View Agenda '27'

Leon County
Board of County Commissioners
Agenda Item#27

September 15, 2026

To:	Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board

From:	Vincent S. Long, County Administrator

Title:	Consideration of a Leon County Tourism Program to Promote Partnerships with Local Colleges and Universities to Host Large Marquee Events

Review and Approval:	Vincent S. Long, County Administrator
Department/Division Review and Approval:	Ken Morris, Assistant County Administrator Mathieu Cavell, Director, Community Relations & Resilience
Lead Staff/ Project Team:	Kerri L. Post, Director, Division of Tourism Scott Lindeman, Senior Marketing Manager Taylor Wheaton, Senior Sports Sales Manager Jonathan LaBarre, Senior Operations Manager

Statement of Issue:

Fiscal Impact:

This item has a fiscal impact. A Budget Amendment is provided for Board approval to allocate $250,000 from available Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Tourism fund balance to support the Program in FY 2027 (Attachment #1). As proposed, awards are capped at $50,000 per event, consistent with existing Tourism Grant Programs and to allow the County to support multiple major events per fiscal year. All funds are performance-based and disbursed following a post-event audit of deliverables.

Staff Recommendation:

Provided on the following page.

Staff Recommendation:

Option #1: Direct staff to finalize the IMPACT Program to host large marquee events with local colleges and universities including the venue eligibility criteria, seating capacity matrices, out-of-market visitor metrics, repeat event performance standards, and marketing reimbursement guidelines for consideration by the Tourist Development Council, and bring back a formal policy for Board adoption to implement the IMPACT Program.

Option #2: Approve the Resolution and associated Budget Amendment (Attachment #1) providing $250,000 from Tourist Development Tax revenue contingent upon and effective after the Board’s adoption of an updated Leon County Tourist Development Plan in Sec. 11-710, Leon County Code (Agenda Item #33), the updates of which would allow for the IMPACT Program as proposed.

Report and Discussion

Background:

As requested by the Board, this item provides a framework to establish the “Incentive for Marquee event Partnerships At Colleges/Universities for Tourism” (IMPACT) Program to host large marquee events with local colleges and universities to drive significant tourism visibility and economic impact in Leon County, and seeks authorization to finalize and memorialize the IMPACT Program in County Policy to be brought back to the Board for formal adoption on December 8, 2026. The program would attract large-scale marquee events at Florida State University (FSU), Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Tallahassee State College (TSC) that generate tourism and economic activity in Leon County.

The establishment of the IMPACT Program advances the following FY 2022 – FY 2026 Strategic Initiative and Bold Goal:

Explore opportunities to attract Top 100 Billboard artists for concerts and performances at various local venues throughout the year. (2025-8)

Grow the five-year tourism economy to $5 billion. (BG1)

This Strategic Initiative and Bold Goal aligns with the Board's Economy Strategic Priority:

(EC4) Grow our tourism economy, its diversity, competitiveness, and economic impact.

As the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for our community, the Leon County Division of Tourism has a history of attracting and supporting large-scale events at local collegiate venues that generate significant tourism and economic activity. Previous events include the FSU Doak After Dark program from 2016 through 2022; the Rock the Roost concert featuring Luke Bryan at TSC in 2022; and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Football State Championships hosted at FAMU in 2023.

More recently, FSU expanded the use of Doak S. Campbell Stadium for major nontraditional events, demonstrating the significant tourism potential of local collegiate venues. In February 2026, the three-day Savannah Bananas event generated an estimated $10.1 million in economic impact for Leon County, with ticket sales spanning 48 states and Washington, D.C. The County Tourism Division invested $50,000 to support FSU’s bid to host the Banana’s 2026 season-opener event, resulting in nearly half of attendees (48.7%) traveling more than 50 miles. In March 2026, FSU also hosted the two-day Professional Bull Riders (PBR) "Unleash The Beast" tour, accompanied by headlining concerts featuring Miranda Lambert and Jon Pardi, which generated over $2.5 million in estimated economic impact for Leon County. These events generated significant hotel room nights, increased revenue gains across the dining and retail sectors, and increased visibility for Tallahassee-Leon County, demonstrating the tourism value associated with attracting marquee events to collegiate venues.

At the July 14, 2026 meeting, the Board requested an agenda item to consider establishment of a dedicated funding program to attract and support large-scale events at collegiate facilities and venues that drive significant tourism visibility and economic impact in Leon County. A strategic opportunity exists in incentivizing marquee, large attendance events, and/or multi-day events to utilize local collegiate facilities, particularly during shoulder seasons and other off-peak travel periods. Unlike regularly scheduled collegiate athletics or other recurring campus programming, marquee events are one-time, time-sensitive events that present unique opportunities to attract significant out-of-market attendance, generate overnight visitation, and provide substantial regional or national exposure for the destination. These include large-scale concerts and festivals, as well as exhibition or championship sporting events.

