ORLANDO, Fla. — A newly created task force met for the first time Wednesday with the goal of figuring out the best way to use Orange County Tourist Development Tax dollars.

The Tourist Development Tax (TDT) is a 6% tax on hotel stays and other short-term rentals in Orange County.

Last year, the county set a record, bringing in more than $336 million in TDT dollars. The latest numbers from the county comptroller’s office show more than $29 million was collected in January, a nearly 30% increase compared to January of 2022.

Members of the Orange County TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force will provide input to county leaders on potential projects, as well as what the future of Orange County tourism will look like.   

Spectrum News spoke with Mayor Jerry Demings earlier this month about the task force’s mission.

“We want the group to objectively take all that information and make some recommendations to it for the board of county commissioners about the priority, outside of that we’ve already committed, with any excess and surplus revenue dollars,” said Demings.

The tax revenue can be used to fund tourism promotion, convention center capital and sporting facilities and events, among other things. It also funds ongoing bond obligations related to tourist development.

The task force is set to meet again April 17. The members’ recommendations will be presented in July.