1 5. Team Letter 7. Mission, Vision & Values
6. What is Citizen-Centric? 9. Organizational Chart CONTENTS 14. SWOT 20. Audience Demographics
16. Department Highlights 23. What We Do
18. Collaboration Workload 24. Five Year Implementation Table by Goal
2 10. Executive Summary 11. Benchmarking: Statistically Valid Survey
11. Industry Trends & Best Practices 12. Citizen Survey Data CONTENTS 32. Fiscal Outlook
33. Future
34. Staff Time
3 David Graham Assistant City Manager
Sarah Prohaska Communications Director
Nicole Hricik Marketing Supervisor & Communications Liaison
Melissa Yunas Project Manager
Maureen Kenyon Social Media Coordinator/Digital Storyteller
Benjamin Elliott Digital Video Producer
Matt Dutiel Digital Video Producer
Avi Monina Digital Media Production Coordinator
Gustavo Nadasi Digital Technology Coordinator
Patricia D’Abate Web Content & Graphic Specialist
Alyssa Taylor Graphic/Digital Content Specialist
4 Team Letter
The last decade has ushered in dramatic change in the ways people receive news and information. The evening television news and the morning newspaper are no longer the definitive source of news. People now have a multitude of channels from which they receive information – a 140-character tweet, a Facebook video, local news blog or live streamed video. Technology has provided an ever- expanding host of venues for sharing information with names like Meerkat, Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat. People can download and digest information anywhere at any time with tablets and smart phones.
For a large, diverse City like Port St. Lucie, it can be challenging to communicate to every audience in the particular ways that resonate with each one. However, the City’s communications team enjoys and thrives on these challenges. We are always working to find new, innovate ways to tell our story and reach our citizens. The year 2020 pushed the department to innovate in new ways because of our new virtual reality ushered in because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff became early innovators using the Zoom platform for public meetings, allowing City Council meetings to continue undeterred during the pandemic. Staff also became experts in the best ways to conduct virtual public workshops.
What is the best way to get relevant, important information to our community and the public? Share what’s happening in our city? Let people know about a new program or public meeting? We look at these as opportunities to celebrate our city, inform our residents, and educate people about topics that impact their daily lives. Most importantly, we want our residents to know exactly how the City is accomplishing its strategic goals that will guide Port St. Lucie as we grow. We’re also reaching beyond our neighborhoods and the City limits to engage our citizens in dialogue at the state and national level though platforms like our popular social media.
Always, the citizen is at the heart of everything we do. For us, this means relationships are built by listening and responding to the needs of our citizens, not only today but as well as in the future. The City strives to deliver citizen-centric communication by staying true to our goals of service:
• Providing accurate, diverse and transparent information, on a timely basis, on the channels, devices and platforms that our citizens prefer.
• Creating opportunities for our citizens to become more engaged with topics that are important to them and the community and creating actionable insights from the learnings – such as the Citizen Summit and National Community Survey™.
• Delivering high-quality and consistent experiences to ensure a high level of citizen trust and satisfaction, which reflects PSL’s positive reputation.
• Shifting from City-focused to citizen-focused communications.
• Building a program of continuous feedback and improvement.
With the implementation of this plan, we’ve worked hard to stay true to our departmental vision to be innovative influencers utilizing cutting-edge technology to reinvent government communication. At the same time, we are always focused on the City’s overall vision to be a safe, beautiful and prosperous City for all people – Your Hometown.
Sincerely,
5 What is Citizen-
Communication?Centric
There is no such thing as one-way communication with your government anymore. We embrace two-way, multi-platform, collaborative communication strategies. This philosophy helps drive:
Collaboration with other agencies and across silos
Technology and innovation
Adaptation to the changing needs of the public
Constructive feedback and data-driven decisions
6 Mission To tell Port St. Lucie’s story and engage with the community as driven by the City’s Strategic Plan. Vision To be innovative influencers utilizing cutting-edge technology to reinvent government communication.
Values Act with INTEGRITY. Learn through INNOVATION. Excel through COLLABORATION. Deliver exceptional SERVICE. Create a culture of ACCOUNTABILITY.
7 Gustavo Nadasi Digital Technology Coordinator
Benjamin Elliott Digital Video Producer
David Graham Assistant City Manager Matthew Dutiel Digital Video Producer
Nicole Hricik Marketing Supervisor & Sarah Prohaska Communications Liaison Communications Director
Patricia D’Abate Web Content Graphic Specialist
Melissa unas Project Manager
Alyssa Taylor Graphic/Digital Content Specialist
Avi Monina Digital Media Production Coordinator
Maureen Kenyon Social Media/Digital Storyteller
8 Executive Summary
The Communications Department’s Strategic Plan creates a blueprint for providing the best possible communication with the City of Port St. Lucie’s residents, community partners, businesses and visitors.
The development of this plan happened over 12 months and is based on the following foundations:
• Consultation of City of Port St. Lucie’s leaders and city staff.
• Review of best practices in Port St. Lucie and other communities across the nation.
• Multiple audits of our current state of communication including our communication vehicles, the architecture and user-end functionality of the City’s website, social media and brand communications.
Those steps provided the foundation for this document, with a central communications department mission for staff to be thought leaders while telling PSL’s story and engaging with the community as driven by the City’s Strategic Plan. This mission is rooted in four, attainable goals:
1. Tell Our Story so residents know where PSL started, where we are now and where we’re going. 2. Engage the Community through every platform available. 3. Be Innovative by trying new things and staying on the cutting-edge of technology. 4. Collaborate through teamwork by building strong relationships with city staff, citizens, other agencies and partners.
This plan was built upon consistent research and feedback from the public, most notably, our annual news survey and the statistically-valid annual Community Survey. The department has attached concrete measurements to each goal in order to gauge impact and return on investment.
While always focused on the citizen, the department leads and assists PSL’s communications through four pillars: Internal (staff); External (citizens); Elected leaders (City Council); and Legislative (state and federal officials). The department’s efforts resulted in more than 36 awards from various private and government organizations in 2020. Every staff member is expected to provide exceptional customer service, be innovative problem solvers, work with a positive attitude and integrity and always continue to learn.
