uh year over year, you see outpacing fiscal year 24.

Uh when you look at the hotel taxable revenue, also better than fiscal year 24 uh for the first quarter, that's October through December, but really hotel collections September through October, uh a month behind through November, I'm sorry, and then you see over the last three years how this year is pacing, and again uh an interesting last year, and then bed tax collections uh bit higher, as Mr.

Barton mentioned than uh fiscal year 24.

So uh we're monitoring.

We can't wait uh for uh the last year factor to start dropping off so we can see really apples to apples comparisons for the first quarter of this fiscal.

Uh you see us how we compare in the convention comp set on occupancy on average daily rate, also a factor of not having the year that we had last year, RevPAR, uh, and then I think we also have the leisure comp set here, uh, where how we compare as far as occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR.

Uh lots of events during the first quarter.

Uh these are all related to to our strategic plan, our internal strategic plan, our goals, uh, as far as destination leadership, industry relations, uh, out of market activity and in-market activity, and then Q1 uh partner updates uh still going very, very strong with partners and the referrals.

We are just uh I believe just a few partners shy of a thousand partners now, uh, but a thousand engaged partners, not a thousand partners that give you a hundred dollars, and we say thank you, and we don't see you again.

Uh very, very engaged partners.

And then our emphasis on building the funnel for the industry continues in partnership with the school system and workforce development.

We had a conference direct forum where we invited 24 of our high school students.

You see our team and others in the community presenting at Hillsborough High School.

They were one of the first to start a tourism and hospitality program, and then we're actually hosting them in the offices, taking them out to partners, uh trying to get them to understand all of the facets that our industry has in place.

And then um group of business, uh, you see there how many groups were actualized in the first quarter, uh, who those groups are, and then the uh very conservative economic impact for for those groups uh that did come to town for the first quarter.

So you have actualized and then groups uh moving forward.

126 groups booked to future years and 86 groups that were actualized in the first quarter.

And then the team very, very busy, uh Floor Association of Executives, uh Destinations uh hockey holiday showcase, lots in DC, Amex working with Amex on luxury product.

We had conference direct in town.

They had some of their they had their highest level partners, uh in you know, decision makers that that could book conferences.

We're very, very happy to host them.

Lots around multicultural, lots with the Divine Nine and some of our repeat business with the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers.

And then free media, uh quarter one earned media over three million dollars.

And I think what's really really interesting about this slide is every eight hours a new piece of coverage spotlighted our destination across major markets.

So every eight hours, a story appeared.

Uh and we're very, very involved uh with muralists these days.

Some of you will recognize this one in downtown.

In fact, I just came back from Mexico City last night uh because we're fishing where the fish are, and uh Mexicans are traveling uh to Tampa in in in higher numbers.

In fact, Aero Mexico uh will be going daily in March.

Right now they're at six uh uh per week, and uh the planes were full, and we just did a mural in Mexico with uh Tampa artists and a Mexican artist with both nations coming together across the bay.

Uh so it was very, very well received.

Uh we continue to do uh, you know, some very, very interesting marketing.

Uh I think there was a video attached to this with uh what we're doing about uh chickens and roosters in Ybor.

It seems the world is intrigued uh by roosters and chickens that are protected uh in an urban setting.

So we we highlight that and we want them to come in and hang out with the roosters and the chickens, and then obviously a lot of paid media as well with influencer.

Samantha Brown uh was in Tampa Bay, did a number of shows across the destination.

Uh, and that's it.

Um I know Mr.

Placentia had a question, so uh was able to get some facts for him before before we ran over.

So uh Mr.

Placencia?

My question is related to group accounts.

Uh yeah, we're hurting on the leisure side, obviously.

Uh Canadian travel is down, European travel is down, and uh I know that uh the community here, the hotel community in Visa Tampa Bay have really focused heavily on booking group business to make up for that.

Could you just give us an idea of what pace is looking like for the next say two to five years?

Yes, so hot off the press.

