TDC Questions

Dear Editor,

My wife and I have been part time residents of Cape San Blas for many years, but a few months ago, we decided to sell our other real estate and become permanent Gulf County residents.  We have lived in many places, and we always make an effort to know what is going on in the community no matter where we live.  We read the Star cover to cover every week, and rely on the Star to keep us informed.

This week I read the article on the last page of the Star about Tim Kerrigan being named the new TDC Director.  I have been reading about the controversy surrounding that position for the past few months.  When I saw the headline in the paper, I was excited to see that someone had finally been chosen, and was sure that the article would tell us more about Mr. Kerrigan and his experience and qualifications for the position.  And I was disappointed.  I do not know Mr. Kerrigan personally, but my neighbors have told me that he is a very nice person and I'm sure that is fine.  What concerned me when I read the article is that it appears that he has no qualifications for the position other than co-founding a restaurant.  I wanted to get more information about TDC directors in general, so I got on my computer and did some research.

Orange County, California has their TDC director’s job description on the internet for all to see.  I don’t know what the Gulf County TDC director job description is, because I was not able to locate it anywhere.  But the Orange County TDC director must “promote tourism and stimulate economic development; prepares and executes national and international marketing plans; prepares and releases press kit to media” as well as “Prepares and defends annual budget; prepares and submits grant applications for matching funds.”  The minimum requirements for the job include “Bachelor's degree in marketing, public relations, or a closely related field, and 1 to 2 years experience in marketing or public relations work.”  Okaloosa County, Florida requires a “Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Finance, Business Administration, or closely related; supplemented by a minimum of eight (8) years progressively responsible experience in the hospitality/tourism administration or marketing field, to include development and administration of complex programs and budgets, four (4) years of which shall be acquired in management capacity, preferably for a municipal or institutional organization; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities."

Those requirements seems like they would be pretty standard no matter where you are, and I don’t understand why here in Gulf County there are no minimum requirements for the position.

After reading the article, I asked around and found out that here in Gulf County, the TDC director is given money by the county to hire an advertising agency to help market the county.  This made me feel a little better until I found out that Mr. Kerrigan’s brother owns the advertising agency that has the county contract.  Isn’t that illegal?  If it is not, it should be.  In bigger cities, it makes the news when family members give other family members government contracts on the local level like this, and I think it should make the news here.

My wife and I love living in this area, but we are disappointed to find out that so much cronyism goes on, and that so much information is kept from the public.  Who were the other applicants?  What were their qualifications?  These are things that the public should know.  Keep up the good work at the Star, but maybe try to dig a little deeper. 

Thank you,

R.G. Smith

Cape San Blas