Members of the Brevard County Tourism Development Council on Wednesday expressed their dislike of Driftwood Capital’s proposal, which seeks county grants of $ 30 million.
Grants – up to $ 1 million a year for 30 years – will be used to sell a planned 502-room Westin Cocoa Beach Resort and Spa, as well as an adjoining convention center.
The nine-member council – which is an advisory board to the Brevard County Commission – did not take a formal vote at its meeting.
But most members said they did not like Driftwood’s proposal that up to $ 30 million of the money it generates from the county’s 5% tourist development tax on room rentals over a 30-year period would be used to sell Cocoa Beach buildings in Driftwood. from the state road A1A.
TDC members said $ 30 million is too much for a grant, 30 years is too long, and the Space Coast Tourism Marketing team – not Driftwood – should oversee any marketing efforts.
Giles Malone, a member of the Tourism Development Council, has made an alternative proposal that Driftwood would receive up to $ 500,000 a year for seven years for marketing its project – a total of $ 3.5 million. And the staff of the Tourism Office will oversee this marketing.
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But Driftwood asked to postpone the vote on Malone’s proposal to give the company time to explore the proposal and other alternatives. Therefore, the Tourism Development Council passed such an action before its next meeting in July.
However, Malone said after the meeting that his petition had achieved its goal. The Tourism Development Council has informed the county commission that TDC members support the upscale Westin project, but believe Driftwood’s request for a $ 30 million grant is excessive.
Several members of the public also spoke out against the proposed $ 30 million grant, including hotel owner Bob Bauger; former space coast executive director for tourism Eric Garvey, who is now chief operating officer at Bauger; and Sandra Sullivan, a Republican nominee for the Brevard County Board of Trustees.
Cocoa Beach Mayor Ben Malik spoke in favor of Driftwood’s proposal.
Driftwood proposes to demolish the current two-story International Palms Resort with 502 rooms, owned by it near State Road A1A in Cocoa Beach, and replace it with an upscale resort and convention center.
Glen Wasserman, CFO of Driftwood Capital, estimates the project will cost $ 388 million.
Westin will be a 500,000-square-foot Westin high-rise hotel that will be located near the six-story Westin Hotel with 502 rooms, as well as 11 restaurants and beverages, a spa, three swimming pools, a fitness center, and several shopping venues. , a multi-storey garage to accommodate about 800 cars and various other resort amenities.
The complex will also include about 50,000 square feet of indoor meeting room and about 70,000 square feet of outdoor meeting room. The combined maximum capacity of the conference halls will be 3,779 people.
Wasserman led the presentation of his company’s proposal. He was joined at the meeting by a high-level contingent of other Driftwood executives, officials from CH Johnson Consulting Inc., former Brevard County Attorney Scott Knox, attorney and lobbyist Kendall Moore and former Brevard County Commissioner Robin Fisher.
Under Driftwood’s proposal, the company will be able to use 50% of the tourist tax generated by its Westin hotel, for marketing, up to a maximum of $ 1 million a year for 30 years.
After the meeting, Wasserman said he was pleased that members of the Tourism Development Council expressed support for the Westin project as a whole – even if they did not support the $ 30 million grant.
“We are pleased with the outcome of today’s presentation to the Tourism Development Council,” Wasserman said. – All members of the council somehow recognized that the project is transformational in nature and therefore deserves financial support from the district. which we see as a positive step forward. “
In fact, not every TDC member has indicated that he or she is willing to support Driftwood grant funding in any form.
Driftwood officials planned to make a presentation of the project to district commissioners at a district zoning commission meeting on Thursday night. But they said they would not ask for official action until July, after the district commission returns from the June holidays and after the Tourism Development Council meets again to discuss the issue.
“We look forward to bringing this to the district election commission during the July meeting later this summer,” Wasserman said.
No matter what the Tourism Development Council does, it is an advisory board, and the district commission can overturn the TDC recommendation by a majority vote.
Driftwood hopes to begin construction in early 2023, with competition for the project taking about 31 months, and Westin opening will take place in the fourth quarter of 2025.
This story will be updated.
Dave Berman is a business editor in FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman.
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