The council’s discussion highlighted the approval of guidelines for the allocation of 1.7 million dollars in potential capital funds. Among the potential beneficiaries of these funds are high-profile projects such as the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, the Space Force Foundation, and a proposed Olympic-sized swimming pool in Palm Shores. The application process for these projects is set to open on June 1st, with presentations scheduled for the July 11th TDC meeting. These capital projects are anticipated to have an impact on tourism and local development.

Moreover, the committee is moving forward with the selection of a partner to facilitate cellular device tracking. The importance of these campaigns is underscored by the reported success of the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) perspective, which recently experienced its second-largest month in history. The committee also announced the launch of a summer campaign aimed at drawing more visitors to the region.

The discussion also touched on the sports committee’s current status, which is in a holding pattern due to ongoing discussions about funding for lifeguards and other related issues. Despite this, the committee emphasized the necessity of securing visitor data linked to sports events to aid in the allocation of sports grants and the overall assessment of sports tourism’s contribution to the area.

Another point of debate was the procedure for beach and Indian River Lagoon (IRL) cleaning projects. The council deliberated on whether these initiatives, including a 5-year contract with the City of Cocoa Beach for beach cleaning and IRL grants for causeway cleaning, should be directly overseen by the TDC or initially reviewed by the beach committee. The outcome of this discussion could influence how and effectively these environmental projects are managed and funded.

The cultural committee and the beach committee both had less to report, with the cultural committee’s next meeting slated for July 18th and no specific updates from the beach committee.

While some council members had no updates to provide during the board reports, the TDC director noted the next meeting date, scheduled for July 24th at 2 pm. The meeting then concluded with the board’s adjournment.