Adaptability is critical to the success of this plan, making this a “living document” that is meant to be regularly updated to meet the needs of our organization and customers. Succession Planning Cross training staff and offering quality external training are two foundational pillars for the Communications Department. They also are key in the department’s succession planning efforts.
Each staff member is cross-trained to be able to stand in for another person on each of these teams: website/ graphics, content and video. This not only allows staff to acquire a new skill set and develop their career path, it also allows for a seamless transition if a staff member leaves the organization, is promoted or is moved to a different position.
Leadership development also is highly encouraged. Outside leadership training is offered to those identified as potential future departmental leaders. Staff members are also encouraged to take on leadership positions in their professional organizations outside of the City. For example, several departmental staff members voluntarily serve on the board of directors for communications-related professional organizations.
Another professional development tool utilized within the department is every staff member, no matter how senior, is empowered to “lead” and “own” a project. A project leader has the ability to offer direction to others on the project team and take ownership and accountability of the final results.
9 Industry Trends and Best Practices
Like many industries, the world of Communications is undergoing a tremendous amount of change. The following are six key identified trends that are particularly relevant to the City’s ability to effectively communicate to citizens.
1. Growing alignment of public relations and marketing A recent survey indicated that 60% of marketing executives believe that the public relations and marketing disciplines will become more closely aligned within the next five years (Global Communications Report, 2017). This closer integrated project team alignment will allow staff to become better organizational storytellers and play a greater role in building relationships with key audiences.
2. The empowered audience and content shock Access to global publishing power through digital, online and social media has empowered audiences to produce content on any desired topic. The growth of audience produced content along with content produced by organizations and brands literally exceeds our ability to consume and engage with it (Daniel Tish, 2017).
3. The rise of emerging technologies in communications Technology is evolving rapidly and markets must keep pace. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) are prevalent in areas such as content development and management of public inquiries. AI powered live chat tools are being used to communicate with citizens and AR content is being deployed to engage deeper with audiences.
4. Channel growth and sustainability As the number of digital, online and social channels grow, the ability to curate, monitor and manage these channels are becoming more difficult to sustain. Resources and strategy management will be key planning factors to consider.
5. Strategic content development and dissemination Developing content that is engaging, on-brand and cost-efficient is a struggle for many organizations. Furthermore, understanding how to target, segment and disseminate this content and measure its effectiveness provides unique challenges for marketing and communications professionals.
6. Improving the user experience The 2017 Vision Survey of 436 local government organizations in Canada and the U.S. found that the second-highest communications priority was improving website design. Specially, 59% of local government leaders cite “mobile integration/ responsive design” as a priority focus. Clear, accurate and plain language communications that are audience-centric also contribute to a positive user experience.
10 Benchmarking
Citizens continue to say that the City of Port St. Lucie is a great place to call home, according to the citizen survey by the National Research Center Inc.
For example, 78 % of the participants ranked Port St. Lucie’s quality of life as excellent or good – up 26% from a baseline survey conducted in 2009. Additionally, 80% rated PSL as an excellent or good place to retire – up 17% from 2009.
Safety was a top priority for residents. About 8 in 10 residents positively rated the overall feeling of safety in Port St. Lucie. About 9 in 10 residents felt safe in their neighborhoods and commercial areas, and all safety-related services provided by the city were given high marks by the majority of respondents and were on par with national averages.
Stakeholder Engagement - As key communicators and advocates of City news, engaging with internal and external stakeholders was a crucial component of the research phase. Engagement activities consisted of surveys, interviews and a facilitated engagement session. Below is a high-level summary of the input and feedback gathered through these activities.
Internal Stakeholders - Internal stakeholders with whom we engaged included Mayor and Members of Council, the City’s Leadership and Extended Leadership teams, City Brand ambassadors, and of course, the City’s Strategic Communications Staff.
1. Internal stakeholders feel that the City is doing a good job communicating with citizens. The mix of communication channels, topics being communicated, and the engagement received from citizens was felt to be ideal. A “stay the course” strategy was encouraged.
2. There was unanimous recognition that the current communication landscape is changing. To adapt to these changing realities stakeholders exhibited an eager willingness to evolve, adopt new tactics, and learn new communications skills.
3. With the growth of the number of communications channels, stakeholders questioned whether we currently have the appropriate resources, skills, and partnerships to be able to successfully engage across all of these channels.
4. Almost every stakeholder we spoke with commented on the overly Corporate tone of City communications. While it was recognized that City communications need to be respectful and accurate, internal stakeholders suggested, when appropriate, that the City’s tone of voice and subject matter be “more fun” or “lighter” in tone.
5. Content that impacts citizens directly was noted as being most relevant and desired. Citizens want to know what’s happening in their community or how Council decisions will impact them. The development and delivery or more “Hyper-local” content should be explored.
11 Preference for Receiving News The City of Port St. Lucie conducts an annual statistically-valid National Community Survey in partnership with the National Research Center, Inc. Residents were asked their preferences for receiving news about the City. In 2018 and 2019, the City’s website was the primary way residents received their news from the City. In 2020, Facebook took the top spot in the survey. COMMUNITY SURVEY
2018 2019
City Website 34% City Website 32%
Mail 21% TV News 18%
Facebook 14% Mail 17%
Newspaper 13% Facebook 10%
TV News 12% Newspaper 7%
PSL TV20 3% City Newsletters 7%
City Manager’s Biweekly Report 2% PSL TV20 3%
Twitter 0% City Manager’s Biweekly Report 2%
Twitter 1%
Other 3%
2020
Facebook 35%
Mail 28%
TV News 13%
Other 10%
City Website 8%
City Newsletters 2%
Newspaper 2%
Twitter 1%
City Manager’s Biweekly Report 1%
PSL TV-20 0%
12 Port St. Lucie Communications Community members rated several aspects of Port St. Lucie communications on the annual statistically- valid National Community Survey. Overall usefulness of the City’s website received the highest marks, with 70% of residents rating it as excellent or good. At least half of residents gave high marks to the availability of information about City programs and services, the City’s use of social media and the COMMUNITY SURVEY quality of video programming.
