Santa Rosa County may renew Paradise's marketing contract

MILTON — Santa Rosa County is set to renew its contract with Paradise Advertising & Marketing, Inc for the second year at a cost of $700,000 from the Tourist Development Office budget. This includes a $105,000 administration fee and the remainder for advertising expenditures.

Paradise created the advertising campaign rebranding Santa Rosa County with Navarre Beach at the center with the slogan “Florida’s most relaxing place.”

The TDC reported $569,803.66 in bed tax collections for July, the most recent month available. This is a 32.89 percent increase from June and a 32.04 percent increase from July 2016.

The potential renewal, to take place during the Board of County Commissioners’ Thursday meeting, will follow the TDC’s highest monthly bed tax dollar collection ever, according to Commission Chairman and TDC board member Rob Williamson.

“All indications are from my standpoint that Paradise has been a great partner and has helped raise the bar to a new level,” Williamson said during Monday’s Commission Committee meeting.

Advertising expenditures covers items like digital ads, television commercials, magazines, and billboards, according to TDC Director Julie Morgan.

While the TDC’s target marketing areas include Memphis to Houston to Little Rock, Morgan said Santa Rosa County drivers may see billboards advertising the county by October on Interstate 10 targeting drivers coming from Alabama.

A Paradise representative was unable to attend the Monday meeting as the main office is in Tampa, which fell in the path of Hurricane Irma.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that Paradise Advertising & Marketing, Inc's administration fee was separate from the $700,000 cost to the Tourist Development Office budget.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Santa Rosa County may renew Paradise's marketing contract