Tourism in Walton County 

Tourism is big business. It is the #1 economic driver in Walton County. In 2019,  tourism generated $5.2 billion in economic impact. 

 The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) was created in 1986 to manage bed tax collection and create an annual budget in accordance with
Florida State Statute 125.0104.

With the extreme growth of tourism in Walton County, it is important to understand the history and purpose of the TDC in order to determine goals for the future.
It's time to get Back to the Basics for bed tax collection in Walton County. 

Formation of Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC)

Florida State Statute 125.0104

In 1986, Walton County Board of County Commissioners passed Ordinance 86-18 to levy and impose a two (2) percent tourist development tax pursuant to the "local option tourist development act" as enacted by the legislature for the state of Florida. Learn more about the original ordinance. In 2020, the TDC budget has grew to more than $25.8 million. It may be time to get Back to the Basics. Learn more.

Impact of Tourism of Walton County

 Tourism is big business in Walton County. The total impact of tourism in Walton County is $5.3 billion dollars.  ​Visitor spending accounts for 67% of total taxes in Walton County and creates 27,800 jobs. Learn more in the TDC Annual Report.

All tax revenues received pursuant to this section by a county imposing the tourist development tax shall be spent for authorized uses of revenue only. Click here to review Authorized Uses Under Section 5. 

What You Need to Know

All spending to date is in alignment with the Florida State Statute 125.0104. The 2020-2021 budget was recommended by the TDC council members and approved by the BCC. Click here to view current budget. (Note: A large portion (45%) of the budget is reinvested into the community through beach maintenance operations, and the beach safety/lifeguard program.)
Walton County has one of the highest bed tax collections in the state (5%) collect from visitors on short term rentals. 

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