Scott PowersJune 3, 2020
5min807
97% drop of tax receipts in April for the state's largest tourist engine.
Tag: tourist development taxGrade D+ written on an exam paper
Scott PowersJune 3, 2020Scott PowersApril 21, 2020
7min615
Orange County, the heart of Florida's tourism industry, forecasts a slow, 3-4 year recovery.
Scott PowersJanuary 29, 2019
9min907
Airbnb's agreements to collect tourist taxes for counties and the state could be in jeopardy.
Drew WilsonDecember 3, 2018
8min767
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
7min1030
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
2min390
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 […]
Scott PowersOctober 26, 2017
2min235
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 […]
Scott PowersJune 23, 2017
5min390
Orlando is readying a pitch to attract the 2019 Major League Soccer All-Star Game but organizers could need $350,000 in backing from public funds and if they get that they’ll have to do it Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs‘ way. At Friday’s Tourist Development Council meeting, which Jacobs chairs, she lashed out at organizers for […]
Scott PowersDecember 21, 20168min355
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 […]
Scott PowersDecember 2, 2016
3min172
The horrific Pulse nightclub massacre, the specter of Zika virus, and the uncertainty of politics and national policies aren’t slowing down tourists coming to Orlando. At least not enough to hurt. The Orange County Tourist Development Council received sparkling reports Tuesday showing record receipts from tourist taxes in the past fiscal year and forecasts that […]