As detailed in the Analysis section, the proposed IMPACT Program would provide performance-based incentives for qualifying entertainment, sporting, and cultural events hosted at FSU, FAMU, and TSC facilities. The IMPACT program would be allocated $250,000 in Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenues annually, with individual maximum awards in the amount of $50,000 per event allowing the County to support multiple major events per fiscal year. The maximum award amount is also consistent with other existing Tourism Grant programs as well as the County’s investment in the three-day Savannah Banana event earlier this year.

Should the Board choose to proceed with the IMPACT Program and proposed annual funding allocation, implementation of the program would also require an update to the Leon County Tourist Development Plan in the Leon County Code. Therefore, during the September 15, 2026 meeting, the Board will also conduct a public hearing (Agenda Item #33) to amend the Tourist Development Plan to include the establishment of the "Targeted Tourism Industry Sector Incentive Programs” category which would authorize the County’s TDT revenues be utilized for performance-based incentive programs, such as the proposed IMPACT Program.

Analysis:

To support the Board’s consideration of the IMPACT Program, the Analysis provides a high-level summary of how other Florida counties currently utilize TDT revenues to fund large-scale events; an overview of the proposed IMPACT Program; details on proposed eligibility criteria and performance metrics; and a timeline for implementation of the program.

Comparison of Local Structures for Funding Large-Scale Events

Pursuant to the Board’s direction, staff evaluated potential event funding frameworks, eligibility and attendance thresholds, performance measures, and comparable incentive programs to develop a framework tailored to Leon County. Across the state, counties use a variety of approaches to attract and support large-scale events that generate visitation, overnight stays, and destination exposure. Staff reviewed comparable programs that support large-scale events using TDT revenue to serve as relevant precedents for the proposed IMPACT Program. Two relevant examples include:

Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (VCA) Major Events Grant Program: The VCA uses TDT revenues to support marquee events that generate significant destination visibility and tourism activity. The program places particular emphasis on the promotional reach of an event, requiring applicants to satisfy at least two of three performance metrics: 1.5 million media impressions, 1.5 million broadcast viewers, or 250+ confirmed hotel room nights. Funding is disbursed following the event and verification of required performance measures, including media exposure, viewership, and hotel room pickup.

Pinellas County Elite Event Funding Program: Pinellas County allocates TDT revenues annually through a tiered program designed to attract major tourism-generating events. Applications are competitively evaluated based on factors including marketing value, projected attendance, sponsorship opportunities, off-peak timing, and event history. Funding is provided as a post-event reimbursement following verification of marketing deliverables, destination exposure, and attendee origin data.

Across these programs and consistent with state law, common accountability mechanisms include maximum awards; tourism-centric deliverables; hotel room night generation; and post-event verification before disbursement. As described further in the following section, these accountability mechanisms were incorporated in the proposed IMPACT program structure.

Proposed IMPACT Program Structure

The proposed IMPACT Program would provide performance-based incentives to attract large-scale marquee events to eligible collegiate venues at FSU, FAMU, and TSC that generate measurable tourism benefits for Leon County. The IMPACT Program is designed to target high-profile, entertainment, sporting, and cultural events that represent large one-time, time-sensitive, new tourism opportunities for Leon County, available throughout the year (or until the funds are depleted). Qualifying events would be expected to attract significant out-of-market attendance, generate overnight stays, and provide regional or national exposure for Leon County as a premier event destination. Examples could include major touring artists and entertainment, championship or exhibition sporting events, large-scale concerts and festivals, and other multi-day events capable of drawing visitors to the destination. If an event receives IMPACT funding and becomes a returning or regularly scheduled event, event organizers would be encouraged to apply for a Tourism Event Grant.

Local collegiate campuses host regularly scheduled athletic competitions, academic conferences, and other institutional programming and events throughout the year. The IMPACT Program would not provide funding for these on-going annual or regularly scheduled activities, which generally generate more localized interest and offer limited opportunities to attract sustained out-of-market visitation, generate overnight stays, or showcase Leon County as a tourism destination. Currently, many of these forms of campus events already participate in the established Tourism Event Grant Programs.

