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Closing visitor center was only real choice
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 7, 2001 The Pasco Visitors and Convention Bureau, the private enterprise that operated the welcome centers in the Gulfview Square mall and near the Interstate 75 and State Road 54 interchange, is a victim of its own ambition. Though its demise can be attributed to poor management, if not outright malfeasance, the bureau's directors looked for a convenient scapegoat elsewhere and blamed the press for its failure. (The text of their farewell letter appears on this page.) Instead of pointing fingers, the directors should have considered the larger issue of whether Pasco County, with roughly $700,000 in annual tourist tax proceeds, needs more than a single tourism promoter. The bureau, known as the VCB, acted as if it did. It formed in 1997, boastful of opening a welcome center at the mall without government funding. The bureau provided tourists and residents information on local events, accommodations and attractions. Its revenues come from advertising sales. Despite its name, it was not heavily involved in attracting conventions to the county. Ten months after opening the mall site, it made an unsuccessful attempt to land the county's tourism promotional contract. Then, instead of retrenching, it made an ill-advised push to expand and opened the I-75 welcome center. The VCB obtained one $24,000 contract from the county to distribute promotional material at the welcome centers, sought a $29,000 bail-out of alleged construction cost overruns at the center that it could not document, and last month indicated it wanted more than $110,000 for continued operating expenses. Previously, the county, through the Tourist Development Council, an advisory body to the County Commission, retained Honey Rand's Communication Solutions on two contracts totaling $60,000 to act as tourism coordinator and to produce the promotional literature distributed by the VCB. All this in a county where the leading tourist destination, Saddlebrook Resort, doesn't rely on the outside help as much as mom-and-pop operations do. Yet, many of those same small groups and businesses didn't join the VCB. (The Times paid $3,500 to advertise in the Wesley Chapel center and held a seat on its advisory council.) The effectiveness of the welcome centers can't be determined at this point. The I-75 office reported approximately 9,000 visitors during the year it was open despite an inconvenient location north of SR 54 and limited signs directing motorists there. But, there are no data to determine if the guests were staying in Pasco and spending money here or grabbing a quick refreshment and heading elsewhere. The question of continued operation of welcome centers now is a policy decision for the county, which could be considered appropriately at tourism visioning sessions that Commissioner Pat Mulieri advocates. Unfortunately, the most recent session dealt with nothing other than the VCB's funding request. The VCB's finances are indicative of a presumed sincere effort gone awry. Documents submitted to Pasco County show some of the money, ostensibly borrowed for construction of the visitor center/trailer, actually covered operating expenses. Other money cannot be accounted for; yet the bureau, until Monday, intended to ask the county to cover the $29,000 shortfall in its entirety. Continuing to lay claim to public money was inappropriate. And, indignation at the ongoing scrutiny didn't help to rebuild public faith in the operation. Without an outside audit and an accompanying acknowledgement of and public apology for the past mismanagement, closing the centers doors became the only logical alternative.
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From today's Pasco Times |
