[Items 1 - 3] [00:00:09] >> I LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING OF THE COUNCIL TO ORDER. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. EVERYONE, PLEASE STAND. TROY, CAN YOU LEAD US ? >> I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG ONE NATION UNDER GOD INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. >> ALL RIGHT. ROLL CALL, PLEASE, JESSE. OR JACOB. >> OKAY. >> >> IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING YOU WILL BE HERE FOR AT THE VERY LEAST THE NEXT TWO. GREAT. >> [4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA] >> NEXT ITEM WILL BE THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. >> DO I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING ? IF NOT, MOTION TO APPROVE, PLEASE. ALL IN FAVOR. AYE . IT IS EFFECTIVE. >> TROY, IS YOUR MIC WORKING? TOM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR IN THE BACK. [5. APPROVAL OF MINUTE] >> OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON . THE MINUTES. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. >> I MOVE WE ACCEPT THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED. >> WE HAVE AN APPROVAL AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR. AYE . >> HERE. >> ALL RIGHT. A PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ANYTHING NOT ON TODAY'S AGENDA . SEEING NONE, WE WILL MOVE ON. NUMBER SEVEN, SPORTS [7. SPORTS TOURISM GRANT APPROVALS] TOURISM GRANT APPROVALS. WHO IS PRESENTING THOSE? >> YES, GOOD AFTERNOON. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE BOBBY HAMILTON FROM PARKS AND RECREATION. BOBBY MCFARLANE. I GET THE WRONG -- I'M SORRY. >> HELLO. WE ARE JUST LOOKING FOR APPROVAL. BOB MCFARLANE. SPORTS TOURISM DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST . RECOMMENDED GRANTS BY THE RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD . IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK . >> DISCUSSION. ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DISCUSS? >> BOBBY, IF YOU CAN >> THE RATES WERE VERY HIGH LAST YEAR. ACTUALLY HAVE THE POST EVENT INFORMATION. LAST YEAR THEY HAD 1300 IS A LONG EVENT. IT IS OVER A WEEK LONG, SO I THINK THAT IS WHY THEY GET THOSE . AND IT IS ALSO INTERNATIONAL. PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD COME TO THIS EVENT TO ST. JOHNS COUNTY. >> I WAS WONDERING IF THERE IS ANOTHER . BECAUSE I DID NOT SEE THE ROOM NIGHTS BEING THAT MUCH HIGHER THAN SOME OF THE OTHER ONES. LOOKING AT 30,000 THERE WITH THE BASEBALLS AND THE OTHER [00:05:02] ONE FROM YOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS. THE ROOM NIGHTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER. WHEN YOU DO AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT, THOSE ROOM NIGHTS ARE NOT THE SAME. THEY'RE GETTING MORE THOSE TEAM SPORTS, AND THAT IS WHY I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THAT NUMBER GOT TO BE IF WE ARE GETTING TELEVISION COVERAGE OR IF THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I'M SORRY. I'M TRYING TO GET TO THE PAGE. WHERE WERE THEY STAYING? BECAUSE I DID REMEMBER SEEING THOSE NUMBERS. BUT I DID NOT SEE WHERE THEY WERE STAYING. >> AT THE RENAISSANCE >> INTERNATIONAL GOLF ? >> YEAH. >> OKAY. I THINK I SAW THE RENAISSANCE AND IT WASN'T US, SO I DON'T THINK I SAW AN INTERNATIONAL GOLF. IS THERE A FOLLOW-UP THAT IS