Comptroller: Visit Orlando violates contract, miscategorized millions of public dollars as private

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An ongoing audit revealed Visit Orlando miscategorized millions of dollars worth of funding.

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Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond outlined his office’s preliminary findings in a report sent to Mayor Jerry Demings and Orange County Commissioners Monday. Among the findings were that millions of dollars of public funds were categorized as private.

Commissioners asked for this audit earlier this year because of concerns about transparency and spending.

“That audit preliminarily shows everything that I had concerns about have been violated even as much as not even collecting appropriate funds that they should have been collecting,” said Commissioner Mayra Uribe, an outspoken critic of how much money Visit Orlando receives yearly and how they’re spending tourist development tax dollars.

Read: Visit Orlando facing audit after County Commissioners cut funding last month

She and other commissioners asked Comptroller Diamond to expedite an audit of the tourism marketing agency as local leaders voted to cut part of Visit Orlando’s funding. Visit Orlando has historically received 30% of total tourist development tax dollars collected from hotel stays. In 2023, the agency received more than $100 million. Commissioners voted to cut their funding by $15 million in January.

Comptroller Diamond says this isn’t the first time the county has informed Visit Orlando of recording public funds as private. The county found it in its last audit in 2019. Then, the agency promised to address the problem.

Diamond says there are serious concerns about the agency’s transparency.

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“We want taxpayers to see what happens to their tax dollars. And if you call it private, taxpayers don’t get to see it,” Diamond said.

“What’s the biggest issue with the agency categorizing the funds as private rather than public?” Channel 9′s Ashlyn Webb asked.

“How they get to use it,” Uribe said. “That’s very, very important because public funds have very specific rules and regulations. And private funds are a little bit different.”

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The Comptroller says Visit Orlando also did not properly report how it spent tourist development tax dollars. In 2023, the preliminary audit found the agency omitted $6.3 million from its required monthly report.

“I mean, it is absolutely the opposite of what transparency and good government should be,” Uribe said.

The Comptroller’s report also outlined issues that the office says were addressed with Visit Orlando back in May. The agency accumulated over $35 million in carryover or reserve funds—against what the contract allowed, the report says. Diamond says Visit Orlando also recorded interest earned on public dollars as private funds. County funds accrued one percent interest while private funds earned five percent.

The Comptroller said he plans to release a full report including how many millions the office says was miscategorized as private money and how the agency spent those funds.

Visit Orlando released a statement to Eyewitness News, saying in part,

“Our team is reviewing and will be clarifying items with the Comptroller’s office, as we are committed to being good partners throughout this audit and beyond.”

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