At AMI check-in desks and cash registers in mid-March, the focus is on springing into a new season — spring break.
But the Manatee County Tax Collector’s office is still tallying up winter receipts for tourist dollars.
The tax collector March 3 released January 2025 collection numbers for the tourist development tax or bed tax — the 6% collected on accommodation rentals of six months or less.
The fourth month of the 2024-25 fiscal year generated $2,528,447 in tourist development taxes in the county.
The amount is 4% less than the $2.6 million collected in January 2024, and those revenues were 7.39% less than the income earned in January 2023.
And for every month this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2024, the tourist tax revenues were less than the 2024 collections as the county continued to recover from the damages and disruptions caused by hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton but revenues were the lowest in November and December.
Holmes Beach topped collections on Anna Maria Island in January, generating $419,285 or 16.58% of the countywide total.
Anna Maria accounted for 9.85% of the collections, bringing in $249,016, and Bradenton Beach generated $68,450 or 2.71% of the total.
Other numbers for January:
- Unincorporated Manatee County generated $1,292,437 or 51.11% of the total.
- Bradenton generated $252,811 or 10% of the total.
- Longboat Key generated $195,235 or 7.72%.
- Palmetto generated $51,360 or 2.03%.
The collection fee or commission on the tax is 3%, so the net collection in January was $2,452,736.
The collections in January were off more than the total indicates, as the tax increased a percentage point that month from 5% to 6% following a November referendum. Also, Palmetto’s collections in January increased about $45,000 over January 2024 with the opening of a new hotel.
The state requires the county to use the resort tax revenues to boost and develop tourism. Local tourist tax revenue goes to the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Bradenton Area Convention Center, Realize Bradenton, the Pittsburgh Pirates and other projects and services, such as beach renourishment and the new ferry.
The county tourist development council recommends how to spend the money to the county commission, which sets the annual spending budget.
The tax collector will release February numbers in early April.
January tourist tax collections
January 2021: $1,797,602
January 2022: $2,671,152
January 2023: $2,857,809
January 2024: $2,646,679
January 2025: $2,528,447
Source: Manatee County Tax Collector