HAPPENING WITH THESE GUYS ON THESE ROOM NIGHTS ? >> YES. WE GET THE PICKUP LIST FROM THE RENAISSANCE. I WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH CHRISTIAN AND MORGAN FROM RENAISSANCE . AND THAT IS WHERE I GET THAT LIST FROM. RUNS THE EVENT. BUT THEY DO A GREAT JOB. THEIR REPORTING IS ON POINT , TO BE HONEST. ONE OF THE BETTER ONES. I THINK THE FACT THEY STAY HERE SO LONG INCREASES THAT WHEN IT IS A 10-DAY EVENT. YOU HAVE A LOT OF ROOMMATES. >> AND THEY USE OLD CITY PUBLIC RELATIONS, WHICH I LIKE. I JUST DID NOT KNOW -- THE NUMBER WAS HIGH AND I DID NOT SEE THE RETURN FROM THE HOTEL SIDE. SO THAT IS WHY I WANTED TO ASK WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE. IT LOOKS LIKE 9000 IS WITH PUBLIC RELATIONS AND THEY KIND OF JUMP THAT NUMBER AUTOMATICALLY. SO OKAY. THAT IS THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD. >> ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ? IF NOT, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. >> SO MOVED. >> I WILL SECOND THAT. >> ALL IN FAVOR. AYE . MOTION [8. MONTHLY REPORTS PROVIDED IN PACKETS] PASSES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MONTHLY REPORTS . I SEE SUSAN COMING UP. >> AS SUSAN IS COMING UP I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW LOOKING AT OUR TDT REMITTANCE OVERALL FOR FY 25 IN COMPARISON -- AND I JUST LOOKED AT THE LAST TWO YEARS. IN '23 IN TERMS OF TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAX, WE BROUGHT IN ABOUT 23.2 MILLION, REALLY ONE OF THE HIGHEST YEARS WE HAVE HAD . FY 24. VERY SIMILAR LEVEL. REALLY ABOUT THAT SAME LEVEL . FOR '25, WE ARE TRACKING AND WE HAVE PROJECTED THIS GRID WE HAVE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS THIS YEAR. A LITTLE BIT LOWER. LOWER WITHOUT QUALIFYING THAT. 22.9 MILLION IS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE TRACKING THIS YEAR. IT'S ABOUT $300,000 LESS FOR '25. IT IS ABOUT BETWEEN A1 AND 2% REDUCTION OVER OUR '23 AND '24 YEARS FOR '25. AND THEN JUST IN TERMS OF OUR PLANNING FOR '26 BECAUSE WE ARE NOW IN '26 , WE APPROPRIATED AT THAT SAME LEVEL OF THE 25. SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT TRENDS AS WE STAY IN '26, BUT WE DID NOT BUILD ANY GROWTH IN THEIR . UNFORTUNATELY, IF YOU WILL. BUT FORTUNATELY FROM A PLANNING PROCESS WE STAYED CONSERVATIVE IN THAT WE MAINTAINED FLAT APPROPRIATIONS. SO WITH THAT I WILL HAND IT OVER TO SUSAN PHILLIPS . >> IF I COULD HAVE ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT HIS LAST OCTOBER WE LOST ALL OF OUR TDT REVENUE . THAT IS BECAUSE OF HURRICANE MILTON. SO I THINK IF MY NUMBERS ARE CORRECT IT IS ABOUT $2 MILLION. SO NOT HAVING ANY HURRICANES -- FINGERS CROSSED -- FOR THIS MONTH, WE SHOULD HOPEFULLY SEE AT LEAST A NICE BOOST >> AND I WILL JUMP IN ON THAT TOO. WE ARE DOWN 14 PERCENT. WE DID NOT GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO 24 NUMBERS, BUT WE ARE BETTER THAN WHERE WE WERE AT LAST YEAR. I GOT US AT ABOUT 7% MORE. SO WE CUT THAT GAP IN HALF IS WHAT I'M SEEING. >> SO IT SOUNDS LIKE FROM A REAL DEMAND STANDPOINT IT IS STILL SOFTER THAN IT WAS. >> YEAH. I WOULD STILL CONSIDER US DOWN. WE MADE UP FOR LAST YEAR, BUT LAST YEAR WAS HORRIBLE. WE GOT HURRICANES AND IT WAS 14% DOWN. LIKE I SAID, WE ARE SEVEN PRISON UP FROM WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR BUT WE ARE NOT [00:10:01] EVEN WHERE