Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Position Pared Down to Final Three Candidates
By Space Coast Daily // January 22, 2019
final selection will be made by Brevard County Manager Frank Abatte and Staff
Edward Caum, Peter Cranis and Susan Phillips Make the Cut
BREVARD COUNTY • VIERA, FLORIDA – After interviews on Tuesday, Brevard County has announced the three finalists being considered as the new executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism.
The three finalists selected include Edward Caum, Susan Phillips and Peter Cranis.
Brevard County Manager Frank Abbate and Assistant County Manager Jim Liesenfelt conducted the interviews of the five shortlisted candidates, which included Edward Caum, Peter Cranis, Alfredo Gonzalez, Gary Pearce and Susan Phillips.
“Frank Abbate and I have completed the initial candidate interviews for the Tourism Director position,” said Liesenfelt.
“We were very pleased with the interviews and believe we’ve identified three quality candidates as finalists.”
The three finalists are now invited back on Thursday, January 24 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a Meet and Greet with the members of the Brevard County Commission and of the Tourism Development Council.
That meeting will take place at the Brevard County Government Center.
The final selection for the position will be made by Abbate and his staff.
The candidates were located and recommended by the recruitment firm, Searchwide, which was the company selected by Brevard County management to locate suitably qualified candidates.
CLICK HERE to see the position overview for the job and the criteria used by Searchwide to locate suitable candidates.
Eric Garvey served three and a half years as executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism and abruptly resigned his position in July 2018 to take a job as Chief Operating Officer with Bob Baugher’s Hotel Group, which owns the Four Points Sheraton in Cocoa Beach, the Quality Suites Hotel in Cocoa Beach and the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral.
Garvey, who was paid $128,546 annually by Brevard County at the time of his resignation, was the highest-paid department head in Brevard County government.
Bonnie King is acting as the Brevard County Tourist Development Council’s interim executive director until a replacement is selected. She is scheduled to retire in June 2019.
Related Story:Space Coast Tourist Development Council Announces New Board Members, Searches For Permanent Director
The Brevard County Tourist Development Council was established to promote growth, development and quality of tourism on the Space Coast.
The Brevard County Tourist Development Council consists of nine members appointed by the County Commission that oversees the Tourist Development Tax (Resort Tax), a 5 percent tax on the total rental amount collected from every person or other party who rents, leases, or lets for consideration living quarters or accommodation in any hotel, apartment hotel, motel, resort motel, apartment, apartment motel, rooming house, mobile home park, recreational vehicle park, or condominiums for a period of 6 months or less.
This tax, which is projected to generate $15 million this year, is collected by the Brevard County Tax Collector and is in addition to the 7 percent State of Florida Sales and Use Tax remitted to the Florida Department of Revenue.
CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS
