Seminole County to push first-of-its-kind tourism tax this month

ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

An upcoming Seminole County commission meeting could be instrumental in developing an ordinance — and the subsequent funding mechanism — prioritizing sports tourism in one of Florida’s most-densely populated counties.

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Rules for a tourism improvement district ordinance will be drafted at the commission’s May 14 meeting, said Commissioner Jay Zembower during Orlando Business Journal’s Doing Business in Seminole County panel discussion at the Westin Lake Mary on May 3. After that, the next step would be to ask hotels in the county to sign a petition to indicate their willingness to participate.

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A tourism improvement district is a hospitality-specific version of a traditional business improvement district that usually charges a fee or assessment in an area to raise funds for a designated purpose without relying on general government taxes. Much like the county’s tourist development tax, a tourism improvement district that taxes hotels could unlock funding for initiatives some Seminole County leaders believe would benefit the county’s economy significantly.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.

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