Overall, with two months of reports remaining to be provided, funds about 4% under 2023 fiscal year total
In keeping with the trend that began with the very first month of this fiscal year, Sarasota County’s latest Tourist Development Tax — or, “bed tax” — collections — for July — came in below the amount taken in for July 2023, as shown in reports released by Sarasota County Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates and her staff.
This July, the total that hosts of accommodations turned over to the Tax Collector’s Office was $3,412,459.99. That is down about 9.1%, compared to the July 2023 total of $3,752,977.35.
Overall, the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenue collected since the Oct. 1, 2023 start of this fiscal year added up to $43,736,532.57 through July, the new reports noted. That marks a decline of about 4%, compared to the $45,538,495.89 turned over to the Tax Collector’s Office for the same period of the 2023 fiscal year.
The 2023 fiscal year set a new record for the county, with the bed tax revenue adding up to $50,067,644.67. Kim Radtke, director of the county’s Office of Financial Management, told the county commissioners several months ago that staff believes the number of people staying in accommodations in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which struck Southwest Florida in late September 2022, was a significant factor in that new high for the TDT.
The only three months of this fiscal year so far in which the bed tax revenue has exceeded the amount reported for the same month in the 2023 fiscal year have been February, March and May. The fiscal years end on Sept. 30.
The 6% tax is collected on accommodations rented for six months or less time. The funds are used for a variety of tourism-related purposes, including the Sarasota County Commission’s contribution to the construction of Mote Marine’s new Science Education Aquarium near Nathan Benderson Park and the Mall at University Town Center. Part of the money is used for beach maintenance and beach renourishment initiatives.
Among other details in the latest reports, the revenue brought in by Airbnb hosts through July added up to $6,341,868.54. That is almost 5% higher than the amount reported through the same period of the 2023 fiscal year: $6,041,674.59.
Altogether, from Oct. 1, 2023 through July 31, rentals of accommodations through online platforms — including those of TripAdvisor and HomeAway.com, plus all of their subsidiaries — represented 21.54% of the total turned over to Ford-Coates and her staff. For the same period of the 2023 fiscal year, the figure was 20.61%.
Additionally, each year, the City of Sarasota and Siesta Key vie to see which will be responsible for the largest amount of TDT revenue reported. Through July, Siesta was ahead, with 27.51% of the total; the city’s figure was 24.66%.
From Oct. 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023, the city was ahead, with 26.33% of the revenue, compared to Siesta’s 25.73%.
The latest reports also reflect the efforts of the Tax Collector’s Office staff to locate hosts of accommodations who have not been paying the tax — and the use of audits and other enforcement actions. For example, the initial data for June showed the bed tax total was $33,802.15 lower than the amount collected in June 2023. The new reports put the month-over-month decrease at $11,677.39.
Additionally, the latest data show that the May total is higher this year by $195,145.91, compared to the amount the Tax Collector’s Office received in May 2023. The previous reports showed the month-over-month increase was $191,941.13.
Along with the monthly reports from the Tax Collector’s Office, Visit Sarasota County — the county’s tourism office — releases data generated by a Tallahassee firm, Downs & St. Germain, also on a monthly basis.
For July, that firm reported that the number of visitors declined 2.3% from the total in July 2023. For this July, the figure was 149,800; for July 2023, it was 153,370.
The visitors’ direct expenditures fell 3% — from $145,328,800 in July 2023 to $141,012,900 this July, the report also noted.
Downs & St. Germain provided the following data, as well:
- Occupancy of accommodations dropped 7%, from 68.4% in July 2023 to 63.6% this July.
- The average room rate was 2.8% higher this July — $166.18 —compared to the July 2023 average of $158.87.
- The number of room nights sold this July was 267,300, down 6.4%, compared to the total of 285,500 in July 2023.
Downs & St. Germain pointed out, “A shorter length of stay and a larger travel party size resulted in the decrease in visitors being less than the decrease in room nights.”
On a positive note, the firm reported that, for the fiscal year through July, the percentages of visitors to the county from the Midwest and Northeast had increased, compared to the figures for the same period of the 2023 fiscal year. However, the firm added, the percentages of visitors from Florida and the rest of the Southeast had decreased.