Latest news with #TourismDevelopmentTax
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Boots on the ground'; Ascension Sacred Heart Bay celebrates hospital volunteers
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – When you walk into a hospital, odds are the first person you'll meet isn't a doctor or a nurse, it's a volunteer with a big smile and maybe a map. They are there to greet you, help you find what you're looking for, or get you going to where you need to be. While they aren't on the payroll, officials say volunteers are the heartbeat of the hospital. 'They are boots on the ground, they are immersed in the experience that our patients have. So, from the point of picking them up in the parking lot and bringing them into our main entrance, they have very important insight that helps us improve the experience for patients,' Ascension Sacred Heart Bay CEO Robin Godwin said. Volunteers were honored during a luncheon on Friday, where they could eat and mingle with others. Bills pass in the House that threaten Tourism Development Tax and the community Curtis Gray has been volunteering at Ascension Bay since last year. 'I'm like, 'are you lost?' They were like, Yes, this is a big place. Where are you going? They'll tell me and I'll take them where they need to go,' Gray said. He says it's all about the people. 'I like people. I like talking to people; a lot of times, they're dealing with situations. You know, a loved one is in the hospital, and it's a chance to relieve a little bit of their stress, give them a little bit of, you know, do something nice, say something nice to them, and whatever it takes,' Gray said. Ascension Bay currently has between 35-40 volunteers, including some furry ones. At the luncheon, those who hit a milestone in their volunteer hours were also honored with a special pin. If you want to know more about Ascension's volunteer program, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed Florida legislation threatens local tourism funding and jobs
Two proposed bills in the Florida legislature threaten to eliminate local tourism funding, putting local service-related jobs at risk. In Putnam County, tourism officials told Action News Jax the bills could be detrimental to a county working to become a destination spot. Putnam County isn't a typical tourist hub, but events like the Blue Crab Festival and the Bassmasters Elite tournament—which drew 18,000 visitors in February—have helped boost its appeal. But there's a potential problem on the horizon. 'We can't fund those events if we aren't funded with the TDT [Tourism Development Tax],' said Kimberly Morgan. Morgan, Vice President of the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, is referring to HB1221 and HB7033. These bills could eliminate local tourism promotion by redirecting Tourist Development Tax revenues to property tax credits. Related: Sales or property tax? Competing tax cut proposals under consideration in the Florida Capitol In short, this means cuts to marketing budgets for businesses that rely on tourism dollars and even potential job losses in the tourism department. 'Statewide there is 2 million tourism jobs. So, 2 million people are in jeopardy of losing their jobs if this funding goes away,' said Morgan. HB 1221 is sponsored by Rep. Monique Miller (R - Palm Bay). 'Tourists flock here to spend their money,' Miller told the House State Affairs Committee. 'This bill gives local governments more control over these taxes and the power to use tax revenues to make Florida more affordable for its residents,' Miller said. 'People are losing their homes. We have to bring them relief. This is a way to bring them immediate relief.' Morgan explained why tourism dollars impact everyone. 'The reason that Florida doesn't have an income tax is because of tourism. It's the one that residents don't pay—visitors pay this tax,' Morgan added. WATCH: One-on-one with Governor Ron DeSantis: Revolt in the House, Hope Florida investigation These proposed bills wouldn't have the same impact on larger counties. According to Florida's Historic Coast, tourists in St. Johns County spend a total of $2.5 billion, creating a $3.8 billion annual economic impact for the area. In Putnam County, tourism brought in $87.7 million. But with potential marketing cuts, small businesses in Putnam won't get the promotion push from their tourism department. 'If they don't have the shoppers coming in from out of town, then those businesses could suffer,' said Morgan. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]those businesses Both bills are set to come up for Florida House votes on Friday. Florida's economy heavily relies on tourism, making it the state's largest industry. That's why local tourism departments say they're strongly opposed to both bills. 'The investment that tourism brings to Putnam County it saves the Putnam County resident almost $400 in annual tax savings,' according to Morgan. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bay Area leaders weigh in as Florida House debates reworking tourism tax laws
The Brief The Florida House is debating a bill that would change tourism tax laws. The bill would get rid of the Tourism Development Tax, or the tax on hotel rooms, in favor of lowering property taxes. Local leaders say doing this will leave millions in revenue on the table. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A bill that's just starting to make its way through the Florida House is ruffling some feathers, specifically within the tourism industry. House Bill 1221, sponsored by Rep. Monique Miller (R-Palm Bay) proposes no longer allowing the Tourism Development Tax, also known as the tax on hotel rooms, to be used for tourism purposes. Instead, it argues for lowering property taxes through tax refunds. What they're saying "Tourists flock here to spend their money," Miller told the House State Affairs Committee Tuesday. "This bill gives local governments more control over these taxes and the power to use tax revenues to make Florida more affordable for its residents," Miller said. "People are losing their homes. We have to bring them relief. This is a way to bring them immediate relief." Miller said the bill would also give local governments the power to eliminate certain taxes they don't consider valuable and create new ones. "We are taking all of these local taxes and giving the control to the county commission to get rid of any of those taxes. They're not bringing demonstrable value to the community, and by getting rid of those, it gives you the option to go out and put in place the ones that will be of value to your community with local option taxes," Miller said. The other side Charlie Justice, CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce and a former Pinellas County Commissioner, said it was good marketing that brought visitors back to the area after last year's hurricanes and helped businesses recover. "People needed to be reminded because they get this image that the entire area shut down or closed or whatever," Justice said. "We needed to remind folks that we had a lot of property still open. We had a lot of hotels open." READ: Plane crashes after veering off runway, sparking brush fire in Myakka City Justice said that while everyone wants property tax relief, this would hurt more than it would help. "This would not be a reduction, but a complete gutting of a funding mechanism that markets our destination, that primes the pump for one of our most important industries in Tampa Bay and in Florida," Justice said. "Kind of the old saying about the juice is not worth the squeeze, the trade-off is just not worth it here." Big picture view Last year, 15 million people visited Pinellas County, generating about $100 million in hotel tax revenue, according to Justice. The hotel tax goes towards marketing the area, funding beach renourishment projects and improving local attractions. "How can you assure us that, if we take that money, if counties take that money, they are now required to take that money that was collected the prior year and apply it towards property taxes?" Rep. Michael Caruso (R-Palm Beach) asked Miller on Tuesday. "That the counties won't just come along, raise their millage, and we end up with the same. Higher millage, higher taxes offset by that amount, and it's a net-zero." READ: Florida teen arrested for poisoning mom's milk with bleach, deputies say "Those projects are going to continue on anyway, and it's the property's taxpayers who are going to end up paying for it instead of the tourists," Caruso continued. Miller said she can't guarantee that local governments won't do this, but she said they have to hold them accountable. "I also think that our beach renourishment is going to be severely impacted," Rep. Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg) said. "There are huge price tags of some of these projects." "30 or 40 million dollars, and these TDT taxes are one of the only ways that local governments can make up that difference when we're looking at support from the state and the federal government, which, frankly, hasn't been doing its part in helping to re-nourish these beaches, which are really our number one tourism draw here to the state of Florida," Cross said. Dig deeper Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada said losing that money could lead to fewer tourists, and have a trickle-down effect on the more than 61,000 families in Hillsborough County who rely on the tourism industry. In Pinellas, Justice said the tourism industry employs 100,000 families. "This is an assault on people's livelihoods, because if traffic stops, if demand drops, people get laid off," Justice said. "Businesses close." READ: Florida man dives into lake to save wounded eagle: 'This is the symbol of America man' Corrada said the revenue from the Tourism Development Tax varies for all of Florida's counties, so the bill wouldn't save Floridians the same amount across the board. "If we're talking about property tax relief, we've done the math here. With what we collect, we're probably looking at about $20 in property tax relief per household in Hillsborough County," Corrada said. According to Corrada, 28 million people visited Hillsborough County in 2024. They spent $9.4 billion, which contributed more than $683 million in state and local taxes. "If we want to risk all of that over 20 bucks in property tax savings, you know what? I beg to differ. I think it's a huge risk," Corrada said. "It would defund tourism marketing and promotions. We invest those dollars in bringing big events to town. If we're not around, who's bidding on a Shriner's Convention? Who's bidding a Women's Final Four?" "You're going to kill the goose that lays the golden egg for Florida," Corrada said. Justice said in Pinellas, tourists also pay about a third of the sales tax in Pinellas, which is money that goes into infrastructure projects. State lawmakers expressed opinions on both sides of the bill Tuesday. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube "I think there are going to be a lot of negative unintended consequences of this bill," Cross said. "You mentioned that tourism is one of our number one industries here in the state of Florida, and it is important to continue to market that to people outside of our state." "What we need to do right now is keep people in their homes, and I'm happy to champion this with you," said Rep. Fabián Basabe (R-Miami Beach). Miller said it would save about $1.5 billion. "That's $68.78 per every man, woman, and child in the state," Vice Chair James Mooney Jr. said. "That is not going to be magnificently successful." What's next Several tourism-related groups also spoke at the meeting, including the Florida Association of Counties, the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. They were all against the bill. The House State Affairs Committee did approve moving the bill forward after a lengthy discussion. "I can tell you the residents in my district are going to love this bill above any bill that we pass this year," said Rep. Linda Chaney (R-St. Pete Beach). "One of the number one complaints, or number one requests from the residents, is the cost of living and property tax is a big element of that." The Florida House and Senate must pass the bill before the session ends in May for it to reach the governor's desk and be signed into law. The Source FOX 13's Kailey Tracy collected the information in this story. 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