Three finalists named for Space Coast Office of Tourism executive director

County management has selected three finalists for Space Coast Office of Tourism executive director. They are:

• Edward Caum, Collier County deputy director for tourism and sports marketing in Naples. He is the former tourism manager/public communications specialist at the Pasco County Office of Tourism Development in New Port Richey.

• Peter Cranis, former head of marketing for the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye and former vice president of global consumer and convention marketing for Visit Orlando.

• Susan Phillips, director of tourism promotion and strategic alliances for the St. Johns County Visitors and Convention Bureau in St. Augustine. She is the former director of marketing at the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber/Convention and Visitors Bureau in South Carolina.

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The were among five semilflists of the position who were interviewed on Monday and Tuesday by Brevard County Manager Frank Abbate and Assistant County Manager for Community Services Jim Liesenfelt.

"We're happy with the three we have," Liesenfelt said.

They were selected from 15 initial applicants for the position.

In an email to members of the advisory Brevard County Tourist Development Council, Liesenfelt said they were "three quality candidates."

The three will be back on Jan. 24 to meet with county commisioners and members of the Tourist Development Council. Those meetings will begin at 1 p.m. in the Florida Room in Building C of the Brevard County Government Center in Viera.

Abbate subsequently will choose a candidate for the job, and will present his choice to the Brevard County Commission for confirmation.

The salary for the new tourism chief will be subject to negotiation, Liesenfelt said.

Whoever is selected will succeed Eric Garvey, who left his county position July 31. Garvey moved to a private-sector job as chief operating officer of the Baugher Hotel Group, a hospitality and real estate development firm founded and operated by Bob Baugher of Cocoa Beach. 

Garvey's county salary was $128,546-a-year, and he was the highest-paid county department head.

Since then, Office of Tourism Deputy Director Bonnie King has been serving as the agency's interim executive director. King did not apply for Garvey's job on a permanent basis, because she is scheduled to retire on June 30. She has been with the Office of Tourism since 1987.

The Office of Tourism oversees one of the key drivers of the Brevard County economy. Tourism is a $2.1 billion-a-year industry in Brevard County that is responsible for more than 26,000 jobs. Hotels, restaurants, retail stores and attractions all benefit.

The county's tourism operations are funded by a 5 percent Tourist Development Tax on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals. That tax raised a record $15.58 million in the budget year that ended Sept. 30, and is projected to raise more than $16 million in the current budget year.

Berman is government editor at FLORIDA TODAY.

His Political Spin column runs Sundays in FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649

or dberman@floridatoday.com.

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