What Clay County, Florida does

Clay County, Florida is a county government entity headquartered in Green Cove Springs, Florida, operating under the consumer-facing brand 'Explore Clay County' to promote tourism across its seven municipalities: Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, Middleburg, Oakleaf, Orange Park, and Penney Farms. The entity functions as a destination marketing organization rather than a commercial enterprise, using its exploreclay.com website, iOS/Android mobile application, event calendar, and social media presence (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) to drive visitor traffic to local businesses, parks, restaurants, and attractions. Founded in 1858, the county leverages natural and recreational assets including 39 miles of waterways, Camp Chowenwaw (150 acres), the Clay County Outdoor Adventure Park (158 acres), Moccasin Slough County Park (255 acres), and Oakleaf Community Park (102 acres) as the substantive tourism offering.

The core product is a digital tourism platform comprising the Explore Clay website, mobile app, activity directory, and event calendar, supplemented by three service lines: Sports Tourism Services (hosting tournaments and sporting events), Film Development Services (location scouting, permits, and production support), and a social media community engagement program built around the #ExploreClay hashtag. The county does not sell products directly to visitors; rather, it generates indirect economic activity through visitor spending at local businesses, which in turn yields tax revenue. Its go-to-market is event-driven: community events, sports tournaments, seasonal festivals, and branded campaigns like #904Day serve as top-of-funnel content designed to attract family and group tourists, sports tourism organizers, and film production companies. Customer concentration is intentionally broad, spanning local restaurants, ranches, golf courses, and entertainment venues such as the 1,715-seat Thrasher-Horne Center. The entity has no disclosed revenue, no AI capabilities, no API offerings, and no integrations — its competitive positioning rests on geographic proximity to Jacksonville, the non-replicable inventory of public parks and waterways, and a digital-first marketing ecosystem.

Name

Clay County, Florida

Legal name

Clay County, Florida

Website

https://exploreclay.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1858

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clay County, Florida is a county government entity operating the 'Explore Clay County' tourism marketing platform across its seven municipalities, using a website, mobile app, and social media to drive visitors to parks, waterways, restaurants, sporting events, and film production locations near Jacksonville.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Tourism Promotion

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access) (THAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Visitor information services
• Event coordination
• Film location scouting

Headquarters

HQ city

Green Cove Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tourism Economic Impact: Clay County derives revenue from tourism through visitor spending at local businesses including restaurants, hotels, attractions, and retail establishments, which generates tax revenue for the county. The Tourism Department facilitates visitor engagement to drive economic activity across the county's seven municipalities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clay County, Florida operates a public-sector tourism marketing and destination promotion service under the "Explore Clay County" brand. Its core offering is the operation of the exploreclay.com website and mobile application, which provide visitor guides, activity directories, event calendars, and local business listings to attract tourists, support sports tourism events, and facilitate film production location scouting across the county's seven municipalities.

Product overview

Clay County, Florida operates a tourism marketing ecosystem centered around its official Explore Clay website and mobile application. The core platform provides comprehensive visitor information through activity directories, event calendars, and local business listings across Clay County's neighborhoods including Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, Middleburg, Oakleaf, Orange Park, and Penney Farms. Supporting services include sports tourism promotion for hosting sporting events, film development support for productions, and social media community engagement through the #ExploreClay campaign.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Explore Clay Tourism Website Official tourism marketing website for Clay County, Florida, providing visitor guides, activity listings, event calendars, and local business directories for travelers and residents planning visits to the county's attractions, dining, and accommodations.
• Explore Clay Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS App Store and Google Play Store providing visitors with location guides, tourism information, and event listings for Clay County.
• Clay County Activities Directory A comprehensive listing of outdoor activities, parks, attractions, entertainment venues, shopping, dining, and recreational experiences available throughout Clay County's seven municipalities.
• Clay County Event Calendar Calendar system for discovering and submitting local events, festivals, concerts, sports tournaments, and community activities throughout Clay County.
• Sports Tourism Services Service offering that supports the attraction and hosting of youth, amateur, and professional sporting events and tournaments at county facilities for athletic organizations and event planners.
• Film Development Services Support services for filmmakers including location scouting, filming permits assistance, connections to local businesses and attractions, and production support for major productions, short films, and digital content.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39 miles of waterways available for paddling and water recreation

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights9 records

Broad incumbents

• Visit Orlando: Regional tourism authority for Orange County and Central Florida, operating at a much larger scale than Clay County. Provides a benchmark for a scaled county-level DMO with sports tourism, film office, and major marketing budget.
• Visit Tampa Bay: Regional DMO for the Tampa Bay area, comparable to Clay County's DMO function but at significantly higher scale and budget. Similar service offerings including event promotion, film liaison, and visitor guide.
• Visit St. Pete-Clearwater: County-level DMO for Pinellas County, comparable to Clay County's tourism promotion structure, with stronger emphasis on water-based recreation and beach tourism.
• Discover Palm Beach County: County-level tourism DMO for Palm Beach County, Florida. Operates comparable visitor guide, event calendar, and sports tourism functions, illustrating how a Florida county DMO is structured and monetized.

Others

• Visit Florida: The official state tourism marketing corporation for Florida. Provides a complementary layer above county DMOs such as Clay County's Explore Clay, offering statewide campaign support and co-marketing opportunities.

Direct peers

• Visit Jacksonville: Destination marketing organization for Duval County (Jacksonville), the closest major metro and Clay County's primary feeder market. Operates the same tourism promotion model under the same regional tourism ecosystem in Northeast Florida.
• Visit Sarasota County: County tourism DMO for Sarasota County, similar mid-sized Florida destination with outdoor recreation, parks, and cultural attractions. Directly comparable in terms of scale and visitor proposition.
• St. Johns County Tourism Development Authority: County-level DMO for St. Johns County (St. Augustine), a direct competitor roughly 45 minutes from Clay County. Operates a similar destination marketing structure with visitor guide, event calendar, and film/tourism promotion.
• Visit Gainesville / Alachua County: County DMO for Alachua County, a comparable North/North-Central Florida destination featuring state parks, springs, and outdoor recreation. Highly analogous in geography, scale, and product mix to Clay County.
• Visit Flagler County: Small-county DMO directly comparable to Clay County in scale, located in Northeast Florida with similar beaches, parks, and small-town tourism proposition. Functions as a near-equivalent peer county tourism organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfABWgP0GJU7VZ3Zwl0GCYg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ClayCtyTourism
• Instagraminstagram.com/exploreclay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clay-county-florida

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clay County, Florida