Visitors bureau offers up to $20,000 in help

Recognizing the difficulty placed on Broward County’s tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched the 2020 Supplemental Tourism Place of Interest Sponsorship Program. Approved sponsorships of up to $20,000 will be awarded to qualifying Broward County tourist attractions, museums and welcome centers that provide services to and attract visitors from outside of Broward County.

Retail establishments are not eligible recipients. Application forms, available online at sunny.org/POIsponsorship, are being accepted through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20.

The supplemental sponsorship program, supported by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, helps with ongoing operational expenses and promotional efforts to help qualifying locations get back on their feet and ready to welcome visitors.

Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau

“When government and health officials lift restrictions to allow visitors to return, we want to help our attractions open their doors and promote their businesses,” says Stacy Ritter, President & CEO of the visitors bureau. “We’ve worked hard during the pandemic to provide information and promotional support to our local tourism industry. Now we’re in the position to be economic responders by using tourism dollars that would have gone to support cancelled or postponed events through our tourism sponsorship program.”

What’s covered? Funds must be used to preserve staff jobs or to support ongoing operational expenses that have been severely impacted by suspension of services as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and to enhance marketing and promotional programs to attract visitors back to Broward County and to the permanent attraction, museum or visitor center. Funding is conditioned on the organization using good faith efforts to obtain assistance from available COVID-related funding. Those receiving support through the national Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will need to show that requested local funding is not supporting identical jobs or duplicating support for operational services covered under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). Award recipients must commit to immediately reopening to visitors when government restrictions are lifted.

What’s not covered? Funding from the program can’t be used for new job positions or new programs. Salaries, wages, benefits and fees incurred in connection with fundraising are not allowable project expenses. Retail establishments are not eligible recipients.

How are applications evaluated and awarded? Applications will be scored and evaluated by tourism staff on the categories of organizational need, promotional reach of planned marketing, and the number of non-resident visitors to the location in 2019. Sponsorships will be awarded in amounts up to $20,000 per applicant based on the application score and funds available, up to $150,000 total. Following staff review, award recommendations will be presented to the Broward County Board of County Commissioners for final approval.

For additional information and to access the application, visit sunny.org/POIsponsorship. Completed applications must be emailed to chartsell@broward.org by no later than 5 p.m. on May 20, 2020.

You May Also Like
Clamor Grows for More PPP

Anticipation is growing for Congress to free up another batch of PPP loans for small businesses as part of additional legislation to respond to the economic fallout from the COVID-19

Read More
Heroes of the Pandemic

By Clarissa Buch and Sally-Ann O’Dowd • photography (where indicated) by Eduardo Schneider “It’s so terrifying because as a pregnant female, I’m considered immuno-compromised. If I get infected, my immune

Read More
Business as usual

In the aftermath of our spring feature on how companies were dealing with the shutdown, businesses from all over South Florida continue to share their pandemic stories with SFBW. Here

Read More
Business as usual

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text] By SFBW editorial staff Kevin Sheehan Jr. President, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line Business backstory: The only two-night cruise sailing from the

Read More
Other Posts
A Fix for the Fixer-Uppers: Florida Rewrites Its Condo Law Before the Market Cracks

Tens of thousands of condo owners have been blindsided by sudden special assessments, skyrocketing HOA fees, and panicked boards scrambling to comply.

Read More
Quiet Power Move: DayMark Lands in Fort Lauderdale with $350M Under Management

DayMark Wealth Partners has expanded into South Florida with a newly onboarded team managing $350 million in client assets.

Read More
People at the Center: How South Florida Leaders Are Elevating the Future of Work

Whether it was a dealership redefining employee recognition, a hotel group championing leadership development, or a healthcare company implementing safe AI tools, the message was the same: success starts with people.

Read More
Big Brains, Bigger Build: PBA Bets $236M on West Palm’s Future

Palm Beach Atlantic University to fund a transformative new student housing project in West Palm Beach.

Read More