Uh had to I didn't want to try this on my own, so I needed a safety net uh from Adam De Pierre, our chief sales officer, but lead volume fiscal year today is up and exceeding 25 and 24.

Pace, convention center room night paces ahead of targets for 28 through 31, 27 still lagging a little bit.

We've been working on it uh to fix it, but we lost a major convention uh that had been coming for a few years in 27.

That was the advanced placement reading uh summit annual uh gathering, which was a number of number a high number of school teachers and professors that would come to the destination.

And we're really working on securing multi-year agreements because of the situations that we're we're seeing.

So uh National Uh Retail Federation, we're signing for 29, 31, and 33, and we're shifting uh the Florida uh Florida State Junior Thespians from Orlando for for uh for years 28, 29, and 30.

So this summer is going to be very busy.

Again, I can't wait uh for the the hurricane effect to to peel off because we've got some big, big major conventions uh this summer, and we're starting to see the gap narrow with with last year with the hurricane uh season.

So again, we're we're very bullish on this year, uh making up some of that that gap, some of that money that uh we're not seeing from last year.

So we're we're hustling and we're we're working on some big big conventions uh for the months of November for four straight years, I believe 28 through 32.

So we're we're doing some some work out there trying to make sure uh again, you know, we're very fortunate here that because of group business, transient business, uh meetings business, corporate transient, we can fill when leisure lags a little bit.

But again, you know, uh England is flat, Germany's down, France is down, uh Switzerland is down, Germany's down.

So we're in Mexico City.

We're talking in Argentina, we're talking even though we don't have a direct flight in Argentina in in Spain, because those countries, international inbound, is stronger than right now, Europe and our Canada, Canada.

We we've uh we're not giving up on Canada.

We love Canada, but it's gonna take a while for for them to decide to come back in big numbers.

If there's anything that we can do as a council to assist, let us know.

Yeah, thank you.

You know, the biggest challenge uh obviously is making sure we get uh room blocks for citywides.

Uh that that can be can be difficult during some seasons here in Tampa now because we're so busy.

Uh you know, obviously convention center expansion is is important, and then the right product uh coming to our destination to help with you know some some of those citywide room blocks that we're we're sometimes struggling to put together, right?

Uh but our partners are fantastic.

They always step up and give us more when we ask, because groups when they book are saying we need we need additional blocks, we need additional rooms.

There, they're you know, we're seeing a huge uptick in registration and people wanting to come to the convention to the meeting in Tampa.

So then we scurry around and ask for for more rooms from our partners.

But uh all in all, I think on the group side we're in good business, you know, in good shape.

Meeting side, I think we're in in in good shape.

We'll see how leisure how leisure comes around.

Thank you, Santiago.

And domestic leisure is still strong.

Yeah.

So obviously international is is where we're we're struggling a lot.

We're not the only ones, by the way.

Oh no.

Everybody else is as well.

No, no, no.

I I mean we have colleagues that uh were heavily dependent on international visitation, uh, more so than anything else that have been struggling uh tremendously over the last six to eight months.

Any other questions, comments?

On the uh convention center, um would we you think maybe in a maybe in the next meeting or one of the few we get an update on the convention center or what's happening with that?

Um I think we can.

I mean, um city staff did a presentation to city council some months ago with the conceptual idea of what it would look like.

Um so I I would believe either I or or somebody from the convention center team we can invite to give us an update on on where they are, what they've looked at.

You know, obviously, you know, money's a factor.

Uh it is a factor when there are so many demands on the tourism development tax as as we're having conversations about this and that and the other, and and what cent can we can we peel off some dollars for?

Um so I think funding now becomes interesting situation with you know talk of the raise and and how much money can you really put into a convention center expansion when you're talking about other things.

So I think uh it'd be great to hear from them, quite honestly, where they are.

I just think with uh the bricks and mortar and the group stuff, to your point, group is gonna continue to be incredibly important for this town.

We I mean we can do a fair amount of leisure, but we're still not a beach town.