In 2019, these more detailed questions were added to the statistically-valid Survey. Excellent Good Fair Poor
Overall usefulness of the City’s Website 17% 55% 25% 3%
Availability of information about City 14% 46% 31% 8% programs and services
City’s use of social media (e.g., Facebook, 16% 46% 30% 7% Twitter, Instagram)
Quality of video programming (e.g., 15% 45% 35% 5% City’s TV channel, web streaming, YouTube)
13 Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Quality of video Insufficient staff for Create greater productions workload, needs awareness of City brand through new branding guidelines Strongly aligned with Internal processes can hamper creativity and community partners technology growth Improve broadcast programming with use Established relationship Lack of return on of renovated studio with media investment for projects assigned to the Continue to develop Diverse, experienced Communications Dept. communication between departments team Department overtime Community generated Individual commitment/ content dedication Utilize high profile Support of City events to tell PSL’s management stories and Council for communication efforts Continue to grow social media through digital storytelling Responsive website Further collaboration Strong social media with other departments following with outreach
Staying on top of technology trends
Implemented written policies and procedures
Cross-trained staff
Staff adaptability to work anywhere
14 Current State of Communications
Since a change of leadership in 2016, the City of Port St. Lucie’s Communications Department has reinvented itself as a recognized leader in local government communication practices. During this time period, the Department has reached several milestones. Significant among those are:
ü Revamped and renovated its broadcast studio
ü Updated equipment and created new, written policies
Opportunities Th r eats ü Integrated Communications practices into individual departments to help deliver a Burnout due to unified “citywide” message, look and feel insufficient staff levels ü Created a new, responsive website based on user feedback and high workload ü Significantly grew the City’s social media following and hired a social media Rapid spread of coordinator misinformation via ü Launched and established the award-winning City Manager’s Bi-Weekly Report and social media outside “Year in Review” Annual Report our control ü Repaired relationships with the local media Lack of continually updated/reviewed ü Significantly improved video quality crises communication ü Work as a collaborative, high-functioning team plan ü Been recognized with awards on a local, state and national level; totaling more Website security, than 100 from 2016-2020 awards. network crashing All of these things have greatly improved the tools available to the city to tell PSL’s constantly stories on multiple platforms. And while all of these things present strengths and opportunities for the City, they can also bring potential weaknesses and threats. As an Excessive overtime example, the studio, website and brand projects created increased workload spread out over months for the entire staff. Competitive job market We also are seeing less and less reporting by the local media, which requires the City to produce more content about what’s happening in PSL. While this is a strength, given our already established communication channels, it also requires a larger time commitment from staff and additional resources to accomplish.
In 2020, the City Council approved a new FTE position that enabled the Communications Department to hire a social media coordinator and digital storyteller. This has enabled the city to launch new social media channels, such as a police department Instagram account and a Saints Golf Course Facebook page. We are already seeing positive metrics and feedback from our increased presence on social media. In addition, citizens in the 2020 National Community Survey ranked Facebook as their top source for City news.
Our strategic plan is geared toward maintaining our established strengths, while providing paths to create opportunities out of our weaknesses and threats.
15 Communications Department Highlights
2018-19 2019-20 Outreach Source 2018-19 2019-20 Outreach Source 300 300 News releases issued 2,590 3,328 YouTube Subscribers
$104,935,439 $101,355,185 Ad Value Equivalency City Instagram 3,252 6,445 21,217 26,001 City Facebook Followers Followers 29,479 37,951 PD Facebook Followers 415 PD Instagram Followers
MIDFLORIDA Facebook MIDFLORIDA Instagram 817 172 Followers Followers
Saints Facebook 116 Followers 77 Saints Instagram
6,554 7,427 Twitter Followers 211 275 TV Shows and Videos 2,203 3,096 PD Twitter Followers 5,883,226 5,784,081 Facebook Total Reach Number of Collateral 438 631 Produced
104,401 Mentions of 102,614 *peaked in March Port St. Lucie 5,661 7,520 LinkedIn Followers 1,291,954 3,511,889 City’s Website
16 The City of Port St. Lucie’s Communications Department always strives to reflect the diversity of the City in its publications and content. Port St. Lucie has been Audience accurately characterized as a “melting pot” of people living together. In fact, Florida Trend Magazine highlighted Port St. Lucie Demographics for providing a mirror image to the State of Florida’s average demographics. The Women Men City is truly integrated without segregated neighborhoods. Our staff is always cognizant Port St. Lucie Population that our diverse City should be reflected in 51% 49% the images and content we create. 206,410 Median Age The Department’s staff also is integral in of Residents creating events and experiences for the City’s Forum on Race Relations and Inclusion 42 (http://www.cityofpsl.com/frri). In order to appropriately address the City’s different cultures and perspectives, it is important that the Department’s staff also YouTube reflect a diverse background. When hiring, 51.2% of our YouTube followers are male. the director and assistant director, working with the Human Resources Department, make every effort to include a diverse pool of our YouTube followers are female. 48.9% of qualified candidates. In 2021, the staff was split nearly in half with 6 females and 25.8% of our total audience is 25-34 years of age. 4 males, with a diverse cross-section of cultural backgrounds. 20.1% of our total audience is 35-44 years of age.
14.3% of our total audience is 45-54years of age.
17.1% of our total audience is 55-64 years of age.
20.3% of our total audience is 65+ years of age.
Facebook 21% 16% 15% Women 11% 7% 72% 2% 0.0707% 13-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Men 0.0416% 1% 4% 3% 28% 7% 8% 5%
Twitter NextDoor of our followers are male. 41% 39,043 NextDoor users. 78% of our followers are home owners.
98% of our followers have an interest in dogs, followed by science news, weather, technology, and sports.
80% of our Twitter followers have an interest in politics and government.
17 PSL in Lights
120 families decked the halls to bring light to the 2020 holiday season.
In fact, twice as many residents entered the fifth annual PSLinLights Holiday Lights and Outdoor Yard Decorating Contest compared to 2019, an increase of 87.5%. Families strung lights, pulled out the inflatables and built spirit-lifting displays to help bring some much-needed cheer.
