Should Manatee County tourists pay more when visiting? Voters will decide in election
For the first time, Manatee County voters will have a say in whether to increase the fees that tourists pay when they visit.
The tourist development tax measure will be put to voters as a referendum question on November’s general election ballot. It seeks a 1% increase in the tourism tax, estimated to yield an extra $8 million annually for the county.
Previously, the decision to increase the tourism tax, also called the bed tax, rested with the Manatee County Commission.
But with changes to state law, commissioners now only get to vote on whether to pose the question to voters in the general election. On July 30, the commission approved the ballot measure in a vote of 4-1.
Now the final decision is in the hands of Manatee County voters on Nov. 5.
And it comes shortly after the area began recovering from back-to-back hurricanes. Hurricane Helene devastated the county’s barrier islands in September, only for Hurricane Milton to cause more catastrophic damage less than two weeks later.
“The timing of every single election is tough because of the hurricanes,” Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said. “And when they put that referendum in, we didn’t know we were going to have this horrible catastrophe happen to the islands.”
Who pays Manatee County tourist tax?
The county currently charges a 5% tourism tax to anybody who stays in a local hotel, vacation rental, Airbnb or other short-term housing for less than six months, including on Anna Maria Island.
Manatee County’s tourism industry racked up more than $625.9 million in direct revenues and more than $30 million in tourism taxes for 2023, according to a previous Bradenton Herald report. Those two meant Manatee County was eligible to put a tourist tax increase on the ballot.
“Being one of the faster growing communities in Florida, it gives the community an opportunity for the county to continue to build assets,” tourism director Elliott Falcione said.
That includes upgrades for Manatee County’s water taxi service, improvements at LECOM Park and renovations at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, among other amenities.
The tourist tax helps fund the following items:
- Beach renourishment
- Special events facilities
- Sports venues
- Arts, culture and heritage amenities
- Piers and docks
- Theaters and museums
- Airline partnerships
The dollars do not go directly to cities such as Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Bradenton and Palmetto. Rather, it’s a countywide referendum.
“I’m hoping, if it does get passed, that more will be able to be used of this tourism tax for infrastructure, for resiliency (with storm recovery), things like that,” Titsworth said. “Up to this point, it’s been really hard to meet the criteria and once we meet the criteria, it’s been hard to get approved. So my look on the tourism tax, if it opens up for cities, I’d love to have a certain percentage of it go directly to cities where you don’t have to get approved by county, but that’s not part of this one.”
How many votes needed to pass higher tourism tax?
The referendum needs a 50% plus one vote margin to pass, said David Ballard, the chief of staff at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
If voters pass the bed tax increase, Manatee County will join neighboring Sarasota, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties with a 6% tourist tax.
The county’s tourist tax was first levied in 1980 and last saw an increase in 2009.
The Tourism Development Council recommended that the county commissioners approve a tourist tax increase referendum on November’s ballot.
Election Day is Nov. 5, with early voting starting Oct. 21. The deadline to request a vote by mail ballot is 5 p.m. on Oct. 24. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 7.
