Marketing reports show high engagement; bed‑tax collections dip and state budget outlook raises concern

Adv. travel marketing staff and partner agencies reported strong Q4 results for Clay County but cautioned about industry shifts in search behavior, while county staff reported a modest decline in bed‑tax collections and a state fiscal outlook that council members said could affect future budgets.

Brooke (marketing lead) highlighted two Q4 campaigns conceived by the Clay County team. On the Patriot’s Passport campaign (launched around Veterans Day) she said, "We delivered over 63,000 of these messages," and noted roughly 1,500 post engagements on that campaign. She described the "Christmas and Clay" campaign — which used user‑generated Clay County videos — as producing almost 46,000 post engagements and strong community response. Kyle summarized web metrics, saying the program "reached more than 86,000 people and drove almost 230,000 page views into the Clay County website," and noted about 200–230 outbound clicks to lodging pages.

Dave Rees, from Florida’s First Coast of Golf, said the regional golf marketing effort leverages approximately $2.8 million in promotions (about $1 million cash budget) to advertise 72 courses across a multi‑county corridor and reported October rounds up 12% year‑over‑year.

On taxes, Teddy Meyer presented bed‑tax collection data and cautioned about timing: he told the board "2025 year to date is down 10%" while noting that collections reported in the packet lag actual nights by about 60 days, so monthly comparisons should be treated carefully. Commissioners discussed economic factors, increased hotel supply in nearby Jacksonville and potential downstream effects.

Chair John Scromelow summarized a recent trip to Tallahassee and relayed Representative Garrison’s projection that the state could face a roughly $6,000,000,000 deficit over the next 3 years; board members discussed how a tightened state budget could influence tourism and consumer spending in coming years.

What this means: marketing has increased reach and engagement, but the council faces mixed near‑term signals — weaker bed‑tax receipts in the most recent reporting window and state budgetary pressure that could reduce future funding or travel demand. Staff will continue tracking Placer geofence metrics and event conversion points and will return more detailed reports in future meetings.