At check-in desks and cash registers in mid-March on Anna Maria Island, 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 on tourist dollars.
The tax collector on March 1 released January 2024 collection numbers for the tourist development or bed tax — the 5% tax collected on accommodation rentals of six months or less.
The fourth month of the 2023-24 fiscal year generated $2,646,679 in tourist development tax in the county.
The amount is 7.39% less than the 2,857,809 generated in January 2023.
For every month this fiscal year, the tourist tax revenues were less than the 2023 collections, the largest difference in October, with a 17.31% drop.
Holmes Beach topped collections on Anna Maria Island in January, generating $615,260, about 23.25% of the countywide total.
Anna Maria accounted for about 10.04% of the collections, bringing in $265,806, and Bradenton Beach generated $129,070 or 4.88% of the total.
Other numbers for January:
- Unincorporated Manatee County generated $1,185,886 or 44.81% of the total.
- Bradenton generated $192,689 or 7.28% of the total.
- Longboat Key generated $251,060 or 9.49%.
- Palmetto generated $6,935 or 0.26%.
The collection fee or commission on the tax is 3%, so the net collection in January was $2,567,279.
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 TDC 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 and the TDC will meet next at 9 a.m. Monday, April 15, at the county administration building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
January tourist tax collections
January 2020: $1,789,434
January 2021: $1,797,602
January 2022: $2,671,152
January 2023: $2,857,809
January 2024: $2,646,679
Source: Manatee County Tax Collector