Overview

In the 1980s, the citizens of Monroe County passed referendums authorizing a 3-cent sales tax on tourist lodging (the bed tax) to be used for tourist advertising, promotion, and some tourist related capital projects.

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) passed several ordinances to implement this tax including one that created the Tourist Development Council (TDC) to recommend expenditures of the bed tax revenue and to administer the expenditures. (County Clerk Danny Kolhage is actual custodian of the funds. He writes and signs all checks which are co-signed by the County Mayor.) The TDC is an advisory committee to the BOCC which has final approval of all TDC actions. The nine members of the TDC advisory board are appointed by the BOCC.

To accommodate the different geographic communities of the Keys, five District Advisory Committees (DACs) were created. They are DAC I-Key West; DAC 2-The Lower Keys: DAC 3-Marathon; DAC 4-Islamorada; and DAC 5-Key Largo. The DACs recommend expenditures for approximately one-third of the revenue which is divided among the districts according to the percentage of revenue collected in the district.

To accommodate three keys-wide industries, three "umbrellas" were created: the Dive Umbrella, the Fishing Umbrella, and the Cultural Umbrella. DACs and Umbrellas are unique to Monroe County.

The District Advisory Committees and the Umbrellas are advisory committees to the TDC and BOCC. Almost always the TDC and the BOCC approve the recommendations sent to them.

The Florida Statute allows bed tax funds expenditures for administration, advertising, promotion, and some tourist related capital projects and maintenance. The statute has been interpreted more narrowly in Monroe County than in other Florida counties.

The money allocated to the Umbrellas and DACs is distributed by an application process. Successful applicants are reimbursed for approved expenditures. The applications are rated by a point system based on the goals of the TDC. Factors included are Heads in Beds in Off-Season, Enhancement of Visitor Experience, Amount of Local Support and Showcasing of the Destination.

The DACs and Umbrellas each have Recommendation Committees that review the applications and recommend which are funded.

Originally the county contracted with the Key West Art and Historical Society to administer the Cultural Umbrella Funds. For the past few years, the Florida Keys Federation of Chambers had the contract to administer these funds.

In the meantime the Florida Keys Council of the Arts was created and flourished. It became recognized as the appropriate organization to administer the cultural umbrella and requested the job. In August the BOCC, by Resolution, turned it over to the FKCA as of 1/1/02.

Written by Shirley Freeman, Chairman of the FKCA Committee on the Cultural Umbrella, Sep

2013-14 Cultural Umbrella Budget

Definitions of Allowable Expenditures

Allowable Expenditures Download (pdf)

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