These are from the transcripts of the March 4 and May 3 TDC meetings. Oops., Larry Johnson was there at the March 4:
March 4 – TDC meeting
McKinnon: The only other thing I did discuss is there is a move by the hoteliers to do something different with the CVB. Harlan has brought it up in front of the Chamber of Commerce to try to get the CVB removed from the Chamber of Commerce (and) to have its own, stand-alone entity separate from them.
If you look at all the other TDCs across the seven-county area, we are very much unique in the way we do ours where the TDC is just a board where we really have no staffing. Although (name?) is doing a great job. But she is not paid by us and we really don’t control our…All the other TDCs they are actually functions of the county (?) forwards just like we do but they have people that work for them. The CVB is …the TDC is the same…
I can tell you, through this process, the BP oil spill, the way we were working doesn’t work well. Just like all of you, I’ve got another job. I’ve got two jobs right now, the president of the Pensacola Association of Realtors. And the meetings and those kinds of things that are happening and go on it just doesn’t work well from that standpoint and I think we would be served better with an executive director and we could assembly our own things…But, I will tell you the hoteliers would love to see it come about and to have it as a stand-alone entity. I don’t buy into that. I’d rather not be a stand-alone entity. I had rather see some function of the TDC picking that up if we had to have staff and those kind of things if we have to do it. I think that is something we are going to have to look at long term.
Voice (Robinson? It’s difficult to tell from the tape): Mr. Chairman, that really wasn’t discussed in our meeting. I, ah. I, uh. In a sense I would welcome that it be a more independent entity similar to what the other counties are doing. Because what I said, I think what Nash (Patel) said earlier is that what we are talking about is people wanting to visit Escambia County. Unless they decide on Escambia County, then they figure out where, within our area they want to stay. But my whole issue has always been to promote Escambia County. And where they stay within there, I don’t think we need to compete with ourselves…I appreciate everything Nash was saying. Those things are certainly important. I know a lot of meeting, at least I had though was heavily focused, was heavily civic center focused and the other discussions were very good and I think it needs to happen. I just think the Civic Center situation, if we could just give the little bit, the county needs a little bit more time to work through it. The county just started. It was my understanding when I talked to Randy (Oliver?) is…I don’t know who’s. Are you on there, Dennis?
McKinnon: Larry (Johnson?) is.
(Johnson can be heard saying something in the background.)
Voice (Robinson?): Okay, Larry is. If you have any more comments I know it’s just started. I’ve heard good things about it. And so all I did was ask for some patience because most of the discussion that talked to me was mainly the civic center and then some fourth cent stuff. You know, let’s bring this up after we get through the budget and we get a chance to get this civic center thing started.
I’m kind of curious, Larry about what your opinion is and what y’all are doing and where y’all are right now.
May 3 – TDC meeting
Memo-3
McKinnnon – …Because we are set up different than any other TDC across the seven-county area. We don’t have staff. We don have…It’s been me there to do that, so that’s something we can talk about later but it’s …ah, that’s been the chore through this whole thing. The process and the timing and finding the time to do it.
Voice (Robinson?) – If I could, I think that’s what we talked about last. I know it’s a little big premature if went went…You know there was discussion at the last meeting about doing something like all the other counties do and being it’s own independent TDC.
McKinnon: Yeah we have and we’ve got a lot to handle but I think that at some point in time, in the future I think that’s the way we’re going to have to operate. To build…To stay up and do some of the same things the other TDCs do. It just makes sense, particularly in the wake of a…I can tell you it doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to the way we’re set up when we particularly have an oil spill or a disaster like we have had. The way we are set up it doesn’t function like it should, as seamlessly as it should. If you look at the other counties there’s no way they’ve been able to react to things. It’s just been a better process for them I think. Not that ours has been bad. We’re actually doing better than any other county in the seven-count area being 14 almost 15 percent up right now. All the other counties are flat or still down for this year. We’re still doing better than what they are doing. But, certainly I think it could be done a little better.
