INSIDER
Orange County awards nearly $75M in tourist tax dollars to arts, sciences
Read full article: Orange County awards nearly $75M in tourist tax dollars to arts, sciencesShortly after commissioners voted to approve nearly $75 million in tourist tax dollars, representatives of the organizations hoping for the funding broke out into applause.
Orange County tourist tax collections fall in July, down 12.9% compared to June
Read full article: Orange County tourist tax collections fall in July, down 12.9% compared to JuneTourist tax collections fell in Orange County in July compared to June, according to the latest numbers released by the county comptroller’s office.
June tourist tax collections in Orange County beat May, June 2023 numbers
Read full article: June tourist tax collections in Orange County beat May, June 2023 numbersOrange County saw more revenue from hotels in June 2024 than in May or in June 2023, according to the latest Tourist Development Tax numbers released by the comptroller’s office.
Orange County has big May for tourist tax dollars, but still lower than April
Read full article: Orange County has big May for tourist tax dollars, but still lower than AprilOrange County collected fewer tourist tax dollars in May compared to April, according to newly released estimates by the county comptroller’s office, but the county still had a better May than it did in 2023 — by about $2.2 million.
Orange County’s tourist tax collections break records. Here’s what the money is used for and why
Read full article: Orange County’s tourist tax collections break records. Here’s what the money is used for and whyFlorida law dictates how tourist tax dollars can be used, and lawmakers have been reticent to make changes.
Tourism tax collections reach new record in March in Orange County
Read full article: Tourism tax collections reach new record in March in Orange CountyTourist Development Tax (TDT) collections climbed to a record setting $40,550,000 in March, marking another increase in revenue compared to the previous month according to the Orange County Comptroller.
‘I’m so frustrated and hurt,’ Orange leaders question onePulse official, call for audit
Read full article: ‘I’m so frustrated and hurt,’ Orange leaders question onePulse official, call for auditOrange County leaders got an explanation of what went wrong with onePulse Foundation during Tuesday’s commission meeting, but an investigation into the organization’s finances may take some time.
International tourism in Orange County should return to pre-pandemic levels by end of 2024, experts say
Read full article: International tourism in Orange County should return to pre-pandemic levels by end of 2024, experts sayMark Tester with the Orange County Convention Center calling the 2022-2023 fiscal year a solid year with nearly 160 events at the venue.
Your Florida Daily: Florida’s abortion ban goes before state supreme court, sales tax holiday ends
Read full article: Your Florida Daily: Florida’s abortion ban goes before state supreme court, sales tax holiday endsThe Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments today challenging the state's 15-week abortion ban.
With tourist tax proposal done, Orange County leaders push for legislative change
Read full article: With tourist tax proposal done, Orange County leaders push for legislative changeOrange County’s Tourist Development Tax Citizen Task Force has already made recommendations to spend the bulk of the county’s tourism tax on big venues like the county convention center or the Amway Arena.
May tourist tax dollars down month over month, year over year in Orange County
Read full article: May tourist tax dollars down month over month, year over year in Orange CountyOrange County’s Tourist Development Tax collections in May showed decreases from the prior month and year, according to Comptroller Phil Diamond.
How should Orange County spend tourist tax dollars? New group will make suggestions
Read full article: How should Orange County spend tourist tax dollars? New group will make suggestionsA committee designed to review and make recommendations on Orange County's Tourist Development Tax (TDT) met for the first time on Wednesday.
August another record-setting month for Orange County Tourist Development Tax collections
Read full article: August another record-setting month for Orange County Tourist Development Tax collectionsOrange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced August 2022 set its own bar with the highest Tourist Development Tax collections for the month on record.
Orange County reports ‘highest monthly collections ever’ for tourism tax
Read full article: Orange County reports ‘highest monthly collections ever’ for tourism taxThe county’s TDT collections for March 2022 were millions of dollars higher than any monthly collection report published in the last several fiscal years.
Orange County hotel tax revenue in June marks highest intake since pandemic began
Read full article: Orange County hotel tax revenue in June marks highest intake since pandemic beganJune also marked the second month Orange County officials haven’t needed to tap into reserve funds since the pandemic began.
May marks first month since pandemic Orange County didn’t have to dip into tourism tax reserves
Read full article: May marks first month since pandemic Orange County didn’t have to dip into tourism tax reservesWhile tourism tax dollar collections have not fully rebounded in Orange County, officials say there are signs of hope.
Orange County tourism tax dollar collections take slight dip in April compared to March
Read full article: Orange County tourism tax dollar collections take slight dip in April compared to MarchWhile the total number of monthly tax collections from hotel and resort stays in Orange County are higher than they were this time last year, the total number of tourism tax dollars collected in April was slightly lower than the number collected in March, according to the latest report from the Orange County Comptroller’s Office.
