Monroe County TDC Approves New Tourism Infrastructure Investments for FY2026

The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners voted on February 26, 2026 to approve Tourism Development Council (TDC) recommendations that advance capital grants for fiscal year 2026, moving projects funded by the tourist development tax into the county contracting pipeline. Keysweekly reported the TDC is projected to spend over $11 million on capital projects in FY 2026, and Konklife framed the awards as a strategic investment of bed-tax revenue collected from overnight visitors through the TDC’s Capital Grant Program.

The application cycle began earlier: the TDC accepted Requests for Applications from February 2025 through April 2025, district advisory committees met in June to evaluate proposals, and those DAC recommendations were reviewed by the TDC board before being forwarded to the BOCC for final action, Konklife and county operations materials show. Keysarts’ Cultural Umbrella application for FY 2026 sets the fiscal year as October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 and requires applications to score at least 60 out of 100 to be considered for event funding; scoring categories include tourism impact, out-of-county marketing plans, organizational history, months of event and financials.

TDC President and CEO Kara Franker described the package in the language used in the TDC release and local reporting: “These projects directly support our mission to strengthen tourism infrastructure, while also delivering meaningful benefits to our local community,” and added, “This approach is part of a broader concept known as Destination Stewardship, and these investments by the TDC reinforce our long-term commitment to that vision. Each project adds new value for visitors and gives them even more reasons to experience everything there is to love about the Florida Keys all year long.”

Financial context underpins the grant program. County records show Monroe County collected almost $61.5 million in tourist development tax in fiscal year 2023, and Keysweekly reported tourism spending generates about $173 million in local taxes from visitors each year; the Konklife release and county operations manual emphasize that capital grant awards are funded from bed tax receipts rather than property tax revenues.

County oversight documents and an internal audit filed October 15, 2024 flag governance issues related to past contracting: the audit names Two Oceans as the TDC’s Agency of Record and cites a lack of TDC management oversight leading to non-competitive bidding, deficiencies in the master contract with Two Oceans, regular prepayment of expenditures, incomplete documentation and lack of proof of payment to subcontractors. The internal audit encourages confidential tips to the Monroe County Internal Audit hotline at (305) 292-5760.

Administrative steps remain before funds are disbursed. Monroe County policy directs staff to route approved contracts to the BOCC for signature, with approved expenditures initialed by the TDC Treasurer and processed through the Monroe County Finance Office; the operations manual notes the approval and payment cycle may take 30 to 45 days. State law cited in county materials establishes the TDC under s.125.0104 F.S.; the council is an advisory body of nine members serving staggered four-year terms.

The TDC and BOCC approvals set the stage for a wave of repairs, renovations and upgrades across Key West, Marathon, Plantation Key and other district locations listed in county materials. SB 1456 language preserved in county policy also authorizes transfer of up to $35 million in accumulated surplus tourist taxes through September 30, 2024 for affordable housing for tourism-related businesses, a tool the BOCC may elect to use alongside capital grants as projects proceed. Contracts and vendor payments will determine the schedule for visible work across the Keys in the coming weeks and months.