So group is going to be so the the indoor sports commission, uh indoor sports complex as a huge uh room night producer, and then whatever was getting decided with the convention center.

I just think putting the word out there and start talking about that the sooner the better.

Right.

And and you know, uh we've been talking about the first quarter, but calendar year in just about every comp set, believe it or not, even minus the hurricane factor.

We were number two in occupancy in the convention comp set in the leisure comp set.

Uh in every comp set we looked at, we came in second in total occupancy for last calendar year.

And what was interesting was uh on the convention comp set, uh it was Orlando at 71.4 and Tampa at 71.2.

So I give the point two to Epic Universe uh and say, you know, that was the Epic Universe impact that got them to by point two, which is not a lot to surpass our occupancy without an epic universe here.

All right, great.

Sniago, as always, thank you, sir.

Appreciate the update.

Thank you all for your support.

Really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Great job.

And we'll reach out to the city and get them queued up for the next meeting.

Sure.

All right.

Next up is uh Lannis Robinson from Sports Commission.

I have them on.

I have them on.

Thank you.

Good save, Joe Lynn.

Well, no, this is an excellent example of the strong partnership and relationship between Visit Tampa Bay and the Sports Commission.

Santiago said he was going to keep talking until you showed up.

So and he's more than equipped to do that.

So great, great save for sure by um Joe Lynn visit Tampa Bay Santiago.

I do apologize for the mix-up on my part.

But I do have a presentation here for you, and we're ready to go.

So just talk kind of talking through quarter three and four.

The women's final four was a very much of a highlight for our organization.

And we have some numbers here to kind of back it up.

I don't want to read to you, but there are uh if you just take a look at the number of um media folks that came to town, as well as our viewership being the third most watched on ESPN, just 100% uh supports the idea of of how sports tourism is well received here in the Tampa area.

Then we followed that up with uh the WWE Memorial Day uh weekend, Tampa Bay Takeover uh with our partners at the WWE.

We continue to talk about other opportunities.

Um so more to come there.

We've been meeting with them and discussing other opportunities and and um hope to have some announcements here in the near future with WWE.

And then uh in November, we had our U.S.

men's national team play against Uruguay, which was a success.

Uh 26,000 uh tickets sold, I believe was the exact number or a rough number.

But um the highlight of of my presentation is going to be uh our NHL Stadium series that we had on February 1st.

What what a highlight for not just the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, visit Tappa Bay, Hillsborough County, the Tampa Region, uh the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Sports Foundation, all of our partners, it was just awesome.

I don't know how to say it other than that's just awesome.

Uh I would rate it as one of the top three sporting events in Tampa Bay history.

Um we're not the only ones thinking that and saying that.

Uh there have been uh NHL um media member members of the NHL uh that follow this sport and and have called that event the number one outdoor game of the 45 that they've put on.

So really talking about a great event, not just for from our perspective, but on the national and uh and and in the hockey world, uh that that perspective.

And then we have coming up here in just a few weeks, we have March Madness uh first and second round at benchmark international.

Uh we have tickets on sale, right?

Um gonna make sure to push that.

Uh the the this event is is our we're we're venturing back into the basketball, um, basketball is an event um in and our partnership with the NCAA at least helps us lead to other opportunities for NCAA events, and um we look forward to that event coming up.

And then something that we haven't had ever uh for the first time, we will have the SEC Media Days in July, and um that is where every single uh coach of SEC football, uh all they will have student repres student athlete representatives from all from every school, so and uh roughly about a thousand uh media members come to town.

So a good piece of business during that July time frame.

So uh looking forward to that.

We want to continue to grow and strengthen our partnership with the SEC as well and look for other opportunities there.

And then next um next March in March twenty March of 27 and March of 28, we'll be hosting the men's and women's um basketball tournaments uh in conjunction with USF over at the Yingling Center.

So um obviously Rob Higgins and and his connections and our our uh love for USF, we're looking forward to that opportunity.

Um here is uh at the end of the day, the bottom line.