Citizen Summit
600 residents attended
Virtual Youth Town Hall
120 Students Watched Live in their classrooms 56 Student Video Question Submissions from 4 Schools 12 Classes Watch City Panelists Live
Hybrid Virtual/ In-person Forum on Race Relations and Inclusion Workshop
20 guest on ZOOM, 9 in-person 27 people registered to speak to the panelists
18 Welcome Guide
1,257 Page Views from inception through Oct. 21
Virtual Workshop Meetings
323 virtual meeting/webinars
Alexa
19 Collaboration Workload Total 4,898 tasks from 10/01/2019 – 9/30/2020 That’s 352% more tasks that were completed and tracked than the previous fiscal year. *Wrike was purchased in February 2019
Department Percent Task Count
Parks & Recreation 18.86% 924
City Manager’s Office & City Council 18.05%
City Manager & Business Navigator 16.39% 803
City Council 1.66% 81
Campaigns 17.97%
COVID-19 11.96% 585
Census 5.19% 254
Hurricane Isais 0.84% 41
Police Department 9.09% 445
KPSLB 5.82% 285
Emergency Management 4.98% 244
Neighborhood Services 4.65% 228
MIDFLORIDA Event Center 3.53% 173
Human Resources 2.84% 139
Public Works 2.72% 133
CRA 2.49% 122
The Saints Golf Course 2.41% 118
Finance 1.84% 90
Utility Systems 1.43% 70
Planning & Zoning 1.22% 60
IT 0.88% 43
Building 0.59% 29
City Clerk 0.57% 28
City Attorney 0.06% 3
20 PUBLICATIONS The Content Team writes news stories and features to inform the public of news happening in the City.
PRESS RELEASES The City sends out a variety of advisories to external media outlets to promote events or to inform the public.
VIDEOS Informational videos are created to promote City happenings or enhance news stories. Also used for social media messaging.
SOCIAL MEDIA The City uses social media to communicate in WEBSITE DESIGN real time and engage with the community and The Webmaster maintains the City’s website and other interested parties. updates content.
MEDIA/ PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTING Media requests and interviews are organized The Communications Department can assist by the Communications Department. The PIO with public relations, creative promotion and receives an average of 1.2 requests a day. advertisement.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PSL TV-20 Communications is continuously searching for Offers a variety of programming including ways to partner with City Departments and the coverage of public meetings and more. community to create engagement.
RADIO MARKETING The Production Team produces Positively PSL for The Creative Team collaboratively brands the City radio as another medium to spread news and through design, logo creation and formulating information. marketing plans and procedures.
PSAs CREATIVE DESIGN/GRAPHICS The Production Team is responsible for producing The Creative Team designs and produces a variety of educational and public information collateral materials, magazines, brochures, videos pertaining to City business, programs, and flyers, rack cards, etc. initiatives.
PHOTOGRAPHY/DRONE VISUALS PUBLIC MEETINGS Photographers attend events to visually The Production Team covers and records all document City events. Expertise includes drone public meetings. capabilities.
21 Five-Year Implementation Table by GOAL
Based on the foundation of research, analysis and industry best practices, an updated five-year implementation plan has been developed.
Communications is a cross-functional discipline requiring a high degree of collaboration among departments and staff. To be successful, all departments must be committed to the vision for effective communication and understand their roles and shared responsibility in supporting the delivery of clear, timely and relevant information to citizens and key audiences across all channels.
The action items outlined in the following implementation plan seek to address and effectively respond to citizens and stakeholder feedback, industry trends and the unique characteristics of the media and communications landscape in Port St. Lucie.
Broadly speaking, the action items detailed in the implementation plan will allow the Communications Department to:
Improve the development Develop of rich, more robust dynamic operational content measures
22 Embed research to a greater degree in all communications and Enhance the marketing activities coordination and timing for content More curation, effectively distribution target and audiences promotion with the topics and information that matter most to them
Setting short and medium-term measures for success will also be a key part of the implementation plan. These key performance measures and operational metrics must evoke from the City’s strategic goals and objectives and the targets. These measures need to be closely related to specific desired outcomes with a clear knowledge of the purpose and the desired results. For many factors, it is also important to have baseline data for comparison.
23 Tell Our Story Communicate City news and information in a timely, transparent and accurate manner so that citizens, businesses, visitors and City employees
GOAL are knowledgeable about what’s happening in Port St. Lucie.
1A. Storytelling – Broaden the reach and impact of the City’s storytelling i. Strategy - Provide meaningful, diverse and conversational content for CityofPSL.com and PSL’s TV20, to showcase the good things happening around PSL and in city government.
ii. Strategy - Provide a long-range strategy to ensure comprehensive coverage of City’s events, projects and business.
B. City Effectiveness – Use established communication channels to demonstrate Port St. Lucie’s city government’s effectiveness.
i. Strategy - Provide context in all content about City strategies and long-term projects
C. Media Relations – Build positive news coverage of PSL information and projects through outreach to local, national and specialist media outlets.
i. Strategy – Garner better local print, online and television news coverage
ii. Strategy – Foster stronger working relations with Latino and Caribbean news outlets in Port St. Lucie.
D. Transparency – Maintain open and transparent communication for all City customers.
Effectiveness Measures 2019-2020
• Ad equivalency - $101,355,185 (Cision) • Media Mentions - 102,614 (Cision) » • YouTube views - 193,788 total (Cision) Mentions by location 1. Florida • YouTube Subscribers - 3,311 2. New York 3. California • Facebook total reach for all posts - 5,784,081. » Sentiment Reach is defined by the number of people who have ◊ 25% Positive seen a post at least once. ◊ 57% Neutral ◊ 18% Negative • National Community Survey (2019): 60% of residents rate the quality of video programming as excellent or good.
24 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Target Project Action Items Partners Status Audience
City Branding and Style Write guide. Approve. Inform Citizens, Other All Departments Implement x Guide Staff. Train. Templates. Agencies, etc.
Write guide based off Department Style approved City branding For Departments with Citizens, Other Develop x Guides and Templates guide. Inform staff. Train. logos. Agencies, etc. Templates. Video graphics (lowerthirds) Digital/Website graphics, Update Graphics that Internal Communications Citizens, Other YouTube, TV20. Aim for Sustain x x x x x are outdated. Staff Agencies, etc. consistency. Shorten show opens on TV20.
