WATCH LIVE: Brevard County Commission Holds Meeting Tuesday to Vote On Driftwood Project Proposal
By Space Coast Daily // July 18, 2022
meeting begins at 9 a.m.
WATCH: You Decide! Should the hotel developer Driftwood receive $30 million of local tourism tax from Brevard County for their Westin Hotel project in Cocoa Beach? The public is invited to attend and participate in a Community Town Hall Forum set for Thursday, July 14 at the Radisson Resort at the Port to discuss Driftwood Capital‘s request for $30 million of tourism tax funds to promote its proposed Westin Hotel to be built in Cocoa Beach.
WATCH: Interviews after the Community Town Hall discussion regarding Driftwood Capital’s request for $30 million of tourism tax funds.
WATCH: You Decide! Should the hotel developer Driftwood receive $30 million of local tourism tax from Brevard County for their Westin Hotel project in Cocoa Beach? Space Coast Daily’s Giles Malone explains the details so you may decide and contact your Brevard County Commissioners to let them know your opinion. The public is invited to attend and participate in a Community Town Hall Forum set Thursday, July 14 at the Radisson Resort at the Port to discuss Driftwood Capital‘s request for $30 million of tourism tax funds to promote its proposed Westin Hotel to be built in Cocoa Beach.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Brevard County Commission is scheduled to hold a meeting next Tuesday to discuss the controversial Driftwood Project proposal.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Brevard County Government Center in Viera.
This past week, the public participated in a Community Town Hall Forum on Thursday at the Radisson Resort at the Port to discuss Driftwood Capital‘s request for $30 million of tourism tax funds to promote its proposed Westin Hotel to be built in Cocoa Beach.
The Town Hall was seen live on Space Coast Daily TV.
According to feedback in a Space Coast Daily Facebook post, and the response of Space Coast hotel and business community, this is a highly controversial issue that the public and business community opposes almost unanimously.
The issue will be decided when the Brevard County Commission votes on the proposal on July 19 at 9 a.m. at the Brevard County Government Center in Viera.
In a letter to Brevard County hoteliers, hospitality workers, business community and the public, Eric Garvey the COO of Radisson Resort at the Port, Spring Hill Suites in Cape Canaveral, TownePlace Suites Cape Canaveral, Four Points by Sheraton Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach Suites, Cocoa Beach Surf Company, Starbucks Cocoa Beach and Park Port Canaveral said:
It is the opinion of most of us in the industry that this is a misuse of TDC funds for the benefit of a single private developer.
If passed, the agreement represents a drastic change to Brevard County’s Bed Tax Ordinance and will have negative impacts to our tourism community – and all the programs that benefit from tourist tax – for a generation.
I urge you to attend this meeting to learn more about this proposal. We are also asking concerned and well-informed business people to attend the BOCC Board meeting on July 19 at 9 am to make your position known to the County Commission.
This must send a clear message to our elected officials of our industry’s solid opposition to such an outrageous and ill-conceived proposition.
Space Coast Daily will stream the meeting live at SpaceCoastDaily.com.
The subject Grant Agreement if approved would commit Brevard County to a grant of up to $1,000,000 annually to DAD or its successor entity as part and conditioned upon DAD’s construction and operation of an 800,000 square-foot mixed-use destination resort, including a hotel, 120,000 square feet of convention space, a spa and fitness center, multiple food and beverage and retail venues and a parking facility.
The proposed agreement commits the County to fund the grant annually for thirty years for a total grant commitment of up to $30,000,000.
The “grant” would be funded by a rebate from the County of the Tourist Development Tax collected by DAD’s destination resort from taxpayers staying at the resort and/or using the facilities.
The money generated from the tourist development tax funds beach renourishment, arts and culture marketing, the Indian River Lagoon, the Brevard Zoo and Aquarium, sports marketing, as well as promotion of the Space Coast which benefits all hotels and motels, etc.
Driftwood Capital/Westin Cocoa Beach Resort is requesting the County gift $30 million to their corporation at the expense of all of these programs currently funded by the TDC.
CLICK HERE to see the letter to the Brevard County Commission from Cocoa Beach Motel Inc.
CLICK HERE to see the legal opinion from the Brevard County Commission’s attorney.
