Transit advertising contract expiration and advertisers

1:04:32is Linda Hart in the audience? Amanda. Amanda, excuse me, Amanda. Come forward, Amanda. I misunderstood what you was telling me, so this I got hear names and they don't work and I can't hear.

1:04:45Thank you, Chair. Um my name is Amanda Hart. It's um [address removed] in Spring Hill, Florida. Um I've met with many of you over the past 13 years. My company, Black Check Media Group, has um the current contract for transit advertising for Basco County. And I had a meeting with um purchasing this morning and it was shared with me that they are not going to be renewing. the um transit advertising contract. And there's

1:05:16a problem as far as I see it because we have current advertisers that are um advertising on the buses. And in my current contract it states that if Let's just say the RFP were were to go out as scheduled, that if a new company came on, they would inherit those advertisers. So I was informed about an hour and a half ago that I am to remove all of the advertisements off of the buses and that all the current

1:05:46contracts, even though my contract currently states that this would continue to go on, that I'm supposed to remove every advertiser off of those buses. Right now we're netting approximately uh approximately a hundred uh I write the county a a check for approximately seventeen thousand dollars every month. And uh my contract's for five years. So it's about a million dollar project. And I asked um purchasing who made this

1:06:16decision today, and they told me that staff did.

1:06:19Okay.

1:06:22Yeah, take that with staff 'cause I mean

1:06:25So I am here to to speak to the board to ask for a six-month extension to my contract until we can figure out. How this is going to go for my current advertisers. These current advertisers are small businesses within Pasco County. that I have contracts with, it's a reflection of not my company but also the county.

1:06:47Well that's something you ought to take up with that staff, so and then They'll go through the right channels. Mr. Kobala?

1:06:54Yes, Mr. Chairman thank you. Um Commissioner Mariano did express an interest of joining in on the meeting. I think he had an opinion. I think uh I think we sent him a WebEx link. It is he

1:07:08Okay. Um this This has kind of come come to my attention here very, very recently. Again, it's it's my understanding that the it's a five-year contract, right? And so like all contracts the the board votes on them, they they end some contracts we renew uh through RFPs, other contracts we don't for for operational decisions. I I I will say and I'm you know I would defer to Kathy Pearson or Nina if they're around, but you know, I mean I'm I'm looking at the at the business case for it again. I don't

1:07:38know what was in your contract or what was what was put forward, but I mean the contract as a whole is is essentially meeting only the minimum guarantee. Uh it is it is falling short nearly 60% of what the revenue projections were when the county entered into this contract. It's my understanding that staff are actually looking at uh other revenue generating opportunities, more more modern type revenue opportunities, uh perhaps uh looking at uh I would say in-flight service or those those types of things. They had some branding concerns as well since we rebrand

1:08:09branded as GoPasco to provide more awareness to the GoPasco brand versus making them mobile ads. Um, you know, again it's an operational business decision. I'm looking to the department heads to uh you know, make up that revenue through other through other means. But uh you know, if I look at it it's been a five year run. Uh contract where it looks like it was anticipated to generate just my rough numbers to two and a half million. So making a million over five years still falls short of what the revenue expectations would be for the contract. That's what I have here in

1:08:39front of me. Okay. Um I have not had an opportunity to sit down and delve into this deeper or or have a conversation with Ms. Hart, but I'll defer to whatever the board wants to.

1:08:48Yeah. Uh Mr.

1:08:53She's not here. Our procurement your pro our procurement head

1:08:57Carrie

1:08:57Carrie. Uh Ms. Hart shared. Her concerns about her existing contract with me and She stated that the RFP I wish she was here, she's in the building. uh was to not be renewed because of some potential decisions or opinion coming out of the state legislature. Okay. Uh and it was a concern. It wasn't there was nothing statutory that

1:09:27was passed. And um So that was really the Yeah.

1:09:36the mechanism that's led to I think to this point today. So I ask that you're not going to be able to do get with her and discuss whatever that means before we just acts a contract from a loc a long a longtime contract from a good business here in the county.

1:09:57Well I mean I we can't

1:10:01I'm not prepared to talk about this at all. I mean I have no idea. So we can't. I don't know how to take action

1:10:07here. I'm sorry. So uh Kathy, when does the or Ms. Hart you probably know as well, when when does the contract expire?

1:10:14The contract does expire June 30th, and the reason that I brought it to the board today, and I understand if the if staff wants to go in a different decision a different direction, I'm a hundred percent and will embrace That my concern is with the advertisers because I wasn't made aware of it before the end of my contract. I'm more concerned about the advertisers such as Advent Health and the large advertisers that we have on the buses, is to make sure that we live up to our end of the contract because I wasn't given any notification that this was

1:10:44going to end, which is fine. Again, if the staff wants to go in a different direction, I again we'll embrace that, but I'm concerned to bring in regards to the advertisers within our county. These are small businesses that have made sacrifices and able in order to advertise on these buses.

1:11:02With all due respect, your contract said that it was a cumulative five year deal and then it was over.

1:11:08Yes sir. Yes yes sir. Yes sir,

1:11:09Mr.

1:11:10County

1:11:10Attorney.

1:11:15That's on you.

1:11:16No, sir. I according to my contract, it states that I can write I can write contracts up until

1:11:22the contract says if you're terminated for convenience, the new vendor would have to t pick up. This contract is going to expire. That

1:11:31is correct.

1:11:31That's not termination for convenience. You're relying on a provision that doesn't apply.

1:11:36I I think it's based upon however you see it as well. How we've been doing this we've been doing transit advertising in Pasco County for over fifteen years and The contract is written that if another company were to take on this RFP, they would they would take on the active contracts. It nowhere states in my current contract that I am no longer allowed to write contracts for transit advertising.

1:11:59No, that's your business decision and if you and your liability.

1:12:05I that's not how it was explained to me and that's not how it's been done. That's not indust industry standard either.

1:12:16Okay.

1:12:19All right.

1:12:21Thank you.

1:12:22Thank you.

1:12:27Anything else to add here?

1:12:31Anything else, Mr. Kabbalah?

1:12:33No sir.