Constantly update the Citizens, Other Update Footage Library All Departments Sustain x x x x footage library. Agencies, etc.
Develop steps and procedures for YouTube. Plan Video Rollout Plan Internal Communications Citizens, Other to start using watch party. Implement x YouTube Staff Agencies, etc. Programming schedule. YouTube Live. Sling Studio and other Improve Live Video Internal Communications Citizens, Other technologies to improve what Sustain x x x x Production Capabilities Staff Agencies, etc. we have. Bring New Ideas/ Constantly develop new All Departments and Citizens, Other Segments to Recurring Sustain x x x x x ideas Agencies Agencies, etc. Video Series City posts on the eastern Expand the Banner Citizens, Other side of the City and develop All Departments Implement x Program with Policy Agencies, etc. a policy. Continually figure out new Citizens, Other Annual Report ways to present an award- All Departments Sustain x x x x Agencies, etc. winning report. Citizens and Grants and Legislative Develop collateral and Legal & Kate Parmelee State and Sustain x x x x Advocacy campaigns Federal Reps
Special Mayor State of the City and Citizens, Other Mayor & City Manager Sustain x x x x Presentations the City Manager’s Update Agencies, etc.
Southern Grove Name. Branding. Etc. Planning and Zoning, CRA Businesses Develop x Marketing
Partner with IT to set up to Citizens, Other Push Texting Service IT Explore x push texts. Agencies, etc.
Story Telling/PSL Write monthly stories about Internal Communications Citizens, Other Implement x Profiles City residents. Staff Agencies, etc.
25 Engage the Community A. Social Media Content
B. Video Storytelling
C. Cable Channel Programming 2GOAL D. Infrastructure Upgrades and Expansion
Effectiveness Measures 2020 • Citizen Summit - 600 attendees • National Community Survey 2020
» 62% of residents rated the City’s use of social media as excellent or good. (62% in 2019)
» 60% of residents rated the availability of information about the City programs as excellent or good. (65% in 2019)
» 72% of residents rated public information as excellent or good. (58% in 2019)
» 33% of residents watched a local public meeting. (29% in 2019)
26 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Project Action Items Partners Target Audience Status
ADA Compliant Develop Training Guides, Vision-Impaired Legal, IT Implement x x x Level AA Training Workshops Citizens
Citywide Event Coordinate with departments Citizens, Other All Departments Explore x Guide to create a single guide. Agencies, etc.
Create 2-in-1 podcast and Podcast All Departments Narrow Audience. Explore x tv show.
Create Strategic Plan video Citizens, Other Citizen Summit All Departments Develop x x x x and campaign. Agencies, etc.
NICE partnership and grow Citizens, Other PSL in Lights NICE & P&R Sustain x x x x participation Agencies, etc.
Groundbreakings/ Citizens, Other Organize or provide support. All Departments Sustain x x x x Ribbon cuttings Agencies, etc.
Status reports and updates. Citizens, Other Sales Tax Promote new projects and Public Works and Finance Sustain x x x x Agencies, etc. progress.
Government Creative new ideas. All Departments, Schools Schools Sustain x x x x Week
TV20 Ratings & Research how to get ratings Internal Communications Citizens, Other Explore x Metrics (Nielsen, Comcast) Staff Agencies, etc.
Citizens, Other 1PSL Promote. 1PSL Committee Sustain x x x x Agencies, etc.
Replace Communication New City Department’s 2006 Ford Facilities Internal Implement x Vehicle Escape
Speeding Citizens, Other Speeding Education Police Department Sustain x x x x x Campaign Agencies, etc.
Septic to Sewer Protect to Conserve. Utility Systems Citizens, Other Conversion Implement x Education on conversion. Department Agencies, etc. Campaign
L.E.A.P. KPSLB/Litter Eradication Citizens, Other Focus on illegal dumping Sustain x x x x x Campaign Team Agencies, etc.
Reworking website and Saints Citizens, Other implementing marketing plan Parks & Recreation Implement x Marketing Agencies, etc. and advertising
Continue to update and Citizens, Other Welcome Guide All Departments Sustain x x x x x promote. Agencies, etc.
Social Media Promote weekly/monthly All Departments with Citizens, Other Explore x Contests engagement activities. social accounts Agencies, etc.
Swale Education campaign for 1PSL, Public Works and Citizens, Other Implement x Campaign swale season. City Manager’s Office Agencies, etc.
Continue to develop branding The Port campaign for The Port CRA, Parks & Recreation, Marketing and Citizens Develop x x District and new marketing City Manager’s Office Branding materials. Education and marketing City Manager’s Office, City Trails campaign for City Trails, Parks & Recreation, CRA, Citizens Develop x Branding including new Trail Map. Public Works
27 Be Innovative Explore and utilize multiple technologies to enhance the delivery of the City’s communications channels. Keep up with technology and never stop learning.
A. Social Media Partnerships E. Brand Partnerships
B. Website F. Brand Projects GOAL C. Brand Storytelling G. Training 3D. Brand Awareness
Effectiveness Measures
• 2020 National Community Survey - 72% of residents rated the usefulness of the City’s website as excellent or good.
• City Homepage from Oct ‘19 to Oct ‘20 = 601,448 pageviews.
• Entire website from Oct ‘19 to Oct ‘20 = 3,511,889 pageviews.
• SEO Impact: 58 for 49,544 mentions (Cision)
SEO Impact is a measure of a websites domain authority that predicts how competitive it will be in a google search. Th larger the SEO Impact score, the higher ranked the website will be in search engine results. Getting a mention in a high SEO Impact publication means more visitors for Port St. Lucie. Scores run from 0-100.
28 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Target Project Action Items Partners Status Audience
Research website Internal New website Ideas Develop x vendors. Communications Staff
Remove analog connections and replace with SDI. Internal Digital Workflow (TV20) Implement x Replace current Communications Staff analog/fiber converter to digital.
Upgrade Cablecast and carousel Internal Upgrade & Purchase. Implement x x servers Communications Staff
Upgrade & Purchase. Upgrade video production Internal Messages from the Sustain x x x x equipment for field work Communications Staff Control Room. Additional New Ways to Advertise (Posters, Car Magnets, Vinyl Internal Stickers, City TVs, Digital Research and create. Explore x Communications Staff Citizens, Other Marketing, YouTube Advertising, Agencies, etc. Digital Billboards, etc.)
