- April 24, 2024
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The Volusia County Council directed staff to move forward in hiring a consultant to examine naming rights and possible sponsorships to help bring in additional revenue to the county.
The council unanimously agreed to a motion to allow staff to put out a request for proposals for a marketing contract of up to five years for a firm to help them secure state and national sponsorships. This discussion was a result of a proposal first brought up by County Council Chair Jeff Brower in April, but at the time, the council voted to delay the conversation until after the budget season wrapped up.
Seeking sponsorships or naming rights isn't an unprecedented move for the county. According to a presentation by Jeaniene Jennings, director of business services for the county, Volusia entered into a five-year "Suncare Sponsorship Program" with beach apparel company Panama Jack in 1999. The company provided the county with beach umbrellas, sunscreen, tideboards and uniforms, all containing their company's logo.
Then in 2007, Volusia entered into a pouring rights agreement with Coca-Cola, where $878,000 was paid to the county over a five-year period, according to the presentation. The county also received $517,500 in advertising and products.
County Councilwoman Barb Girtman said she supported the idea of hiring a consultant to handle the new program. In the past, the county hosted large beach events for spring break and related sponsorships made sense then, Girtman she said, but now the county has to think about its branding when looking at sponsorships and naming rights.
“That’s not who we are anymore, and probably not who we want to be," Girtman said. "I think we’ve also got to consider who we want to be when we grow up and who we’re willing to tag ourselves with considering what we want to attract and what we want to be.”
County Councilman Danny Robins said the county has diverse assets they could use in the program, from beach ramps and ball fields to libraries and trails. But, he was interested to see if the county could include local companies in the effort as well.
“I think we’re on the right track," he said. "We just have to see if the shoe fits.”
