BRADENTON – Four hoteliers have been reappointed to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC).
In a meeting on July 27, county commissioners voted to retain the four TDC members for another four-year term.
The four members are Ed Chiles, Juten Patel, Eric Cairns and Rahul Patel. Commissioners voted for each seat individually, meaning they could choose to keep the current member or replace them with an applicant who meets the criteria for membership and garners enough Board votes to take the seat.
The TDC is made up of nine volunteer members who make recommendations to the County Commission concerning the operation of projects set forth in the Tourist Development Plan. They also make recommendations on Tourist Development Tax revenue is spent. Members are appointed by the commission in the following categories:
- Three elected officials;
- Four owner/operators of hotels, motels or other short-term rental accommodations in Manatee County that are subject to the 5% resort tax;
- Two citizens who are involved in the tourist industry and who have demonstrated an interest in tourism but are not subject to the 5% resort tax in Manatee County.