Visit Sebring Reports Record High Tourist Development Tax Collections 

More than $1.1 million collected for 2020-2021 fiscal year

SEBRING, FL (Dec. 14, 2021) – Final tax collection figures for fiscal year 2020-2021 (October 1, 2020-September 30, 2021) from the Florida Department of Revenue for Visit Sebring/Highlands County Tourist Development Council (TDC) show record high Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections of $1,174,532.  The TDT is a tax paid by visitors who stay in hotels or short-term rentals for six months or less.  This tax is not paid by Highlands County residents.

 

“We are thrilled to see these record high collection reports showing that tourism in our area is stronger than ever after the pandemic,” said Visit Sebring/Highlands County TDC Lead Marketing Consultant Casey Hartt.  “These figures prove that revamping our Event Grant Program and focusing on recruiting new events to Highlands County is paying off and infusing tourism dollars into our local economy.”

 

Pre-pandemic collections for fiscal year 2018-2019 were slightly over $1 million, and collections for 2019-2020 were down to $877,000 due to the pandemic.  March 2021 was the strongest month with $206,210 collected primarily due to the activity at Sebring International Raceway. August 2021 was the lowest month of the fiscal year with $73,315 collected; however, that was still almost $20,000 more than pre-pandemic collections for August 2019.

 

“We are expecting another strong year for 2021-2022 as many of our festivals and sports tourism events are returning in targeted months when our hotels, restaurants and attractions need customers, and we are working to recruit even more events for 2022,” Hartt said. “The TDT funds collected help us to advertise Highlands County as a tourist destination and assist in attracting new events to our destination.”

 

To find out more online, go to VisitSebring.com.  For more information, contact Casey Hartt at (863) 640-1743 or Casey@VisitSebring.com.

 

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Visit Sebring is the destination marketing organization managed by the Highlands County Tourist Development Council (TDC).  The mission of the TDC is to contribute to a positive quality of life for the residents of Highlands County through destination promotion, tourism development, advocacy, and resource management – which are foundation pieces for future economic growth.  For more information, visit https://www.VisitSebring.com or find us on social media @VisitSebring.