Scott Powers
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs wants her county to hold off on a new proposal for spending tourist tax money because she thinks any action now would preempt voters, who might get a chance to vote on the tax in November.
And unlike Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who endorsed the plan Friday hours after it was proposed by Central Florida’s tourism industry leaders, Jacobs indicated Wednesday that she’s not happy with some of the key details.
“As you may know, on Feb. 23, 2016, the [Orange County] Charter Review Commission tentatively approved language for a charter amendment to create a [Tourist Development Tax] application and evaluation process,” Jacobs wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners and others, including Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association President Richard Maladecki, who sent the tourist industry’s proposal to her last Friday.
“I strongly believe we should await the outcome of the vote in November,” she said, offering several reasons citing the Charter Review Commission process.
On Friday, the hotel association and Central Florida’s three big theme park companies, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando, forwarded a plan through Maladecki that would have the county and Orlando advantage of recent growth in Orange County’s 6-cent tourist bed tax. With additional revenue expected, the plan dedicated money for several things, including expansion of the Orange County Convention Center, tourism marketing and the next phase of construction of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center.
Dyer, in particular citing the prospect of money going to the delayed arts center expansion, offered the city’s support Friday. Anticipating concerns from Jacobs, he offered the city’s partnership in developing a new financing plan.
Jacobs indicated then that she wanted to review the proposal before weighing in.
She weighed in Wednesday. She expressed strong disappointment about how little the plan would spend on convention center expansion. She raised much burden the financing details in the last county-city tourist-tax deal put on the Orange County’s cash flow capacities. And she expressed a dire warning about what she saw as the plan’s financial boldness, in light of what an unexpected economic downturn might cause.
She also expressed frustration that the plan suggests that the city’s share of money would increase, against the earlier agreement’s promises, for the city-owned Dr. Phillips Center.
When the county entered the last agreement with the city, to share some of the tourism tax for city venues, “the city agreed not to request funding for operating or other costs for the venues, except for the funding amounts being provided for the initial construction,” Jacobs wrote. “I do not believe the county would have entered into the community venues agreement without these assurances. Yet, this proposal seeks not only to increase the capital contributions but to also shift the maintenance responsibility to the county and the TDT.”
The Orange County Tourism Development Council meets Friday.
