February’s total is about $113,000 higher than the amount for the same month in 2015
Sarasota County’s Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections are continuing to rise, the latest data show: In February — the latest month for which figures are available — revenue totaled $2,547,222.70, an increase of $113,347.55 compared to the same month in 2015, according to the Sarasota County Tax Collector’s Office.
The figures reflect collections through March 31, the Tax Collector’s Office notes. Because of the deadline for businesses to file their reports, the numbers could change, staff has explained to The Sarasota News Leader.
Overall, TDT revenue was $480,677.42 higher through February, compared to the same period of the 2015 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2015. The total amount collected as of March 31 was $8,620,067.61.
February’s figure was up .06 percent over the January total of $2,530,754.84.
A chart provided to the Sarasota County Commission in advance of its mid-year financial discussion on April 27 showed county staff had expected $6,952,625 for TDT collections as of the end of March. Therefore, the total TDT revenue through that month represents an increase of almost 24 percent over county projections.
As for location reporting: Siesta Key surpassed the City of Sarasota in collections through March 31. Siesta businesses accounted for 30.14 percent of the total, the Tax Collector’s Office data show, while the city had 28.27 percent. Siesta’s revenue reported thus far this fiscal year is $2,598,509.46, compared to $2,436,844.46 for the City of Sarasota.