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Leaders in Florida’s tourist sector are voicing concerns about planned legislation that may destroy the state’s current infrastructure for promoting travel.
On Tuesday, Newsweek emailed state Representative Monique Miller, one of the bill’s proponents.
The Significance of It
With hundreds of thousands of employment and billions of dollars in tax income, Florida’s tourism sector is one of the main engines of the state’s economy.
Leaders in the industry are cautioning that cutting back on spending for tourism promotion could result in fewer tourists and jeopardize a crucial source of state revenue.
Things You Should Know
In Florida, local tourism marketing initiatives have historically been funded by Tourist Development Councils using the Tourist Development Tax, a fee collected from tourists staying in short-term rentals.
House Bill 1221 and House Bill 7033, two new legislation, would disband the Tourist Development Councils and utilize the money collected to pay property taxes instead.
Funding for tourist marketing will become more erratic or uncertain under HB 1221, which would require counties to reapprove their Tourist Development Tax every eight years or risk losing it.
Proponents of the plan contend that residents’ financial burden would be lessened by allocating the funds to property tax relief.
However, officials of the tourist sector caution that reducing financing for tourism promotion could harm the sector and jeopardize a vital state revenue stream.
“Sounding the alarm” about the measure, according to one industry leader, while another stated that the revisions might put Florida’s tourism business “on a never-ending treadmill of uncertainty.”
What Individuals Are Saying
“We’ve been raising the alarm for weeks about House Bill 1221 by Representative Monique Miller (R)—a proposal that would force all Tourist Development Taxes (TDTs) to expire every eight years, putting Florida’s tourism economy on a never-ending treadmill of uncertainty,” stated Robert Skrob, executive director of the Florida Attractions Association.
He stated that a fresh amendment “not only maintains the damaging 8-year sunset provision—it completely eliminates the ability of counties to use TDTs for their intended purpose: promoting tourism.”
“If we upset that balance to the extent that this specific legislation is proposing, to truly defund this model, it will have very negative impacts, including the loss of thousands of jobs, not only here in Palm Beach County, but across the state,” stated Milton Segarra, president and CEO of Discover The Palm Beaches.
“To spend their money, tourists come here in droves,” Rep. Monique Miller told the House State Affairs Committee. With the help of this bill, local governments will have more authority over these taxes and the ability to use the money raised to lower the cost of living in Florida for its citizens.
“Homes are being lost by people. We must provide them with relief. They can get instant relief in this way.
What Follows
The state Senate is currently considering the plan after it was approved by the state House.
Leaders in the tourism sector are probably going to keep pressing lawmakers against the proposals and alerting them to the long-term economic risks.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