WE WERE AT IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, OCTOBER OF '23. SO, YEAH. >> WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM SUSAN PHILLIPS AS YOU GUYS KNOW. I WANTED THIS MONTH TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON NIGHTS OF LIGHTS . WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE SOFTNESS AS TROY HAD MENTIONED. WE ARE SEEING THAT ACROSS THE BOARD. BUT WHEN I TALKED TO A LOT OF THE HOTEL YEARS, THEY ARE SEEING INTEREST DEMAND . I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS GOING TO BE AT THE SAME LEVELS OR NOT. WE ARE JUST NOT CERTAIN ABOUT THAT. I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOME INFORMATION. OUR CAMPAIGN AND ALSO SOME THINGS WE ARE DOING LOCALLY. LET'S SEE. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. WHILE WE ARE WAITING FOR THAT, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU GUYS ABOUT OUR KNOW BEFORE YOU GO CAMPAIGN. I LEFT ALL SORTS OF PARAPHERNALIA FOR YOU. THIS IS INFORMATION WE ARE GOING TO BE SENDING OUT DISTRIBUTING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. >> BEAR WITH US JUST A MOMENT, PLEASE. WELL, WHILE WE ARE WAITING , I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO HAVE ALL OF YOU IF YOU CAN TAKE OUT YOUR PHONES AND IF YOU HAVE NOT DOWNLOADED THE NEW NIGHTS OF LIGHTS AT -- APP , I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO DO SO . YOU CAN GO TO THE APP STORE AND LOOK UP SAINT AUGUSTINE KNIGHTS OF LIGHTS , AND IT SHOULD PULL UP FOR YOU. AND IF NOT, LET ME KNOW. [00:15:14] >> WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE COURSE JUST FOR A MOMENT. BUT I DO WANT TO TALK TO YOU. THIS IS KIND OF BACKWARDS BUT THE BEST WAY TO DO IT RIGHT NOW. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ONE WITH OUR ADVERTISING AGENCY IS TO GET AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IN PLACE FOR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS. I WANT TO SHOW YOU THAT IN A FEW MOMENTS. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE WAITING ON. I WANT TO SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN WE PUT IN PLACE IN THE COUNTY. IT IS CALLED KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. THIS CAMPAIGN IS SOMETHING WE ARE COLLABORATING WITH EVERYONE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. CITY GOVERNMENTS, COUNTY GOVERNMENT, AND ALSO THE BCB. THE MATERIAL AT YOUR DESK OR AT YOUR PLACE HERE, YOU WILL SEE THE NIGHTS OF LIGHTS KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. THESE WERE DELIVERED TO ALL OF THE BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO AND LOCATE. THIS BASICALLY HAS A QR CODE SO THAT IT GOES TO OUR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS WEBSITE. ON OUR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS WEBSITE IT HAS ALL THE INFORMATION, INCLUDING HOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS BRAND-NEW APP THAT WE HAVE. THE NIGHTS OF LIGHTS APP. THE FIRST 24 HOURS IT WAS LAUNCHED WE HAD OVER 1800 DOWNLOADS, AND THAT IS PRETTY PHENOMENAL FOR THE VERY FIRST DAY. SO WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF INTEREST. WE WORKED WITH BOTH THE CITY AND COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS FOLKS SO WE HAVE A PLAN PUT TOGETHER. A COMMUNICATION PLAN. AND IT BASICALLY ENABLES US TO HAVE A UNIFIED MESSAGE. WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON AS FAR AS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS , INTERVIEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND ALL THE DETAILS. SO WE ARE TRYING TO STREAMLINE AND HAVE A UNIFIED VOICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND ALSO FOR OUR VISITORS TOO AND OUR RESIDENTS. ALL THE MATERIALS THAT WE ARE SHARING WE HOPE WILL BE EDUCATIONAL. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE FOUND OUT IS FOR 32 YEARS OF NIGHTS OF LIGHTS WE HAVE NEVER REALLY TOLD FOLKS THAT THIS IS NOT A DRIVE-THROUGH EVENT. SO THIS YEAR WE ARE SAYING, LOOK , THIS IS NOT A DRIVE-THROUGH EVENT. THIS IS AN EVENT FOR YOU, AND PARK YOUR CAR -- NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE -- PARK YOUR CAR IN ONE OF OUR SHUTTLE LOTS, TAKE THE SHUTTLE, GOING TO TOWN, WALK AROUND , AND ENJOY THE AMBIENCE OF NIGHTS OF LIGHTS. FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE WE FELT IT IMPORTANT TO SAY THIS BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF TIMES IF YOU ARE VISITING FROM ANOTHER AREA YOU THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE YOUR CAR AND CHECK OUT THE LIGHTS. OF COURSE WHAT THAT DOES IS CREATES TRAFFIC CONGESTION DOWNTOWN. SO WE ARE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO GET PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS TO EDUCATE THEM BEFORE THEY COME DOWNTOWN TO HAVE THEM KNOW BEFORE YOU GO AND WE ARE HOPING THAT WITH ALL OF OUR COLLATERAL MATERIAL, WHICH IS OUT IN THE COUNTY IN WHICH YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SEE, INCLUDING THESE AND ALSO THERE IS AN FAQ LIST AS WELL. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE. WE ARE SAYING THE VERY SAME THING AND THAT WE ARE EDUCATING -- ONCE AGAIN IT IS AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS THAT WE ARE EDUCATING EVERYONE BEFORE THEY COME TO NIGHTS OF LIGHTS. OF COURSE THE HOPE AND EXPECTATION IS THAT SOME OF THE BEHAVIORS WILL CHANGE . WE DON'T KNOW THAT TO BE A FACT. IT'S GOING TO TAKE PEOPLE COOPERATING WITH US AND TRULY LOOKING AT GOING ON THE SHUTTLES INSTEAD OF DRIVING THEIR CAR DOWNTOWN BUT WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS A FIRST ATTEMPT AND CONSIDERING THE SHORT TIMELINE WE HAD TO TURN THIS CAMPAIGN AROUND, I THINK WE ARE ALL SEEING A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH IT AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE KNOW BEFORE YOU GO CAMPAIGN. >> YES, MAYOR . >> I JUST WANT TO SAY, SUSAN, THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE THE COOPERATION. WE APPRECIATE THE MESSAGING. IT IS TIMELY THAT WE HAVE HAD SO MANY YEARS WHERE WE WANTED TO SAY THAT . BUT I THINK THIS IS A YEAR TO SAY IT. GOOD TO TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY. AND I REALLY WANT TO SAY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE LEAD ON THIS AND I REALLY LIKE THE APP . AND KUDOS TO -- AND I BELIEVE IT WAS -- I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE TO OUR CHAIR . I THINK MAYBE IT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU WERE REALLY ADVOCATING FOR AND I APPRECIATE THAT. SO I REALLY -- WE HAVE HIGH HOPES THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A GREAT YEAR THIS YEAR. AND WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING TO HELP IT