Lighting, sound, Technical Studio Overhaul Vendor Explore x background.
Tour parks & facilities Virtual Reality Tours P&R & Facilities Develop x with 360
Research and explore Augmented Reality Vendor Explore x possibilities.
Digital Assest Management Research and explore Vendor Explore x x System possibilities.
All departments, City Virtual Meetins & Workshops Zoom, Webinars, etc. Sustain x x x x x Manager’s Office
29 Collaborate Do it together with partners and teamwork. Brand consistency and
GOAL Internal and external partners
A. To better coordinate messages – establish the Department of Communications as the primary resource for4 communication for the organization, including marketing, graphic design and media relations. B. Internal Communications – develop ways to effectively communicate with City employees.
C. Recognition – Ensure staff achievements are recognized internally.
D. Intern Program – Provide internship opportunities to college students to better their education, broaden their understanding of the work happening in the City and provide additional support to the Communication’s Department.
Effectiveness Measures
• Wrike Tasks Finished 2019: 1,426* 2020: 4,898
*The data is from our Wrike project management system that did not go into effect until February 2019. 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Target Project Action Items Partners Status Audience
“Graphics Trainings, Photography Training, Video Training, Trainings & Project Management Training, Internal Citizens, Other Professional Sustain x x x x x Marketing Training, Communications Staff Agencies, etc. Development Content Writing Training, Crisis Communication Training, Social Media Training “ Procedural Guidelines, Optimize workflow and update Citizens, Other Order of Operations, All Departments Sustain x x x x x request forms. Agencies, etc. Wrike Workflow Public Art Advisory 10 Year Public Art Promotions & Committee Citizens, Other Board, Planning & Sustain x x x x x Master Plan involvement. Agencies, etc. Zoning Citywide Copy Citizens, Other & Print Center - Explore space and research. All Departments Explore x Agencies, etc. Communications
Internal Morale Days Team building. Communications Sustain x x x x Communications Staff
30 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Target Project Action Items Partners Status Audience
Communications PPT, Constant Contact, Website, All Departments City Staff Implement x Training Wrike and Social Media
Redesign the City’s entire budget Finance & Kate Citizens, Other Budget Document Sustain x x x x x book for consistent branding Parmelee Agencies, etc.
Create a new policy to govern Production Film Permit Process/ approvals for filming requests on City Manager & Legal Companies& Develop x Phone Release Policy City property Film Companies Show more diversity and Diversity and Citizens, Other inclusiveness in our materials. FRRI Diversity Committee Sustain x x x x Inclusiveness Agencies, etc. Events.
Hire a communications and Marketing/Graphics marketing specialist/graphic Citizens, Other HR Explore x FTE designer to assist with growing Agencies, etc. graphics needs.
31 Fiscal The Communications Department’s 5-year plan anticipates needed investments and capital outlay in order to maintain and enhance our level of service. This section highlights the projects in the 5-year implementation table that will require fiscal Outlook planning outside of regular operating costs. FTE Requests Marketing/Graphics FTE: Hire a communications and marketing specialist/graphic designer. • Anticipated request in 2022/2023 • Anticipated cost: $40,000/annually
Equipment
Digital Workflow (TV20): Technical Studio Overhaul: Remove analog connections and replace with SDI. New lighting, sound and background for the Replace current analog/fiber converter to digital. Communications studio. • Anticipated request in 2021 • Anticipated request in 2022/2023 • Anticipated cost: $2,500 • Anticipated cost: $15,000
Upgrade Cablecast and carousel servers: Digital Asset Management System: For TV20, upgrade and purchase. Create efficiencies with the department’s photo and video library and make it more dynamic and user • Anticipated request in 2021 friendly. • Anticipated cost: $5,245 • Anticipated request in 2022/2023 • Anticipated cost: Approximately $8,000/annually
In-house print center: Service the collateral printing needs of the entire City in house, rather than using vendors. Would need to purchase or lease the equipment and find space. • Anticipated request (if exploration finds it is justified and feasible) in 2024/2025 • Anticipated cost: $3,000 per month for 60 months
Campaign Requests
Southern Grove Marketing: Once a master plan is competed for Southern Grove, hire a specialized marketing firm to promote the entire Southern Grove area to potential investors, businesses and residents to an international audience. The Urban Land Institute also has noted that “creating a community marketing campaign for the broader community will move the needle in a positive direction.” • Anticipated in 2022 if the Southern Grove Multi-Departmental Team deems necessary. • Anticipated cost (will depend on how in-depth of a campaign is created) between $20,000 and $70,000.
32 Two-way citizen-centric communications is achieved though a dynamic continuum of elements that need to be frequently tested, measured and refined for optimal Future amplification, reach, listening and engagement of City information. Audience Understanding who our audiences are, what topics they are talking about and who they are listening to is essential for the production and dissemination of City content in the wake of the pandemic, utilizing online channels to communicate.
Target Content Audience listening research enables the curation of content that resonates with each of our audience based on topic preferences. Content should tell a story, be visually engaging and shareable. But above all, content should not be channel agnostic and should be customized for the channel on which it resides for optimal performance.
Preferred Channels Dissemination of content on the preferred channels of our audiences will help amplify reach and engagement of City information. Further, providing opportunities for audiences to subscribe to these channels and select preferred City content will help with increased engagement.
Community Building a trusted, connected and engaged community will help with the reach, listening and amplification of City information. Collaborating with community groups, organizations, leaders, experts, and journalists will help provide not only amplification but also credibility and unbiased trust of City information.
Marketing and Promotion Promotion of City information, whether paid or unpaid, will be targeted based on campaign goals and objectives. The integrated campaigns will consist of traditional, digital and social tactics.
Measurement Content performance is key in the amplification of City Information. Testing curated content to determine performance and refining content to provide optimal success is paramount. Like Kinligh, a Global Content and Media Strategist at Inlet states, “Ten percent of content we publish creates 90 percent of the engagement. Our job is to find that ten percent early and often” (Ryan Skinner, 2017).
