LEON COUNTY, Fla. — A plan to bring more musical acts to Tallahassee is gaining more support.
Leon County Commissioners are stepping up and pouring big dollars into the plan.
On Tuesday, commissioners approved a budget increase for the division of tourism.
Leon County Commissioners are giving $250,000 for the concert series. It's estimated that money could help bring in at least four to five big headline names to the Cascades Park Amphitheater.
Last year, the budget for the tourism division was only $100,000.
Kerri Prost, Director of the Tourism Division, says this will make Tallahassee a destination for visitors far and wide.
"The goal is to bring in the national acts so not just residents are excited about concert, but visitors when they are here, they are in the hotel and they hear 'oh Dave Mathews is coming' and they say 'oh honey lets stay another night' or the bottom line is that people are going to come here to see the bands that we are bringing in," said Prost.
Another revenue builder that commissioners approved was $200,000 for legacy events.
The events are ones that have proven that they can bring in at least 2,000 hotel room check-ins a night for at least three years.
Some of the events on that list include Springtime Tallahassee, Red Hills Horse Trails, and Market Days.
"To have the predictable funding certainly generates the stability that these events need, so in turn they can continue to grow their events and increase visitation from the community," said Prost.
Prost says she expects these events to continue to bring big revenue for the city and county.
As for the entire budget which is set at $274 million, there will be two more opportunities for the public to give their input in September.