WORK SMOOTHLY. >> THANK YOU. ONE THING THAT I FORGOT IS TO GIVE CREDIT TO VISIT SAINT AUGUSTINE. THEY WERE THE FOLKS THAT WORK WITH US TO DEVELOP THIS APP. IT IS SO EXCITING TO SEE. STILL SOME MORE ADDITIONS YOU WILL HAVE TO IT. MORE PARKING INFORMATION INCLUDING THE SHUTTLE ON THE ISLAND. YOU ALSO SEE SOME WEBCAMS. AND THERE WILL BE PUBLIC RESTROOMS AND MUCH MORE. SO WE ARE CONTINUING UP UNTIL LIGHT UP NIGHT . CONTINUING TO MAKE REFINEMENTS TO THIS. AND THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR. AGAIN, WE WILL ONLY CONTINUE TO GET BETTER , SO WE WILL SEE ADDITIONAL ITERATIONS NEXT YEAR. >> EXCELLENT. >> IF I MAY? >> PLEASE. >> GOING FORWARD ONE OF THE [00:20:01] THINGS I WOULD LOVE TO SEE , SUSAN IS YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GO TO DISNEY WORLD YOU ARE GOING TO PARK IN GOOFY OR DUMBO PARKING LOT AND RIDE THE TRAM IN. THAT IS JUST -- THEY HAVE TRAINED ALL OF THEIR GUESTS TO UNDERSTAND THAT. MAKING SURE WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO TRAIN PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS WHAT WE DO NOW. SO THAT IS GOING TO BE A REAL IMPORTANT PART OF HELPING WITH THE MOBILITY ISSUE. THANK YOU. >> EXACTLY. THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS ? >> NO. >> ANYTHING ELSE? >> CHAIR, ARE WE HAVING ANY LUCK? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, YES. YEAH. SURE. YOU CAN DO THAT. NIGHTS OF LIGHTS.COM. WELL, I THINK IN YOUR PACKET THERE MAY BE -- THE VIDEOS. AND I CAN SEND THAT OVER AND HAVE THEM SENT TO YOU. BUT YOU WILL SEE SOME OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA ADS AND PREDOMINANTLY FOR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS OUR ADVERTISING WE ARE DOING IS ALL DIGITAL AND SOCIAL. WE PULLED AWAY FROM ANY -- WE ACTUALLY STARTED PULLING AWAY FROM THE PAST TWO OR THREE YEARS. SO IT IS ALL DIGITAL SO WE CAN MONETIZE AND MEASURE TO SEE THE SUCCESS OF IT. OF COURSE WE DO A LOT OF SEARCH YEAR-ROUND. THAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN SOME OF MY NUMBERS, BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WE HAVE SEARCH TERMS THAT WE PAY FOR FOR SAINT AUGUSTINE NIGHTS OF LIGHTS AND OTHER LIKE THAT. SO THAT GOES ON ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. NOT JUST DURING THE NIGHTS OF LIGHTS SEASON. >> AND HOW IS OUR ADVERTISING DOLLARS THIS SEASON VERSUS YEARS PAST? >> I HAPPENED TO THINK YOU WERE PROBABLY GOING TO ASK ME THE QUESTION. SO LET ME GET MY GLASSES OUT AND I WILL GO OVER SOME NUMBERS BECAUSE I CANNOT REMEMBER THEM OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. JUST TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE. IT IS REALLY HARD TO GET DOWN TO THE PENNIES, BUT IT IS PRETTY DOGGONE CLOSE. IF YOU LOOK AT THIS YEAR, WE ARE GOING TO BE SPENDING ABOUT 179,000. AND THAT REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 4% OF OUR BUDGET. OUR ANNUAL BUDGET. IF YOU LOOK AT LAST YEAR -- LAST YEAR WE HAD THE HEAVY UP FOR THE CAMPAIGN TO WHERE WE STARTED EARLY. WE STARTED JULY 22ND AND RAN ALL THE WAY TO DECEMBER 26. MUCH LONGER RUN RATE. AND WE SPENT ABOUT $330,000. IT'S ABOUT 7% OF OUR ANNUAL BUDGET. IF YOU GO TO THE PRIOR YEAR , FISCAL YEAR 2024, IT'S ABOUT 170,000 , WHICH IS PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT WE ARE SPENDING THIS YEAR. THAT REPRESENTED 5% OF THE BUDGET FROM THAT YEAR. AND OF COURSE WE HAD A SMALLER BUDGET IN THAT YEAR. LOOKING AT FISCAL YEAR 2023, WE WERE ROUGHLY ABOUT 6% OF OUR BUDGET. SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT MORE THIS YEAR. AGAIN, WE ARE DOING ALMOST EVERYTHING DIGITALLY AND VIA SOCIAL. 