Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Pinellas hopes to cash in without becoming logo land

Officials are considering corporate partnerships, but promise the county won't become a giant billboard.

By WILL VAN SANT
Published August 8, 2005

CLEARWATER - Imagine the Nike Mile on the Pinellas Trail.

How about a Pinellas County mosquito control truck brought to you by Deep Woods Off?

Or perhaps a county utility truck sponsored by Sylvania light bulbs.

County officials hope to raise cash by allowing businesses to promote themselves and their products on public property. Three months ago, Pinellas hired Front Row Marketing Services to identify county assets with promotional potential.

Front Row, which operates nationwide, will get a cut of whatever deals it helps the county land - 8 percent on the first $1-million, 5 percent after that.

Pinellas won't become logo land, say county officials who promise no Pepsi billboards on government buildings. But they know a company won't pay to put its name on a parking meter, for instance, if people can't see it.

The key, proponents say, is sensitivity to public perception.

"This is something that's brand new to the county," said Bill Berger, a business development manager hired three months ago to coordinate the effort. "We need to tread lightly and be very responsible in what we do."

Already Pinellas hopes to sell exclusive "pouring rights" at parks and county-owned buildings to a soft drink company. Also in development: turning the county's fleet of vehicles into rolling advertisements.

For example, corporate logos could appear on public works trucks, with John Deere becoming Pinellas' official mower in exchange for free tractors.

Program advocates say the county is rich with marketing venues that would be attractive to businesses. The park system, they point out, draws 17-million visitors a year and includes Fort De Soto, recently named America's best beach.

A company also could pay to slap its name on a county educational program, trash can or meeting room.

There are no estimates on how much money the county could make through such partnerships, although it's unlikely it would have much effect on Pinellas' $1.7-billion budget.

Yet some costs now borne by taxpayers could be defrayed. For instance, a company might help pay for upkeep of a park trail that bears its name.

The sponsorship policy, adopted by the county recently, does have restrictions. No agreements with liquor or cigarette makers. Religious groups and adult entertainment businesses are out, too.

Aside from that, "what form a sponsorship takes is open to the imagination," Berger said.

A report from Front Row includes the following ideas:

At a recent County Commission meeting, board member Karen Seel stressed a need for oversight as Pinellas begins to explore municipal marketing.

Fellow members agreed. Any proposed partnerships county staff develops will be brought to the board for review. As of yet, no deals are in the works.

"We aren't going to go off and rename parks and stuff," Seel said. "I'm going to make sure that we keep it a little bit tasteful."

Seel said municipal marketing could be used on a modest scale to provide more and better public amenities. For example, she said, perhaps a company would pay to sponsor a children's garden at Florida Botanical Gardens.

The public will decide how much commercialization is acceptable, Berger said. Corporations and elected officials don't want to create a backlash, he said.

"We are plowing new turf," Commissioner Bob Stewart said. "And we don't want to screw up."

--Will Van Sant can be reached at 727 445-4166 or vansant@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 8, 2005, 02:45:22]