• Overview
  • 2024/2025 CU Application & Workshops
  • Call To Artists and Writers
  • Budget
  • Allowable Expenditures

Overview

In the 1980s, the citizens of Monroe County passed referendums authorizing a 3-cent sales tax on tourist lodging (the bed tax) to be used for tourist advertising, promotion, and some tourist related capital projects.

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) passed several ordinances to implement this tax including one that created the Tourist Development Council (TDC) to recommend expenditures of the bed tax revenue and to administer the expenditures. (The County Clerk is actual custodian of the funds. He/she writes and signs all checks which are co-signed by the County Mayor.) The TDC is an advisory committee to the BOCC which has final approval of all TDC actions. The nine members of the TDC advisory board are appointed by the BOCC.

To accommodate the different geographic communities of the Keys, five District Advisory Committees (DACs) were created. They are DAC I-Key West; DAC 2-The Lower Keys: DAC 3-Marathon; DAC 4-Islamorada; and DAC 5-Key Largo. The DACs recommend expenditures for approximately one-third of the revenue which is divided among the districts according to the percentage of revenue collected in the district.

To accommodate three keys-wide industries, three "umbrellas" were created: the Dive Umbrella, the Fishing Umbrella, and the Cultural Umbrella. DACs and Umbrellas are unique to Monroe County.

The District Advisory Committees and the Umbrellas are advisory committees to the TDC and BOCC. Almost always the TDC and the BOCC approve the recommendations sent to them.

The Florida Statute allows bed tax funds expenditures for administration, advertising, promotion, and some tourist related capital projects and maintenance. The statute has been interpreted more narrowly in Monroe County than in other Florida counties.

The money allocated to the Umbrellas and DACs is distributed by an application process. Successful applicants are reimbursed for approved expenditures. The applications are rated by a point system based on the goals of the TDC. Factors included are Heads in Beds in Off-Season, Enhancement of Visitor Experience, Amount of Local Support and Showcasing of the Destination.

The DACs and Umbrellas each have Recommendation Committees that review the applications and recommend which are funded.

Originally the county contracted with the Key West Art and Historical Society to administer the Cultural Umbrella Funds. For the past few years, the Florida Keys Federation of Chambers had the contract to administer these funds.

In the meantime the Florida Keys Council of the Arts was created and flourished. It became recognized as the appropriate organization to administer the cultural umbrella and requested the job. In August the BOCC, by Resolution, turned it over to the FKCA as of 1/1/02.

Out of the blue

CU_2025_application

CU_Cover_Letter_Instructions_Guidelines_2024-2025

2023-2024 Event Funding Awards

W-9

Tinsley Media Presentation

Public Relations Presentation 2022

Cultural Umbrella funding is used for the advertising, promotion and marketing of cultural events taking place between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
  
Organizations intending to apply for Cultural Umbrella funding are strongly encouraged to attend one of the free workshops on the application and the media/marketing procedures being offered by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. Please register in advance by contacting the Arts Council office at 305-295-4369 or info@keysarts.com

Cultural Umbrella Timeline 2024

Monday, February 5th -
Release Call to Artists for Culture Magazine 2025
Due Friday, March 1st

Monday, March 4th
Event Applications released via www.keysarts.com

Wednesday, March 27th at 11:00 am in KEY WEST
Committee Meeting
Welcome new members; Elect vice chair; Confirm interim actions
Agency Reports/Tinsley & NewmanPR; Preliminary 2024/25 Media Plan;
Select Culture Magazine Cover Artist and Artists
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89408284456?pwd=RjlGQmdkaC9pd1Z3SjIyckpXaElvUT09
Meeting ID: 894 0828 4456
Passcode: 158390

Monday, April 15th at 4:00 pm and
Tuesday, April 16th at 10:00 am

Workshops via zoom for Applicants on new application & media marketing presentation. Committee members/Tinsley/Newman/Arts Council/TDC

Cultural Umbrella Application Workshop # 1
Time: Apr 15, 2024 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85858394299?pwd=R1Z3ZkJKMTh0UGt0OGlSSVdXWkJYUT09
Meeting ID: 858 5839 4299
Passcode: 397513

Cultural Umbrella Application Workshop #2
Time: Apr 16, 2024 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88166000193?pwd=ZDdKL3FJMVB6SW5oRjJHdStyV1BUUT09
Meeting ID: 881 6600 0193
Passcode: 447013

Friday, May 3rd
Applications due by 5 p.m.
BY EMAIL to: director@keysarts.com
(Distributed to Committee by May 8th)

Monday, May 20th at 10:00 am in MARATHON
Marathon Government Center, BOCC room
Committee Meeting
Application Scoring & Funding Recommendations
Agency Presentations - Tinsley & NewmanPR Assoc
Confirm interim actions
Public Comment Session
(Recommendations to TDC by June 3rd)

Tuesday, June 4th at 11:00 am via zoom
Committee Meeting
Evaluate 2024 application process
Public Comment Session
Review Media plan 2024-25 – Tinsley
Select Culture magazine article topics for 2025
FKCA to nominate CU Committee members for 2024-25

Arbutus

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council, Tinsley Advertising and the Cultural Umbrella Committee of the Florida Keys & Key West are issuing a call for writers and visual artists interested in producing articles for the Culture 2025 magazine.

Culture Magazine 2025 Call to Visual Artists, application closed

Culture Magazine 2025 Call to Writers, application closed


I dream of turtles

Cultural Umbrella Budget

FY 2023
Cultural Umbrella Total   $850,000
Cultural Generic Advertising Campaign (35%) $297,500
Event Funding   $552,500
DAC I 47% $259,675
DAC II 8% $44,200
DAC III 18% $99,450
DAC IV 11% $60,775
DAC V 15% $88,400
Total 100% $552,500

 

Moon channel

Definitions of Allowable Expenditures

Allowable Expenditures Download (pdf)

Key West Sunset

2015-2016 Cultural Umbrella Budget

Cultural Umbrella 2015-16 Budget

 

Spoonbill