An early start to the 2021 tourist season shows slightly increased tourist tax dollars to start the year.
January’s tourist tax revenue totaled $1,797,602, a 0.46% improvement over 2020’s $1,789,434.
The tax is the 5% charged on rentals of less than six months collected by the government.
The January revenues were collected in February and reported March 1 by the Manatee County Tax Collector.
Of the $873,333 collected by the island’s three cities for January, the report shows $510,214, or 28.38%, was collected in Holmes Beach.
Anna Maria accommodations generated $276,136, or 15.36%, and the $86,984 collected from Bradenton Beach was 4.84% of the total.
Some more numbers for January:
- Unincorporated Manatee County, $681,635, 37.92%;
- Bradenton, $104,782, 5.83%;
- Longboat Key, $133,417, 7.42%;
- Palmetto, $4,435, 0.25%.
January yielded a net collection of $1,743,674 after the state’s 3% commission.
The tourist revenues have generally climbed from year to year, but they plummeted in the spring of 2020, when the novel coronavirus pandemic hit.
To help control the spread of the virus, a “safer at home” order was announced in March 2020, causing an immediate and steep decline in tax revenue.
The state began a phased reopening process in May – including lifting a ban on short-term vacation rentals for Memorial Day weekend – but it wasn’t until July 2020 that monthly tax revenue rebounded.
Still, the rebound was strong.
August set a record for the county’s tax collection, Anne Wittine of Research Data Services told the Manatee County Tourist Development Council last October.
Continuing the upward trend, September’s tax revenues were better than any other in that month dating back to 2014 at least.
Meanwhile, September and October tourism ads targeted to Floridians for in-state travel helped push an economic recovery through the end of 2020.
Now, a year into the pandemic, the numbers continue to go up.
The February numbers will be released in early April and both February and March’s numbers will be discussed at the next TDC meeting, set for 9 a.m. Monday, April 19, at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto.
About the TDC
The TDC makes recommendations to the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners regarding the operation of projects in the tourist development plan, and how tourist development tax revenue may be spent.
It includes chair Misty Servia, vice-chair Vernon DeSear, Ed Chiles, Eric Cairns, Jack Rynerson, Jiten Patel, Rahul Patel, Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown and Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant.
For more on the TDC, contact Monica Luff at 941-729-9177 or monica.luff@bacvb.com.
January tourist tax revenues
January 2014: $1,022,393
January 2015: $1,296,505
January 2016: $1,502,546
January 2017: $1,283,223
January 2018: $1,471,360
January 2019: $1,503,673
January 2020: $1,789,434
January 2021: $1,797,602
Source: Manatee County Tax Collector