Orange County tourist tax revenue hits new record for September

Orange County Tourist Development Tax Collections

Orange County saw a 1% jump in the amount of money collected from the tourist development tax in September.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Orange County collected more than $26 million from the tourist development tax in September.

What we know:

The figure represented a 1% increase over last year, making it the most revenue ever collected during that month, according to comptroller Phil Diamond. 

What is tourist development tax? 

Tourist Development Tax (TDT) is a six percent surcharge on hotel rooms and short-term stays six months or less. Also known as "bed tax" TDT was enacted in Orange County in 1978. Orange County collects the largest share of TDT of any county in the state of Florida, the county website said. 

How are tourist development taxes used? 

TDT funds tourism related expenditures in Orange County, including: 

• Orange County Convention Center (OCCC)
• Tourism promotion (i.e., Visit Orlando)
• Arts, museums, and events (through Arts & Cultural Affairs, Grant Application Review Committee, and Sports Incentive Committee)
• Venues (e.g., Amway Center, Camping World Stadium, Dr. Phillips Center)

See how Orange County used the collected Tourist Development Tax in the 2022 fiscal year. 

Local perspective:

Although a record-breaking for September, collections were lower when compared to the last few months this summer. Diamond attributed the dip to a cooling off in the fall.

"After a strong, hot summer, TDT collections cooled off in September with the start of the fall season," Diamond said in a news release.

Overall, collections for fiscal year 2024-25 were $384.6 million, making it the highest annual collections ever.