South Padre Island Special Events Committee Workshop - May 28, 2026

Citizen Alert: The committee will conduct a comprehensive review of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) fund usage and establish new policy frameworks for multi-million dollar event funding allocations.

• Discussion regarding the legitimate use of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds, including eligible expenditures, tourism-related initiatives, and compliance requirements.
• Presentation regarding monthly hotel occupancy rates and identified 'need periods' for the tourism industry.
• Review of Special Events funding awarded over the past five years (2021-2026), totaling an executed budget of $2,466,106.52.
• Case study comparison of special event funding processes between Daytona Beach, Galveston, and South Padre Island.
• Discussion of a proposed framework and award scoring system for future funding applications.
• Establishment of criteria for 'legacy event' qualification, including community impact, tourism generation, and historical significance.
• Discussion regarding the next steps for the Special Events guidelines.