4% OF OUR BUDGET. BUT WE HAVE BEEN IN THE RANGE OF 4 TO 7% OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS. >> ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? >> SUSAN, I JUST HAVE ONE REQUEST. IN THE PRINT OUT YOUR BAR GRAPHS -- LIKE , I'M TRYING TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. AND I KNOW I'M GETTING UP IN AGE, BUT YOU ARE USING A WHITE FONT AND I CANNOT READ THE NUMBERS. I'M ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE OR THE MEDIA RELATIONS PAGE. I CAN'T READ WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ACTUALLY ARE. SO IF YOU CAN SWITCH THAT FONT NEXT GO AROUND. GOING OFF THE BAR GRAPH, IT LOOKS GOOD, BUT I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE. >> IT IS DESIGNED FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE . >> IT IS DESIGNED SO WE CANNOT READ IT JUST TO MAKE US FEEL BAD ABOUT IT. BUT IF YOU CAN DO THAT -- LIKE, LOOK AT IT NEXT TIME WHEN IT PRINTS OUT. >> WE WILL HAPPILY BECAUSE IF IT WILL HELP YOU OUT, IT WILL PROBABLY HELP ME OUT TOO, BECAUSE I'M IN THE SAME BOAT. THANK YOU, TROY. >> I THOUGHT IT WAS MY PRESCRIPTION FIRST. >> NO. IT IS NOT AND ALSO YOU HAVE A NIGHTS OF LIGHTS CALENDAR. >> THAT IS GREAT. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> THANK YOU, SUSAN. JEFF? >> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. JEFF POTTS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY CULTURAL COUNCIL . I HAVE A COUPLE QUICK UPDATES FOR YOU GUYS AS TO WHAT WE DIDN'T FINISH OFF THE SCHOOL 25 AND WHAT WERE DOING TO KICKOFF 2026. THE BULK OF WHAT WE DO FOR THE COUNTY IS EXECUTING THE HCH GRANTS AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY WE HAVE WRAPPED UP ALL THE FINAL REPORTING FOR LAST FISCAL YEAR AND WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED WITH THOSE EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS THAT WERE PART OF THE FUNDING GROUP FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, AND [00:25:01] THAT INCLUDED LAST WEEKEND THE BEACHHEAD A GREAT MUSIC FESTIVAL AND COMING UP THIS COMING WEEKEND IT IS HASTINGS TURN FOR A FALL ART FESTIVAL. SO I HOPE YOU GUYS WILL PATRONIZE THAT COMING UP IN EARLY NOVEMBER. IT IS THE LINCOLNVILLE FESTIVAL AND A FAVORITE WHISKEY, WINE, AND WILDLIFE. IN TERMS OF ART IN PUBLIC SPACES, I HOPE YOU NOTICED ALL THE PAINTINGS IN THE ROTUNDA. LAST WEEK WE HAD AN EXHIBITION OPENING FOR THAT. THIS WAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SAN AUGUSTINE ART ASSOCIATION. THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER WE HELD FIVE OR SIX DIFFERENT EVENTS WHERE WE BROUGHT IN ARTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE AND ALL OF THOSE WERE CREATED THIS SUMMER AND WE DID EXHIBITIONS. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY AWESOME. