DEI marketer gets scolded

By John Labriola - Madden Media, the marketing firm that handles Citrus County's tourism advertising, could be on a short leash with county leaders after embarrassing them with a failed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) marketing proposal.

In January, Madden Media representatives presented the Tourist Development Council (TDC) with a $55,000 DEI marketing plan to promote more LGBT and less white, Christian, family-oriented tourism to Citrus County. The TDC unanimously approved the proposal but it died after county commissioners, who have the final say on tourist tax expenditures, pulled the plan from a commission agenda earlier this year.

"I put Madden Media on notice if they do this to us again, I'm not going to be real happy about it,"said TDC member and Crystal River City Councilwoman Cindi Guy. 

Her remarks came at last week's TDC meeting after the issue came up during the public comment portion. Guy said she "sat quiet" during the January TDC meeting when the plan was approved but wanted to "set the record straight." 

"I think we should be targeting people that will bring money to our county. I think we should be targeting people who are into nature and what we have to offer in Citrus County," she said. "There's gay and lesbian people and they're human just like us, but we should not be targeting people based on what they do behind closed doors."

Madden Media did not respond to the Citrus Crusader's request for comment. 

Despite the DEI plan's demise, the county continues to spend about $5,000 a year to place ads in the homosexual online travel magazine OutCoast to encourage "LGBTQ+" travelers to visit Crystal River and the surrounding areas. 

Patti O'Connell of Floral City urged the TDC to stop all tourist advertising aimed at sexual lifestyle choices.

"What you guys are doing is you're inviting activists," O'Connell said. "We don't need a campaign for that particular sexual proclivity and kids don't need to be introduced to this. You're getting people to think of themselves as how they have sex, and I don't think that's the way to spend taxpayers' money because it does change areas. We don't need special invitations for special groups."

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