With six months of money left to be collected this year, funds already make up over 63% of total collected in 2025 fiscal year
For the first time ever, in March, Sarasota County’s Tourist Development Tax — or, “bed tax” — revenue exceeded $8 million, as shown in the latest reports released by the Sarasota County Tax Collector’s Office.
In March 2024 — before three major storms wrought significant damage in the county — the total was $7,879,379.26.
During the 2025 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, 2025, the March revenue added up to $7,515,048.51, the new reports note. For another comparison, the total for March 2023 was $7,194,814.94.
The March figure for this fiscal year is higher than the one for the previous fiscal year by approximately 7.4%. The month-over-month hike was $552,674.87, the reports show.
Further, the total Tourist Development Tax collected through March added up to $29,929,230.51. That is up about 17%, compared to the total of $25,579,195.29 for the first half of the 2025 fiscal year.
Already, with six months left in this fiscal year, the revenue makes up over 63% of the total revenue reported for the 2025 fiscal year: $47,421,761.55.
The 6% tax is charged on stays in accommodations for six months or less time. The revenue is used for a variety of purposes detailed in a county ordinance. Among the activities it funds are beach maintenance, upkeep of the two Major League Baseball stadiums in the county and the marketing of the community to visitors.
Among other details in the new reports, the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections from Airbnb hosts from Oct. 1, 2025 through March of this year totaled $5,110,189.98. That is higher by approximately 44.5%, compared to the $3,535,547.25 tally for the first six months of the 2025 fiscal year.
Rentals of accommodations through online platforms — including TripAdvisor and HomeAway and all of their subsidiaries — made up 23.38% of the revenue through March, the latest data show. For the first half of the 2025 fiscal year, the figure was 19.73%.
However, even into late spring of 2025, as leader of a Siesta Key nonprofit organization told the County Commission last year, owners of some accommodations on that barrier island still were trying to get the necessary county permits to repair homes and other structures that suffered the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the fall of 2025. Therefore, the number of rental dwellings on Siesta, especially — but in other parts of the county, as well — that were unable to host guests contributed to lower bed tax revenue figures during the first portion of the 2025 fiscal year. Representatives of both Visit Sarasota County, which is the county’s tourism marketing organization, and the Tax Collector’s Office both reported on that last year., as well.
Among other information in the new reports, Siesta Key accounted for the highest percentage of the TDT revenue through March: 23.48%. That compares to 22.54% for the City of Sarasota.
Over the years, Siesta Key and the City of Sarasota have waged a figurative battle to determine which will prevail in being able to claim that it took in the largest amount of the bed tax for a specific fiscal year. The city has “won” that battle most of the recent fiscal years, but Siesta took the title in the 2024 fiscal year, as Tax Collector’s Office data has shown.
Through March 2025, Siesta’s figure was 21.08%, while the city’s was 25.51%.
The latest Tax Collector’s Office data also show month-over-month jumps in revenue, compared to the figures in the prior reports. For example, the February revenue is higher by $817,321.73 than the February 2025 total; the initial month-over-month tally put that uptick at $779,547.94.
For another example, the new figure for the month-over-month hike for January is $400,883.99. The prior set of reports put the number at $385,231.04.
Representatives of the Tax Collector’s Office have explained that audits and other enforcement actions can lead to changes in the numbers from month to month. Moreover, they have pointed out, staff members in that office work hard to try to locate hosts of accommodations who have not been paying the bed tax. When the staff verifies such a situation, the host must pay the money due from the time the rentals began.
The Visit Sarasota County data
Along with the monthly reports from the Tax Collector’s Office, Visit Sarasota County provides details about tourism that have been gathered on its behalf by a Tallahassee firm, Downs & St. Germain Research.
In an April 30 email, Hunter Carpenter, director of community relations & partnership for Visit Sarasota County, wrote,” While Spring Break may be behind us, its impact on our tourism impact will continue to pay dividends — in keeping local businesses open and residents employed — far beyond season.”
Erin Duggan, president and CEO of Visit Sarasota County, noted of March in that same email that the county experienced an increase in the number of visitors that month. She called that “a positive indicator for our local economy and the many businesses that depend on a healthy tourism cycle.”
The following are the March data from Downs & St. Germain Research:
- The number of visitors was 158,500, up about 1.7%, compared to the March 2025 tally of 155,800.
- Visitors’ direct expenditures this March were $234,302,600, down approximately 1%, compared to the March 2025 total of $234,521,100.
- Lodging occupancy this March was 81.5%, compared to the figure of 83.3% in March 2025.
- The average lodging average room rate was $402.36, up about 4.2%, compared to the March 2025 average of $386.00.
- The number of room nights sold this March was 365,800, a decrease of approximately 2%, compared to the 373,000 in March 2025.