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO SHOWCASE OUR COMMUNITY VIA THE WORK OF OUTSIDE ARTISTS . BLACK HERITAGE TRAIL. LAST TIME I WAS HERE, I INTRODUCED THIS GREAT TOUR BOOK. A COUPLE UPDATES ON THERE. FIRST, THANK YOU TO COMMISSIONER PHILLIPS. GAYLE WENT OUT ON THE MEDIA CIRCUIT PRETTY HEAVY AND IT KEPT HER REALLY BUSY. TELLING OUR STORY ABOUT BLACK HERITAGE HERE IN ST. JOHNS COUNTY. SO THAT WAS A HUGE WIN . I WAS ALSO PRETTY PROUD THAT THIS PUBLICATION WAS PART OF THE COUNTY'S CHECK PRESENTATION FOR THE BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM. SO A VERY SUCCESSFUL PUBLICATION. A FEW WEEKS BACK, I WAS IN TALLAHASSEE FOR THE GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM . LAST YEAR WE PUT OUT A CULINARY GUIDE AND I'M PROUD TO SAY WE WON THIRD PLACE FOR SPECIALTY PUBLICATIONS FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA IN TOURISM FOR THIS. SO GREAT PUBLICATION AND GREAT RECOGNITION FOR SOME OF THE PRODUCTS THE CULTURAL COUNCIL HAS CREATED IN PAST YEARS. AS YOU GUYS KNOW, PARTNERSHIP IS ALSO A BIG PART OF WHAT WE ARE HOPING TO DO IN NEW FISCAL YEAR. AND IT WAS AT THAT VISIT FLORIDA CONFERENCE I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH SUSAN AND SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES. AND THEY WERE PRESENTING MUSIC TOURS AND WE SPENT A BUNCH OF TIME TOGETHER AND I WANT THIS COMMISSION TO KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE STRENGTHENING THESE RELATIONSHIPS OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS. I HAVE MET A NUMBER OF TIMES WITH SJ CCE AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR AREAS THAT WE CAN COMBINE RESOURCES. IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS, I WILL SHARE MORE ABOUT THAT. BUT IT IS VERY EXCITING TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INVOLVED WITH OUR TOURISM PARTNERS. LASTLY , WHEN I GOT HERE A FEW MONTHS BACK, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS IN OUR CONTRACT WAS A FIVE-YEAR TOURISM CULTURAL WE WOULD GET DONE PRETTY QUICKLY WHEN WE SIGNED THAT CONTRACT A FEW YEARS AGO. IT GOT PUT ON HOLD FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS AND I'M HERE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN THAT UNDERWAY . WE CONTRACTED WITH SOME EXCELLENT RESEARCHERS . AND THE LOCAL ARTS AGENCY SIDE OF OUR ORGANIZATION -- SO THE PART THAT IS NOT FUNDED THROUGH GDC DOLLARS -- HAS NOW CONTRACTED WITH PHIL MCDANIEL , A LOCAL EXPERT, TO KIND OF HELP US USHER THIS THROUGH. JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU UPDATES THAT WE HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN THIS OFF THE GROUND AND THAT HAS BEEN A BIG POINT OF CONCERN FOR ME BECAUSE WE PROMISED THIS TO THE COMMISSION A WHILE BACK. BUT NO. IT IS HAPPENING. WE PUT TOGETHER A GREAT TEAM OF RESOURCES TO HELP US OUT. SO WITH THAT, I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. >> ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? NICE JOB ON THE PLAN . WE WANT IT RIGHT, SO TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO IT WELL. >> THANK YOU. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. >> THANK YOU ALL. [9. MEMBER COMMENTS] >> ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER REPORTS? MEMBERS COMMENTS. CHARLES? COMMISSIONER? >> I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS. SO THANK YOU. >> AND WE CHOSE TO MAKE THIS AN EASY MEETING TODAY FOR YOU. >> YEAH. WE DID THIS JUST SO YOU WOULD COME BACK. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING. >> YEAH. >> MAYOR ? >> YES. I WOULD JUST TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WELCOME COMMISSIONER MURPHY. WELCOME. GLAD TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US . IT IS AN EASY MEETING. THIS IS USUALLY VERY UNUSUAL FOR US TO HAVE SUCH A SHORT MEETING. THE OTHER THING I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. IT IS THE PLEASURE OF THE MAYOR IN OUR CITY TO ANNOUNCE SPECIAL GUESTS FOR LIGHT UP NIGHT , WHICH WILL BE NOVEMBER 15TH . SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH WHEN WE LIGHT THE [00:30:01] TOWN . AND THIS YEAR IT IS THE MAYOR'S DISCRETION TO CHOOSE WHO THE MAYOR WISHES. AND THIS YEAR I HAVE CHOSEN TO HAVE THE THEME OF THANKING IN OUR COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR CITY AND WE HONOR THEM AND RESPECT THEM AND WANT TO APPRECIATE THEM. SO I HAVE ASKED LEE CRAIG OF THE EXPERIENCE AND RUSTY HALL OF THE SOCIETY TO JOIN US FOR LIGHT UP NIGHT. SO THEY WILL ACTUALLY BE THROWING THE SWITCH. YEAH. ALSO, I HAVE ONE OTHER THING. THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME IN THE CITY WHERE WE HAVE ACTUALLY MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO HELP EMPLOYEES HAVE SPECIAL PARKING FOR NIGHTS OF LIGHTS GRID AND I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF POINT THAT OUT AS ONE THING THAT I THINK THAT I REALLY WOULD HOPE MOVING FORWARD WE CAN DO MORE OF IN THE FUTURE . THIS YEAR IT IS GOING TO BE FLAGLER COLLEGE IS GOING TO LET US USE THEIR PRIVATE GARAGE WHILE SCHOOL IS OUT . I BELIEVE THAT IS AROUND THE MONTH OF DECEMBER . AND THEN POSSIBLY INTO JANUARY. THOSE PLANS HAVE NOT BEEN FINALIZED . THE APPLICATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN FINALIZED. BUT WE ARE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE EMPLOYEES A SPECIAL PLACE TO PARK. THE OTHER PLACE WILL BE THE TOLL AMATO PARKING LOT, WHICH AS YOU KNOW -- THE CITY MANAGER LIKES TO SAY, IF YOU ARE ON DURING NIGHTS OF LIGHTS, YOU ARE PRETTY MUCH NOT A LOCAL OR YOU ARE LOST. SO WE ARE JUST KIND OF GOING ALONG WITH THAT AND KIND OF GOING ALONG WITH THAT THEME . AND WE WILL BE SHUTTING THE LOT DOWN EXCEPT FOR EMPLOYEE PARKING. AND WE WILL SEE HOW THAT GOES MOVING INTO THE FUTURE. BUT I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HELP EMPLOYEES. I KNOW IT'S NOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF SPACES AND IT IS NOT A LONG-TERM THING, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US WORK TOGETHER WITH IN THE FUTURE. SO THANK YOU. >> AND I ONLY HAVE ONE THING . I BECAME AWARE. AND IF WE CAN LOOK AT IT FOR THE NEXT MEETING , I UNDERSTAND THAT THE $4.5 MILLION BUDGET FOR ADVERTISING , WHICH WE DISCUSSED AT GREAT LENGTH TWO OR THREE MONTHS AGO , HAD TO BE REDUCED A LITTLE BIT BY ABOUT 130, $140,000 . SOME SORT OF CONFUSION WITH THIS YEAR'S EXPENDITURES. AND I'M SURPRISED THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE 4.5 MILLION THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE DOWN TO 4.3 60. AND I KNOW THIS GROUP WAS PRETTY MOTIVATED TO SPEND $4.5 MILLION. SO I JUST WOULD LIKE TO LOOK INTO IT AND SEE IF THERE IS ANYWAY WE CAN FIND A WAY TO GET BACK TO THE NUMBER WE HAD ORIGINALLY INTENDED. MAYBE I MISUNDERSTOOD IT, BUT I DON'T THINK I DID . >> WE WILL PROVIDE A REPORT AT THE NEXT MEETING. >> AND DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING ? IF NOT, THE SHORTEST MEETING IN MY TENURE * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.