272,594 um room nights in our previous fiscal year.

Uh that is up uh 13 percent from the previous year and over a two-year average up 10 percent.

So uh that is obviously the driving force of of what what we why we bring events here and and very important to us, and we make sure to keep this as a part of every discussion that we have on what event we bring, um, because obviously the return on investment is is really significant and important to us.

Then in the youth and amateur, uh we obviously use our youth and amateur as a backbone for what we do.

We love our major events, but the backbone is truly the youth and amateur.

Uh, it was uh the largest event, and their um lead executive mentioned how this was the best event that they've had up to this point, and we've signed them on for multiple years moving forward.

Varsity cheer.

Um, I think you all have probably all seen uh when the cheerleaders invade our town.

Uh they're everywhere.

And uh if you look at the comparison between 2023 and 2025, at the number of teams and the total attendance, uh, that speaks to the the volume of of speaks volumes of the importance of these events, these cheer events specifically, and we have them sign for a multi-year contract looking to extend that even further.

And then uh some other other events, uh FIFA Club World Base Camp.

Uh we have an announcement coming about the World Cup base camp here in the in the near future.

Um, but all of these events really speak to the diversification of the events that we host, and we continue to grow uh that portfolio.

I want to highlight the U.S.

Youth Soccer National President's Cup.

Uh and here's a list of all the events that we've done with this organization over the years, and and it concluded we in this past July uh with our national pres their national president's cup being hosted at our sportsplex.

And it's really important to understand that their uh their program manager has been in the business for 30 plus years, and here's a quote from him.

Um basically just talking about the relationship with sports commission, with our Tampa area, the complex.

They look forward to continuing to host their events here uh in our area.

And then the I want to kind of close with the sportsplex, some data.

Uh the the projections uh have were one thing, and the reality has been something completely different.

We have essentially blown that the projections out of the water, and um continue to do so.

And then the important thing there is as there's consideration for an indoor complex, uh, all of our indications uh and and interest that has been shown says that the sportsplex that type of success can be had if we if and when we have an indoor facility.

And with that, I'll conclude and answer any questions.

Well, I just want to say uh for starters, Lannis uh keep up the great work.

I know with your um experience being on the sports commission's board and your relationships with staff that's allowed you to really hit the ground running.

And uh, you know, having talked to you uh many times over the last several weeks, uh you're doing an amazing job.

So please keep up the great work.

I do want to say a couple things.

And it Lannis did a great job, and I'm sure many of you were at the stadium series game, but I don't think you can under underscore enough what a special event that was.

I told my son when we were leaving that night, I said, and I took my son to the Super Bowl here, and I said, Jake, this is by far the best event that's ever happened at Raymond James Stadium because there were 65,000 people there.

If you think back to the Super Bowl, there was 25,000, I think five or six were healthcare workers that you know many probably weren't even from Tampa Bay Area.

The entire event, I mean, top to bottom was just phenomenal.

And you think like Miami, a week or two beforehand had 37,000.

We have 65.

And the entire week, Eric Hart was telling me the NHL are just thrilled at everything.

They couldn't believe just the level and the degree of things that we do that no one else, no other communities do.

I mean, just little things like one day, Eric and his staff brought out an ice cream truck for all the NHL staff, and they went crazy.

I mean, they're like no one does this for us.

And so it's the little things that Pitamba Bay does, sports commission does, the hoteliers do.

It's really truly a team Tampa Bay group, if you will, a collective and collaborative approach.

And I'm I'm just I I'm so really so proud of that.

And then um two other things real quick.

You mentioned WWE.

I haven't been a wrestling fan in a number of years, but I can tell you, uh, having worked on bringing WrestleMania here years ago, when we sat down with them and they showed us their social media presence is larger than all the NFL sports and and golf combined.

And so when you think about and consider the reach internationally that wrestling has to be able to have these events and the and to keep growing them, it's it's it's it's it's a really big deal, and most people probably don't even don't even think twice about it, but they're out their reach is is just crazy.