For the IMPACT Program, an annual allocation of $250,000 in TDT revenues is recommended with maximum individual incentive awards of $50,000 per event. Awards would be based on event attendance, marketing visibility generated by the event, and its anticipated tourism impact. The $50,000 award maximum allows the County to support multiple major events per fiscal year. The maximum award amount is also consistent with other existing Tourism Grant programs as well as the County’s investment in the three-day Savannah Bananas event earlier this year. In addition to the financial incentive, the Division of Tourism would integrate IMPACT-awarded events across all Tourism marketing platforms (i.e., website, print, social media, etc.) to increase visibility and destination exposure for greater visitor awareness and attraction.

Proposed IMPACT Program Eligibility and Performance Metrics

The Division of Tourism is developing the IMPACT Program Guidelines that incorporate the following eligibility criteria and performance metrics which would be memorialized upon formal Board adoption at its meeting on December 8, 2026:

Eligible Venues. To ensure public TDT dollars incentivize new marquee tourism event creation rather than supplementing routine or regularly scheduled collegiate programming, eligible events must be hosted at qualifying facilities owned and operated by Leon County's collegiate partners, including, but not limited to:

FSU: Doak S. Campbell Stadium, Dick Howser Stadium, Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Langford Green, FSU Main Campus Intramural Fields, and FSU Rec SportsPlex.

FAMU: Bragg Memorial Stadium, Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center, and campus athletic fields.

TSC: Bill Hebrock Eagledome and TSC Intramural Fields.

Eligible Events and Required Performance Measures. To qualify for funding, an event must demonstrate the potential to generate significant out-of-market visitation, overnight stays, and destination exposure for Leon County. Eligible events must also include substantial out-of-market marketing and provide opportunities to promote Tallahassee-Leon County to regional or national audiences. Priority would be given to events held during shoulder seasons and other off-peak travel periods. However, it is important to note that the Tourism Development Council (TDC) establishes annual blackout dates for TDT-funded event support if a high-demand event is already scheduled that is projected to fill existing hotel room and vacation rental inventory.

Specifically, to qualify for and receive incentive funding, events must meet the following required performance measures:

Out-of-Market Attendance: At least 20% of total ticket purchasers or participants must originate from outside a 50-mile radius of Leon County (verified via box office zip-code audits).

Lodging Impact: Events must generate documented and trackable hotel room nights at lodging properties within Leon County.

Off-Peak Scheduling: Priority would be given to events held during shoulder seasons and other off-peak travel periods, including summer months, non-home football weekends, and academic breaks.

Tiered Seating Capacity & Attendance Metrics. To ensure TDT revenues are directed toward events that maximize venue scale to generate significant tourism activity, the program would establish two funding tiers based on projected attendance and anticipated tourism impact:

Tier 1 (Max Awards of $50,000): Tier 1 events will include large-scale events which demonstrate projected single-day attendance of at least 30,000 attendees or cumulative multi-day attendance of at least 20,000 attendees, as well as at least 2,000 verified hotel room nights.

Tier 2 (Max Awards of $25,000): Events must demonstrate projected single-day or cumulative multi-day attendance of at least 10,000 attendees, and at least 1,000 verified hotel room nights.

Tourism-Weighted Evaluation. Event evaluation would emphasize projected out-of-market attendance and hotel room-night generation, the scale and reach of committed out-of-market marketing, Leon County Tourism/Visit Tallahassee co-branding and destination visibility, and the event's overall potential to generate measurable tourism activity in Leon County.

Performance-Based Disbursement. Incentive funding would be provided as a single post-event reimbursement, with no advance payments. Every funded event must satisfy established performance measures, including verified out-of-market marketing, attendee audits, documented hotel room-night generation, and Leon County Tourism/Visit Tallahassee co-branding. Funds would be disbursed only after the event has concluded and the Division of Tourism verifies that all required performance measures and eligible expenditures have been satisfied. This structure ensures that TDT revenues are not disbursed until the event demonstrates the tourism outcomes required under the Program. Failure to satisfy the required performance measures would result in a reduction or forfeiture of the approved incentive, as provided in the finalized Program guidelines executed and funding agreement.

Recognized Categories of Qualifying Expenditure. Consistent with Section 125.0104(5)(a)3., Florida Statutes, incentive funding would be limited to qualifying expenditures associated with securing and hosting an eligible event. Required tourism marketing, co-branding, and promotional activities would serve as conditions of funding rather than reimbursable expenses under the Program. General corporate overhead, marketing or advertising expenses incurred by the collegiate institution, and undocumented or unverifiable costs would not be eligible for reimbursement.

Review and Oversight. The Leon County Division of Tourism staff would score applications against the criteria, and report Program activity to the TDC as part of the Council's regular review of tourism expenditures.

Table #1 reflects how the Program would operate at the recommended scale. The details are illustrative and subject to refinement. Final tiers, thresholds, rates and caps will be finalized based on input from the TDC and formal adoption by the Board on December 8, 2026.