33 2020 Calendar
Title Date Title Date Title Date “Wave your Paws for a Cause” Household Hazardous Waste 01/09/20 08/21/20 03/14/20 Pet Parade Collection Day 02/13/20 10 Year Botanical Gardens Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful 03/07/20 11/13/20 03/12/20 Celebration America Recycles Day River Nights 10/08/20 19th Annual Best Places to Work Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful 10/29/20 St. Lucie County Give-a-Tree, Spread-the-Shade 09/12/20 11/12/20 Tree Giveaway 4th Annual Travel Show 02/15/20 12/10/20 Kick-Start Park Party 02/13/20 9/11 Digital Remembrance 09/11/20 Rolling Recognition Parade 04/17/20 Ceremony Lego Block Movie Party 07/25/20 Seafood Festival 02/29/20 A Tribute to ELVIS! - Performed Martin Luther King Jr. Family 01/25/20 01/20/20 Seniors Only: Free Toilet Paper & by David Morin Fun Day 05/15/20 Masks by Watercrest Adopt-A-Street Volunteer Member Appreciation Day 03/04/20 02/01/20 Appreciation Breakfast Seniors Only: Free Toilet Paper & MIDFLORIDA Ribbon Cutting & 05/22/20 01/24/20 Masks by Watercrest Ain’t No Party Like a Troll Movie Unveiling 08/01/20 Seniors Only: Free Toilet Paper & Party 05/29/20 01/18/20 Masks by Watercrest Annual Talent Show 09/30/20 02/15/20 Shred-a-Thon 07/18/20 Arbor Day in the Gardens 01/17/20 06/20/20 Special Needs Christmas 12/09/20 Art from Nature 11/23/20 Minsky Gym Community Luncheon 07/18/20 Garage Sale Artist Reception: PSL Arts League 01/09/20 Special Needs Dance 06/17/20 08/15/20 Awaken Wellness Fair 01/26/20 Special Needs Dance 08/19/20 09/19/20 Bee Gees NOW TOUR and ABBA Special Needs Halloween 02/21/20 10/17/20 10/14/20 National Premier Tribute Dance Mobile COVID-19 Testing at Blue Star Memorial Highway 10/23/20 Special Needs Sweetheart 11/11/20 Sandhill Crane Park 02/12/20 Marker Dedication Ceremony Dance Mobile COVID-19 Testing at Bonfire and Hayride 11/07/20 10/24/20 Spring Dance 03/13/20 Whispering Pines Park Botanica Garden Festival & Stand Courageous Men’s 02/08/20 Motown in Motion: Tribute to 10/17/20 Plant Sale Conference “The Temptations” & “The Four 02/23/20 Buddy Bench Unveiling Tops” 11/19/20 STYX Concert 02/01/20 Ceremony Mrs. P’s Dance & Acrobatic 12/12/20 TCHS AFJROTC Military Ball 02/07/20 Citizen Summit 02/29/20 Studios Holiday Spectacular The Dance Academy of Stuart’s Cultural Alliance Art Guild Nautical Flea Market 01/11/20 12/20/20 10/01/20 Holiday Show Inaugural Exhibition Reception Night of Champions 03/01/20 The Martin & Lewis Tribute Show 02/14/20 Daddy Daughter Valentine 02/07/20 Noche Buena Party 12/19/20 Dance The Uncle Louie Variety Show 02/28/20 Oktoberfest 10/03/20 Drive-thru COVID-19 Testing at Toy Drive: Fill the Fence 11/02/20 06/01/20 Clover Park 01/26/20 Toy Drive: Fill the Fence 12/07/20 06/08/20 02/23/20 Treasure Coast Business Summit 10/15/20 Drive-Thru Mobile COVID-19 06/28/20 Treasure Coast Pop Warner 05/04/20 11/08/20 Testing Cheer Championship 07/26/20 05/05/20 One Stop Shop Garage Sale Trivia Contest 07/17/20 08/23/20 05/01/20 Veterans Day Program 11/11/20 09/27/20 06/10/20 Virtual Hiring Expo 08/26/20 10/24/20 Drive-Thru Mobile Food Pantry 07/15/20 Virtual Hurricane Expo 07/11/20 11/22/20 08/19/20 Virtual Memorial Day Service 05/25/20 Outdoor Movie Night 01/17/20 10/15/20 Crisis Within A Crisis: Hurricane 02/21/20 07/16/20 Drive-Thru Tree Giveaway 06/20/20 Planning During a Pandemic Pool and Spa Show 03/13/20 Fall Classic Golf Tournament 10/24/20 Free Business Tax Workshop 01/14/20 Port St. Lucie Community Band 02/12/20 10/30/20 Free Business Tax Workshop 03/10/20 Fall Fun Fest Concert 03/11/20 10/31/20 Healthy U: Anxiety 12/09/20 Port St. Lucie Fall Art & Craft 10/24/20 Family Meals Inc. Food Drive- Healthy U: Depression 11/18/20 05/02/20 Expo 10/25/20 thru Virtual New Business Orientation 07/15/20 03/07/20 Festival of Lights 12/05/20 Webinar: Insights on How 03/08/20 COVID-19 is Affecting the Free COVID-19 Testing 05/14/20 06/11/20 Port St. Lucie Home Show Nonprofit Community With open 10/03/20 Government Week 10/22/20 forum discussion 10/04/20 Haunted Happenings Hallo- Webinar: Coronavirus and 10/16/20 06/04/20 Tween Dance Quilt Show 2020 02/06/20 Charities 12/04/20 Webinar: COVID-19 and Fair 06/18/20 Labor Standards Act Questions Home & Design Show 12/05/20 Webinar: COVID-19 and Fair 12/06/20 06/25/20 Labor Standards Act Questions Home Run Derby 09/05/20 Webinar: Customer Engagement 05/20/20 Household Hazardous Waste While in COVID-19 10/24/20 Collection & Tire Amnesty Day 34 2020 Calendar
