***FAA Legislative Alert***

Call to Action – TIME SENSITIVE

One of the top priorities of the Florida Attractions Association (FAA) is safeguarding the Florida Tourism Development Tax (TDT), also known as the bed tax. These taxes, approved by counties, are imposed on overnight accommodations and play a crucial role in funding the Tourism Development Council (and/or CVB, VCB) of your county. They provide the necessary resources to promote county destinations and attractions to potential visitors. By combining your attraction marketing dollars with theirs and partnering with VISIT FLORIDA, attractions of all sizes have the opportunity to be promoted both domestically and internationally.

During the 2025 Legislative Session, a new threat to the TDT has emerged in the form of HB 1221 and SB 1664, which proposes requiring counties to reauthorize the collection of bed taxes through voter referendums every 8 years.

The FAA strongly opposes this bill for three main reasons:

1. The requirement for reauthorization would introduce a significant level of uncertainty into the marketing strategies of your county. Long-term planning would become unfeasible as the looming possibility of the TDT coming to an end would lead to short-term, less strategic planning and execution of marketing initiatives. This uncertainty could also hinder the recruitment of top marketing talent to your county's marketing organization, as the lack of long-term job security may deter potential candidates.
2. The tourism community would be forced to divert resources and time towards passing the referendum every 8 years, instead of utilizing those finite resources to optimize the marketing of your county as a tourist destination.
3. This requirement would put your county at a disadvantage compared to destinations in other states and countries that do not face the disruption of a referendum, potentially impacting the competitiveness of your county as a tourist destination.

In conclusion, the FAA believes that the proposed bills would have detrimental effects on the marketing efforts and overall success of your county as a tourist destination.

CALL TO ACTION – VERY TIME SENSITIVE

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 9) at 8:00am, the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee will meet and consider passing HB 1221, the 2^nd of the bill’s three committee assignments. 

Please contact your representative TODAY and voice your opposition to HB 1221 for the reasons stated above. 

If you have any questions, please contact me by email (lupfer@floridaattractions.org) or phone (850) 222-2885.

Thank you.

Bill Lupfer

President/CEO

Florida Attractions Association