Table #1: Proposed Program Tiered Structure

Evaluation Criteria	Tier 1:	Tier 2:
Max. Incentive Award	Up to $50,000	Up to $25,000
Attendance Threshold	30,000+ Single-Day OR 20,000+ Multi-Day Cumulative	10,000+ Single-Day OR Multi-Day Cumulative
Lodging Benchmark	2,000+ Trackable Hotel Room Nights	1,000+ Trackable Hotel Room Nights

Implementation Timeline

This item provides a Budget Amendment to allocate $250,000 from available Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Tourism fund balance to support the Impact Program immediately upon Board adoption on December 8, 2026. Implementation of the IMPACT Program also requires a public hearing to revise the County’s Tourist Development Plan. A separate agenda item (Agenda Item #33) already scheduled for the September 15, 2026 meeting, provides a public hearing to amend the Tourist Development Plan related to the administration and oversight structure for the County’s Cultural Tourism Grant programs. The proposed revisions also include the establishment of the "Targeted Tourism Industry Sector Incentive Programs” which would authorize the County’s TDT revenues to be utilized for performance-based incentive programs, such as the proposed IMPACT Program.

Staff will finalize the program guidelines (qualifying criteria, scoring methodology, application guidelines, and standard agreement templates) to be presented to the TDC for consideration at its next meeting on November 12, 2026. The IMPACT Program will be brought back to the Board on December 8, 2026 for formal adoption in County policy.

Subsequently, the Division of Tourism will engage with Colleges and Universities on the approved IMPACT program guidelines and application process. Upon receipt of an IMPACT application, staff will review to ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria and program guidelines. Recommendation for funding award would be presented to the TDC for final approval. As presented earlier in the item, funding would be disbursed at the conclusion of the event for cost reimbursement (no advance payments) and require submittal of performance measures (i.e., out-of-market marketing, attendee audits, hotel room-night generation, etc.). The program funding would be included in the Tourism budget through the County’s annual budget process in subsequent cycles.

Conclusion

The proposed IMPACT Program would provide a dedicated performance-based incentive to attract large-scale marquee events to collegiate venues at FSU, FAMU, and TSC. By leveraging the capacity of these facilities, the IMPACT Program would provide a new tool for the Division of Tourism and its collegiate partners to compete for high-profile entertainment, sporting, and cultural events that generate out-of-market visitation, hotel room nights, and increased destination exposure for Tallahassee-Leon County.

The recommended annual investment of $250,000 in TDT revenues, with individual incentives capped at $50,000 per event, would be tied to measurable tourism outcomes and provided only after required performance measures are achieved and verified. As described in this agenda item, utilization of TDT for this purpose is contingent upon Board approval of a separate public hearing item (Agenda Item #33) on the County’s Tourist Development Plan to establish the "Targeted Tourism Industry Sector Incentive Programs” as an eligible TDT allocation. This would authorize the County’s TDT revenues be utilized for performance-based incentive programs, such as the proposed IMPACT Program.

The recommended actions provide the necessary revisions to the County Tourist Development Plan to utilize TDT for performance-based incentive programs (Agenda Item #33), allocate $250,000 in TDT revenues to be immediately available upon the Board’s formal adoption of the IMPACT Program, and seeks to finalize the program guidelines at the next TDC meeting to be brought back to the Board on December 8, 2026. Following Board adoption, the Division of Tourism will engage with Colleges and Universities on the approved IMPACT program guidelines and application process. Upon receipt of an IMPACT application, staff will review to ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria and program guidelines. The program performance, economic impact, and budget reconciliations will be reviewed annually by the TDC and through the annual budget development process. The program funding would be included in the Tourism budget through the County’s annual budget process in subsequent cycles.

Options:

Direct staff to finalize the IMPACT Program to host large marquee events with local colleges and universities including the venue eligibility criteria, seating capacity matrices, out-of-market visitor metrics, repeat event performance standards, and marketing reimbursement guidelines for consideration by the Tourist Development Council, and bring back a formal policy for Board adoption to implement the IMPACT Program.

Approve the Resolution and associated Budget Amendment (Attachment #1) providing $250,000 from Tourist Development Tax revenue contingent upon and effective after the Board’s adoption of an updated Leon County Tourist Development Plan in Sec. 11-710, Leon County Code (Agenda Item #33), the updates of which would allow for the IMPACT Program as proposed.

Do not direct staff to finalize the IMPACT Program to host large marquee events with local colleges and universities.

Board direction.

Recommendation:

Options #1 and #2

Attachment:

Resolution and associated Budget Amendment Request