Title Date Title Date Title Date Webinar: Dealing with Emotions 04/02/20 01/21/20 05/20/20 in Times of Crisis and Change Emergency Special City Council 03/17/20 02/18/20 Meeting Webinar: Experts’ Technology 08/01/20 04/20/20 Tools and Tricks: Helping 06/11/20 Your Remote Teams Produce, FB Live Q&A Session: Elijah 05/18/20 04/03/20 Connect and Grow Wooten, PSL Business Navigator 08/17/20 Webinar: Get Your E-Commerce FB Live Q&A Session: Mayor, City 06/03/20 04/20/20 09/21/20 Website Up In One Day Manager & Brian Bauer Webinar: Get Your E-Commerce 10/19/20 06/10/20 FB Live Q&A Session: PSL Mayor Website Up In One Day Gregory J. Oravec and City 04/02/20 11/09/20 Manager Russ Blackburn Webinar: How to Maintain a 11/16/20 Positive Mindset in an Uncertain 06/17/20 FB Live Q&A Session: PSL World Mayor Oravec, City Manager 11/16/20 04/28/20 Blackburn, & US Congressman Webinar: Internet Marketing, 10/21/20 06/17/20 Brian Mast Open Discussion 01/08/20 FB Live Q&A Session: Senator Webinar: Make sure Google 07/08/20 Harrell, PSL Mayor Oravec and 06/04/20 01/15/20 knows you are open! City Manager Blackburn 01/22/20 Webinar: Manufacturers - Virtual 06/25/20 FB Live Q&A: Hurricane Coffee and Conversations 07/08/20 02/05/20 Preparedness Webinar: Navigating a New 02/12/20 Live Q&A: Mayor, City Manager Business Environment: The 05/21/20 04/08/20 & EDC President Economics of Childcare 02/19/20 New Council Member-Elect Webinar: Open, But Now What? 05/28/20 11/12/20 03/04/20 Orientation Webinar: Resilient Leadership 07/09/20 03/11/20 11/13/20 Webinar: Resilient Leadership - 05/26/20 06/24/20 Opioid Epidemic Awareness Thriving Through Change 01/29/20 Public Forum 06/03/20 Special City Council Meeting Webinar: Return to Work Best 08/29/20 06/10/20 Practices for Your Business 05/21/20 Following COVID-19 Shutdown PSL Premiere: “America’s 07/01/20 03/25/20 Amazon” Webinar: Return-to-Work Best 07/08/20 05/13/20 Practices for Your Business Southern Grove Master Plan 01/09/20 07/15/20 Community Workshop Webinar: SLC EDC CARES Act 04/28/20 08/05/20 Southern Grove Workshop 09/17/20 Webinar: Social Distancing 06/24/20 08/12/20 Marketing 01/13/20 08/19/20 Webinar: Social Distancing, 02/24/20 Working with What We Have and 06/03/20 08/26/20 Making it Great 03/09/20 09/02/20 Webinar: Social Media 03/23/20 05/14/20 09/09/20 Marketing Amidst COVID-19 04/13/20 Webinar: Social Media 09/16/20 05/28/20 04/27/20 Marketing Amidst COVID-19 09/23/20 05/11/20 Webinar: Tell Google You Are 07/15/20 10/07/20 OPEN 05/26/20 10/14/20 Webinar: Working with What We 06/08/20 06/10/20 Have and Making it Great 10/21/20 06/22/20 City Council Strategic Planning 10/28/20 06/15/20 07/13/20 Session 11/04/20 07/27/20 06/16/20 Regular City Council Meeting 11/18/20 08/10/20 07/22/20 12/02/20 08/24/20 07/23/20 12/09/20 10/12/20 07/24/20 06/24/20 City Council Summer Retreat 10/26/20 02/26/20 11/09/20 02/27/20 11/23/20 02/28/20 12/07/20 01/10/20 12/14/20 02/14/20 09/14/20 03/13/20 09/28/20 05/08/20 01/27/20 06/12/20 02/10/20 Coffee with the Mayor 07/10/20 08/14/20 09/11/20 10/09/20 11/13/20 12/11/20 35 FY18/19 OVERTIME To provide services to City departments it requires $44,832 in overtime.
09/30/19 $2,497.97
09/20/19 $5,126.78
08/23/19 $1,333.25
08/09/19 $767.55
07/26/19 $743.19
07/12/19 $2,657.41
06/26/19 $1,292.05
06/12/19 $3,720.65
05/29/19 $2,195.72
05/15/19 $640.39
05/01/19 $1,715.61
04/17/19 $844.82
04/03/19 $1,485.75
03/20/19 $1,426.20
03/06/19 $2,210.51
02/20/19 $1,913.94
02/06/19 $641.37
01/23/19 $1,075.43
01/09/19 $737.40
12/26/18 $1,936.45
12/12/18 $2,055.65
11/28/18 $1,212.83
11/14/18 $1,100.44
10/31/18 $1,301.11
10/17/18 $1,731.98
10/03/18 $3,260.30
$ $ $ $ $ $ 1 2 3 4 5 6 ,0 ,0 ,0 ,0 ,0 ,0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 FY19/20 OVERTIME To provide services to City departments it requires $35,338.18 in overtime.
09/30/2020 $2,193.83 $3,867.77 over budget 09/18/2020 $1.646.37 for FY19/20. 09/04/2020 $1,311.99
08/21/2020 $1,413.61
Numbers 08/07/2020 $1,185.57 may reflect lower OT 07/24/2020 $1,098.20 usage due to COVID-19 07/10/2020 $684,24 06/26/2020 $1,446.52
06/12/2020 $1,005.07
05/29/2020 $724.39
05/15/2020 $722.13
05/01/2020 $1,522.96
04/17/2020 $1,047.19
04/03/2020 $754.16
03/20/2020 $2,319.09
03/06/2020 $1,936.29
02/21/2020 $1,689.10
02/07/2020 $1,666.72
01/24/2020 $2,425.92
01/10/2020 $19.93
12/27/2019 $1,595.34
12/13/2019 $953.29
OT budget 11/29/2019 $514.90 provided by partner 11/15/2019 $633.70 departments 11/01/2019 $953.68
10/31/2019 -$1,065.05
10/18/2019 $1,840.71
10/04/2019 $968.23 $ $ $ $ 5 1 1 2 0 ,0 ,5 ,0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
37 38