Franklin County Commissioners approved a contract with Forgotten Coast TV on Tuesday that will pay the company over 20 thousand dollars a month for the next 11 months to help advertise Franklin County.
The funds are coming from BP and are being distributed through the county’s Tourist Development Council; Franklin County will receive just over 1.6 million dollars between now and next May to help draw tourists to the area.
Under the contract, Forgotten Coast TV will get 14 percent of the funds or just over 233 thousand dollars to oversee marketing, commercial production and media buys.
The contract will pay for traditional marketing, press tours, cooperative opportunities with lodging providers and monthly promotions.
The contract goes a step further by naming Forgotten Coast TV as the TDC’s marketing agency of record.
The high dollar contract has received some attention since it was approved by the Tourist Development Council last week because it was issued without allowing any company other than Forgotten Coast TV to apply for the work.
TDC member Curt Blair said that was done because of the need to begin advertising as quickly as possible and because of the desire to use a local company for the work.
Mister Blair said asking for bids could add another 30 to 45 days to the process.
The contract has raise some eyebrows, not just because it was approved without taking bids, but also because Forgotten Coast TV is part owned by the past chairperson of the TDC, Helen Spohrer, and also employs a Tourist Development Council member, Sheila Hauser.
Miss Hauser has agreed that she will resign from the TDC.
Commissioner Smokey Parrish was the only commissioner to speak against the contract.
He was concerned that the public was not invited to apply for the contract and since the TDC handles public money the public should be allowed to bid on any TDC project.
He actually made a motion to put the contract up for bid, but none of the other commissioners would second his motion.
Commissioner Cheryl Sanders went as far as to say that now that Forgotten Coast TV has already put in a proposal that it would be unfair to them if the board suddenly required the TDC to take bids.
Commissioner Pinki Jackel also defended the no-bid contract and said she feels that the TDC was getting a good deal by working with Forgotten Coast TV
She said she doesn’t know of any other local company that could do the job, and she feels that because Miss Spohrer served well when she was on the TDC that she will do a good job for the county now.
Commissioner Jackel made the motion to accept the contract – the motion was approved 4 to 1 with Smokey Parrish voting against it.
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