Every month this fiscal year has seen higher collections than corresponding month in 2025 fiscal year
Continuing the trend that began with the very first month of this fiscal year — October 2025 — the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax — or, “bed tax” — revenue for January was up $199,193.28, compared to the figure for January 2025, as shown in the latest data released by Sarasota County Tax Collector Mike Moran and his staff.
The total amount turned over to the Tax Collector’s Office by owners of accommodations in January of this year was $5,484,334.07. That marks an uptick of nearly 3.8%, compared to the January 2025 amount of $5,285,140.79.
Through January, the Tourist Development Tax collections added up to $14,974,233.07, the reports note. That is up approximately 18%, compared to the initial tally through January of the 2025 fiscal year: $12,656,442.29.
The 6% tax is charged on rentals of accommodations for six months or less time. The funds are allocated to beach maintenance, upkeep of the two Major League Baseball Spring Training stadiums in the county, and the marketing of the county to visitors, among other uses provided for in a county ordinance.
Yet another note in the new reports is that the revenue collected by hosts of Airbnb accommodations in the county added up to $2,868,818.93 through January. Through the first four months of the 2025 fiscal year, the figure was $1,999,190.24. Thus, the total so far this fiscal year marks an increase of about $43%, compared to the tally for the same period of the 2025 fiscal year.
Altogether, the latest data show, rentals of accommodations through online platforms — including TripAdvisor and HomeAway and all of their subsidiaries — accounted for 26.24% of the total bed tax revenue through January. For the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, the figure was 22.62%.
The City of Sarasota and Siesta Key wage a figurative battle each year to “win” the honor of contributing the highest percentage of the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenue to the county. The city prevailed in 2023 and 2025, while Siesta last won in 2024. Through January of this fiscal year, the city is in the lead with 23.32% of the funds; Siesta’s portion is 19.74%, the reports note.
For the first four months of the 2025 fiscal year, the city was well ahead, with 27.81%, compared to Siesta’s 13.71%. Representatives of the Tax Collector’s Office and Visit Sarasota County, the county’s tourism marketing organization, made clear, however, that many accommodations on Siesta suffered heavy damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the fall of 2024. It was not until early summer of 2025 before most of them had been repaired so they could host visitors.
The latest reports from the Tax Collector’s Office also show that the total TDT revenue for each of the first three months of this fiscal year is higher than the prior reports noted. Those changes can result from audits and other enforcement actions, as well as the work of the Tax Collector’s Office staff to pinpoint hosts of accommodations who have not been paying the tax, staff members of the office have explained.
The reports that the office released in February put the difference between the 2025 and 2026 fiscal year totals for October 2025 at $953,218.41. The new data raises the figure to $970,446.16.
For November 2025, the previous uptick from the November 2024 TDT tally was $350,612.04; the reports this month put the uptick at $380,737.70.
Finally, the figure reported last month for the December 2025 collections was higher than the December 2024 total by $174,072. The revised figure is $212,340.61.
Visit Sarasota County’s report
Along with the monthly data released by the Tax Collector’s Office, Visit Sarasota County issues a report encompassing data produced by a Tallahassee firm with which the marking organization contracts, Downs & St. Germain Research.
In the Visit Sarasota County update for January, President and CEO Erin Duggan wrote, “Overall, visitation decreased year-over-year by 12.7%, which corresponded with an 8.5% decrease in direct visitor spending. While occupancy softened, room rates increased by 6.0%, resulting in a 6.2% decrease in RevPAR [revenue per available room] year-over-year.”
Duggan added, “Hotels and vacation rentals followed similar patterns. Hotel room rates increased 3.9%,” while occupancy declined by 7.3%, “producing a 3.7% decrease in hotel RevPAR.”
Further, Duggan noted, “Vacation rental rates increased 6.3%, though occupancy declined 16.2%, resulting in a 10.9% decrease in vacation rental RevPAR.
“As always,” she pointed out “our team at Visit Sarasota County continues working closely with industry partners to ensure Sarasota County remains competitive in the travel marketplace and well positioned for future visitation and economic impact.”
The following are the Downs & St. Germain data for January:
- Visitors numbered 68,900, compared to the count of 78,900 in January 2025.
- Visitors’ direct expenditures added up to $132,137,000, compared to $144,453,500 for January 2025.
- Lodging occupancy was 61.4%, compared to 69.4% in January 2025.
- The average room rate was $284.77, compared to $268.54 in January 2025.
- The number of room nights sold was 256,400, compared to the January 2025 tally of 283,900.