1 year into pandemic, Orange County tourism tax dollars back on the rise after taking dip in January
Read full article: 1 year into pandemic, Orange County tourism tax dollars back on the rise after taking dip in JanuaryAfter taking a downturn in January, Orange County’s tourism development tax collection from hotel and resort stays was back on the rise in February, the latest report shows.
Orange County tourism taxes down 59% in December compared to 2019
Read full article: Orange County tourism taxes down 59% in December compared to 2019On Monday, Comptroller Phil Diamond shared December’s intake was more than $10.5 million, a 59% drop from December 2019. Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced today that TDT collections received by Orange County for the December 2020 TDT collection month were $10,592,000. On the same day December’s collections report was released, Orange County reported 418 new COVID-19 cases. More than 106,000 cases have been confirmed in Orange County since the pandemic began last year. According to Monday’s daily vaccine report from the Florida Department of Health, 2,016,291 people have been vaccinated statewide, including more than 97,000 in Orange County.
Orange County tourism tax dollars down 66% in November but slow rebound continues
Read full article: Orange County tourism tax dollars down 66% in November but slow rebound continuesORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County tax collections from hotel and resort stays continued to be at historic lows through the end of 2020 due to the pandemic as COVID-19 infections are on the rise country wide, according to an update from the County Comptroller’s office. Tourism Development Taxes, or TDT dollars, are released a month after the completed tax period. The county has continued to see a month over month improvement in TDT collections since the initial fallout in April when the lockdown began. In October, collections were down 69% compared to the same time last year with $7.7 million in TDT dollars. So far the county has used $93.5 million in reserves since April.
Orange County comptroller sees signs of hope after September hotel stays bring in $7 million
Read full article: Orange County comptroller sees signs of hope after September hotel stays bring in $7 millionORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County’s comptroller, Phil Diamond, said the tourist development tax dollars from hotel and resort stays around the county continue to go up after the initial plunge this spring due to coronavirus closures. Diamond announced Monday the September numbers further the trend of increasing collections every month since April. He said the county brought in TDT collections totaling more than $7 million for the month of September. [TRENDING: Eta drenches Florida | 2 killed in Orange County crash | Biden names COVID-19 task force]Diamond said that’s a 60% decrease from the same time last year but he added, in looking at the numbers, there are signs of hope. When you compare September, which is just over $7 million, to the more than $5.7 million in TDT dollars in August of 2020, that’s an increase of over 22%.
Will June Orange County hotel tax dollars show improvement?
Read full article: Will June Orange County hotel tax dollars show improvement?ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Its that time again, to see if Orange Countys tourism industry has begun to recovery from the financial fallout due to the coronavirus shuttering theme parks and hotels across Florida. Orange Countys tourism development tax collection, or TDT, are collected from hotel and resort stays and go toward tourism-related projects including the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the Orange County Convention Center and more. When the theme parks closed in March, hotel stays across the region dropped dramatically to post Sept. 11, 2001 levels. In June, most theme parks began to reopen in a limited capacity leading to more area hotel stays. On Thursday, the Orange County Comptrollers Office will release the TDT numbers for June giving a better indication of where the tourism industry stands in Central Florida.
Orange Countys tourism taxes down 95% in May, a minor improvement form April
Read full article: Orange Countys tourism taxes down 95% in May, a minor improvement form AprilORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The latest tourist tax collection numbers are in and while they arent as low as last months, they still dont look good. Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced Wednesday during a news conference that the May 2020 TDT collection totaled $1,144,300, which is a 95% decrease from May 2019. TDT refers to the tax collected from hotel, motel and resort stays in Orange County, also known as a hotel bed tax. [PREVIOUS: Orange Countys tourist tax collection drops 97% to new record low amid coronavirus closures]Diamond said Aprils collection was the smallest amount of TDT the county had ever collected in one month. Diamond said the TDT tax typically pays for projects that attract visitors to the region.
Volusia County hotel bed tax sees nearly 80% drop amid coronavirus closures
Read full article: Volusia County hotel bed tax sees nearly 80% drop amid coronavirus closuresVOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. Central Floridas tourism economy has suffered mightily due to the coronavirus, causing huge downfalls in tourism tax dollars, otherwise known as tourist development tax collected from hotel and vacation rental stays. The Volusia County Revenue Division reported a nearly 80% drop in tourist development tax, or TDT, dollars in April. Compared to April 2019, which saw $1.1 million in tourist development tax revenue, this April only brought in $239,943. The county began to see the fallout from coronavirus closures in March when the county reported $1,024,406 in TDT dollars, compared to nearly $1.6 million from the same time last year. Similarly in Orange County, Comptroller Phil Diamond reported a record 97% drop in revenue from tourism tax dollars in April.