ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – For the first time since Orange County’s tourism development tax bottomed out during the pandemic, Comptroller Phil Diamond said January numbers had not increased as in previous months, but instead declined.

Speaking from the Orange County Convention Center on Monday, Diamond announced the latest January Tourism Development Tax (TDT) levied on hotel, resort and motel stays.

For the first month of 2021, $ 7,678,100 in taxes was collected on hotel beds in the county, a 70% decrease from January 2020.

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“Unfortunately for those of you who have been following this, this is the first month-on-month decline we have had in the TDT collections since we bottomed in April,” said Diamond, adding that the results were true were disappointing. “You weren’t entirely unexpected.”

According to the January report, the amount of tax levied on hotels and resorts was “lower than in a month before the pandemic since September 2004. It is also lower than in January since 2002.”

Revenue for December was more than $ 10.5 million, down 59% from December 2019. This is the lowest amount the county has raised in tourism tax dollars since December 2005, according to the TDT report.

Diamond suspects the sub-optimal returns are due to Orange County and the rest of the country, and reported a spike in coronavirus cases in January after the holidays, as well as additional factors, including sports.

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“The ball games were all low capacity due to COVID, and again this year we didn’t have a Pro Bowl in town compared to last year,” said Diamond, adding, “But although we face many challenges in the short term, there are reasons to be optimistic in the long term. Millions of people have already received the vaccine. “

Diamond said he was encouraged by the number of people already vaccinated and that Universal Orlando has resumed construction of its new Epic Universe theme park.

“This shows that the business community has confidence and optimism about Orange County’s long-term economic prospects,” said Diamond. “So these are all positive and hopeful signs that we may be approaching the turnaround in this pandemic.”

To make up for TDT deficits, the county has used $ 128 million in its reserves since April. Diamond said reserves had decreased by $ 25 million for the month of January. Most of the reserve spending was used to cover the remaining $ 15 million on the Camping World stadium construction project.

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Tourism development taxes are released one month after the tax period ends. The February figures will be published in early April.

The funds flow into tourism projects within the district, including the congress center and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

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