Tourist Development Council to discuss increasing local bed tax

Meeting Notice To FCTDC Interested Parties:

The Franklin County Tourist Development Council was created in 2005 to help promote tourism in
Franklin County. By utilizing the funds from the tourist tax (a use tax paid by tourists visiting the
county) for promotional activities, Franklin County’s tourism industry has grown by over sixty percent as
measured by the increase in tax revenues on transient rentals.

Funds generated by visitors to our county have allowed the TDC to provide over $2 million in assistance
to local non-profit organizations, and over $3 million has been made available to our local governments
to clean beaches and bridges, improve our sports and recreational facilities, assist in environmental
protection efforts, restore the National Guard Armory, purchase and improve landing sites for
fishermen, and to help honor our Vietnam veterans.

Since 2010, the TDC budget also included funds from grants we received from BP equaling $2.5 million.
The receipt of these grants allowed the TDC to do a great many additional things to help promote the
community that would not have been possible without them. These grants ended in 2012. As a result
many of the projects and funding for non-profit organizations, visitor centers and local projects will no
longer be possible at previous levels.

The TDC is considering the possibility of raising the tax on tourists by two cents on the dollar. It is
anticipated that this increase would generate an additional $800,000 to use in promotion and tourism
related activities.

The Franklin County TDC will be discussing this possible increase at their meeting on Wednesday April 3,
2013 at 3:00 P.M. at the Franklin County Courthouse Annex in Apalachicola. The public is encouraged to
attend and provide their input into this important decision.



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