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 â 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 donât control ourâ¦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 â¦the TDC is the sameâ¦
I can tell you, through this process, the BP oil spill, the way we were working doesnât work well. Just like all of you, Iâve got another job. Iâve 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 doesnât work well from that standpoint and I think we would be served better with an executive director and we could assembly our own thingsâ¦But, I will tell you the hoteliers would love to see it come about and to have it as a stand-alone entity. I donât buy into that. Iâd 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 wasnât 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 donât think we need to compete with ourselvesâ¦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?) isâ¦I donât know whoâs. 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 itâs just started. Iâve 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, letâs bring this up after we get through the budget and we get a chance to get this civic center thing started.
Iâm kind of curious, Larry about what your opinion is and what yâall are doing and where yâall are right now.
May 3 â TDC meeting
Memo-3
McKinnnon – â¦Because we are set up different than any other TDC across the seven-county area. We donât have staff. We don haveâ¦Itâs been me there to do that, so thatâs something we can talk about later but itâs â¦ah, thatâs been the chore through this whole thing. The process and the timing and finding the time to do it.
Voice (Robinson?) â If I could, I think thatâs what we talked about last. I know itâs a little big premature if went wentâ¦You know there was discussion at the last meeting about doing something like all the other counties do and being itâs own independent TDC.
McKinnon: Yeah we have and weâve got a lot to handle but I think that at some point in time, in the future I think thatâs the way weâre going to have to operate. To buildâ¦To stay up and do some of the same things the other TDCs do. It just makes sense, particularly in the wake of aâ¦I can tell you it doesnât work the way itâs supposed to the way weâre set up when we particularly have an oil spill or a disaster like we have had. The way we are set up it doesnât function like it should, as seamlessly as it should. If you look at the other counties thereâs no way theyâve been able to react to things. Itâs just been a better process for them I think. Not that ours has been bad. Weâre 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. Weâre still doing better than what they are doing. But, certainly I think it could be done a little better.