CVB presents visitor report to commission; TDT allocation changes could fund lifeguards

At the July 21 meeting, the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau presented its April–June visitor profile and an overview of Tourist Development Tax (TDT) uses and allocations.

Marie Duggars (presenting for the CVB) explained Florida’s TDT framework and said Nassau County has collected the tax since 1989. She summarized the CVB’s fiscal 2026 budget (about $11,600,000) and explained that the CVB is funded by the 5% TDT on paid lodging. “Visitors help pay for the services and improvements that support their visit rather than leaving the entire bill to the residents,” Duggars said.

Joseph Saint Germain of Down to Saint Germain Research presented local visitor statistics. He said the destination had about 1,000,000 visitors in 2025 with roughly 600,000 staying in paid lodging; he summarized visitor spending (direct spending roughly $700 million, indirect spending about $816 million across the destination) and noted that downtown Fernandina Beach captures three out of four visitors to the island. “You actually get to be the 1st to see this other than the team,” Saint Germain told commissioners while previewing the survey deck.

Duggars highlighted a 2025 change in state law that gives coastline counties additional TDT options, including a path to fund lifeguards if projects meet tourism‑support criteria (an interlocal agreement was described as forthcoming). Staff said such an agreement could save the city’s general fund about $300,000 annually by funding lifeguard costs through TDT revenues; commissioners asked for more detail as budget season approaches.

Commissioners praised the data and asked follow‑up questions about allocations and marketing strategy; the CVB offered to provide the full visitor profile to the commission after presentation to the county TDC.

Public comment during the meeting raised a range of local issues (traffic enforcement, right‑of‑way concerns, veteran suicide prevention), and one commenter criticized an individual commissioner’s performance and social‑media interactions.

Next steps

CVB staff will share the full visitor profile with the commission and staff will continue budget discussions on possible TDT uses during the upcoming budget cycle.