Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonDecember 3, 2018

Airbnb filed suit against Palm Beach County Monday over the county tax collector’s charge that the vacation rental company should be policing listings on its platform for users who aren’t paying bed taxes. The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach Circuit Court, centers around a rule that requires users who list homes on the site, also […]

Scott PowersNovember 20, 2018

HomeAway, the vacation rental-home marketing company, is moving forward with efforts to collect taxes from its home-sharing clients for Florida and several major counties. The company, with its affiliated companies and brands including VRBO and VacationRentals.com, is doing so with new deals cut individually with Orange, Pinellas and Lee counties to collect and remit local […]

Scott PowersApril 10, 2018

The vacation rental home marketing giant Airbnb announced Tuesday it has signed a tax agreement with Charlotte County, giving the company tax pacts in 40 Florida counties. The new agreement, effective May 1, will have Airbnb collecting and remitting bed taxes in Charlotte for its client vacation rental home owners. The agreement gives Airbnb tourist […]

Drew WilsonFebruary 12, 2018

Vacation rental business Airbnb collected and remitted $45.7 million in tax revenue for Florida and local governments across the Sunshine State last year, more than double what it collected in 2016. “In 2015, Airbnb collaborated with the Florida Department of Revenue on a historic agreement allowing the company to collect and remit the state sales […]

Danny McAuliffeFebruary 5, 2018

Hotel advocates are adamantly opposed to a legislative initiative this year that seeks to include public facilities projects in the list of expenditures that can be funded by the tourism development tax, also known as the bed tax. Despite industry woes, the Senate Finance and Tax Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously cleared the proposal on Monday. But […]

Scott PowersOctober 26, 2017

A new bill filed Thursday morning by Sen. Jeff Brandes would expand the field of projects that local governments can spend tourism tax dollars on to include public works infrastructure that would assist tourism. Filed SB 658, the bill would open the door for local governments to spend tourism dollars on roads, bridges, water and sewer […]

Terry RoenAugust 25, 2017

House Speaker Richard Corcoran sent letters Friday to 12 tourism development councils that severed ties with Visit Florida demanding accountability and transparency in the way they spend taxpayer dollars. Visit Orlando is one of the 12 councils that cut ties with Visit Florida, after the state marketing agency was criticized for spending $1.25 million to […]

Scott PowersJune 27, 2017

Vacation home-rental marketing giant Airbnb said Tuesday its expanding list of tax agreements and its growing business should lead it to equal last year’s total sales and tourist tax payments just in the first six months of 2017. The company announced that its five-month totals in sales and tourist taxes paid to the state and […]

Scott PowersDecember 21, 2016

Airbnb has reached an agreement Wednesday with the Hillsborough County Tax Collector Office, in a deal that could immediately add thousands of dollars in county revenue. Home hosts in Hillsborough will begin paying bed taxes for overnight guests, which is estimated at about one-quarter million dollars a year. Airbnb will collect and remit taxes from 838 […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 22, 2016

Two bills that were big talkers in committees last week passed the full Jacksonville City Council Tuesday night. One bill changed various aspects of the Tourist Development Council. The other bill authorizes a million-dollar federal grant for the Jacksonville Journey. **** The TDC bill went through a number of changes in the committee process last week, but […]

Tag: bed tax
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

Bed tax brawl: Airbnb sues Palm Beach County

HomeAway signing tourist tax collection agreements

Airbnb announces 40th county tax agreement in Charlotte

Airbnb collected $45M in Florida tax revenue in 2017

Expanded use of bed tax revenues gets heat from hotel industry

Jeff Brandes’ bill would allow tourist taxes for public works to support tourism

Richard Corcoran accuses tourism councils of hiding taxpayer-financed activities

Airbnb says county agreements should lead it to equal 2016 tax payments in first six months

Airbnb reaches agreement with Hillsborough County over tourist taxes

Jacksonville City Council passes TDC, Jacksonville Journey bills