And then lastly, um you know, someone that you know worked hard on the sports plex and champion indoor facility.

And as we know, sports shattered all of our all of our assumptions and all of our expectations on the growth.

So um got a lot of great things going on.

Appreciate everything you're doing.

Any other comments?

Uh Ms.

Collier.

I just gonna say, yeah, the congratulations, Lannis, on the job.

I'm so glad you stepped up and decided to do it.

Uh we had the Bruins uh for the outdoor series stayed at Epicuring, and I I had a uh dump truck back up with the beep beep sound all night long.

Just uh village.

They were they ran they ran out of gas.

Lannis, could you just read your name into the record?

Oh, I'm sorry.

Lannis Robinson, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.

If I can, I I thought of something.

Um we re we had an announcement over s this past Saturday, and I heard Santiago talking about international uh expansion and and involvement.

Um we we are going to have the English Premier League, their morning live show uh on April 18th and 19th.

That's just an another deal.

That's a that's a pretty huge deal.

Um, and then hope to have more announcements coming related to that as well.

And I forwarded that announcement to my son having uh he studied at University of Manchester last year, and he's fell in love with Manchester United.

And uh we went to a game last year, we're going back to a match um against Liverpool May 2nd, and those tickets are not cheap, by the way.

But um no, they have a crowded group of people they go down to McDenton's uh down Howard and watch the games like 9 a.m.

on a Saturday or Sunday, and so that's that's a big deal as well.

So glad you pointed that out.

Miss Morrison.

Well, that's first of all, congratulations.

Thank you.

Uh secondly, the story of the sportsplex, uh, and really uh interesting perspective or side light is uh you referenced rugby or your report reference rugby.

Uh I think all the confession all of the consultant reports talked about what sports could take place uh at that facility.

No one ever mentioned rugby.

I guess my question to you is as you're getting your feet wet and getting uh a sense of all that uh is under your umbrella.

Uh are you will the team be looking for other uh sports, outdoor sports that you that would use a facility like the sportsplex to uh expand the the number of uh uh amateur athletic uh events that we might be able to host.

Well, to answer your question generally, absolutely.

Uh we we want to take a look at every opportunity that is out there.

Um we obviously take a look at the total picture.

Uh we want to know what that return on investment looks like from a fight, and so the business model has to make sense, but we're definitely interested in everything that possibly can we can bring just there and all the other facilities in our area.

I think the other sport was lacrosse as well, which was not ever talked about when the uh when the uh consultant uh study came back to us, but now with our with your background uh with the school district and the clearly clear growth of lacrosse uh in our local market, uh that might be another opportunity.

It seems like it's another opportunity.

Absolutely cricket.

Those games go on for days.

I live the lacrosse inclusion into the school system, and and absolutely that is uh an emerging sport, and that's that's ultimately what we want to do.

We want to be aware of all the merging sports and and see where it makes sense.

Yeah, any other questions, comments.

All right, Lannis, appreciate it.

All right, thank you all.

Yeah, Martin.

Just wanted to note for the record Bob Morrison uh showed up right after roll call.

So he's in personally in attendance.

All right, any other items for discussion?

Yep, Mayor Kilden.

If I may just take a moment to brag on Plant City a little bit before we leave today, just a reminder to everybody that the Florida Strawberry Festival is gonna be February 26th to March the 8th.

And um it's not a little festival.

This uh over 11 days, uh we average over 650,000 people.

Um it's it's very impressive.

And uh when our directors travel the country going to different uh conventions and visiting other fairs and festivals around the country, and they tell people that they we have two thousand volunteers that come out.

Some of these people are taking a week off from work to volunteer the entire time, and folks are blown away.

It's not a that impact is enormous to our community for the event, but it's more than just a fairer festival because the the impact and the money that's raised there and that nonprofit that goes back out into our community that impacts folks is enormous.

And then it's also uh uh um a breeding ground for leadership on our community.

He was a former strawberry festival queen.