Florida, Let’s Change TDT

By Ben Everidge for Thomas

A smarter path forward …

For decades, Florida’s Tourist Development Tax, many call TDT, collected mostly from hotel stays and short-term rentals, has funded tourism marketing, events, and facilities designed to attract visitors. While this spending has undeniably boosted local economies and helped maintain Florida’s brand as a global tourist destination, it’s time for a smarter, 21st-century reallocation of those dollars.

It’s time to connect the very tourists we attract to the communities they don’t yet reach and to better serve the residents who make Florida run.

A Bold Reallocation: Up to 30% for Infrastructure

Reallocating up to 30% of TDT revenue to support infrastructure projects, such as Brightline’s expansion, is not a reduction in tourism; it’s an evolution of it. By helping to fund high-speed rail and multimodal transportation, we create a Florida where tourism benefits not just a few counties along the coast or around theme parks. Instead, tourism becomes the economic engine for rural towns, inland communities, and emerging hubs that have long been bypassed.

Why Infrastructure Is the Future of Florida Tourism: Tourism Depends on Access
If tourists can’t easily and affordably get from Miami to Orlando, from Tampa to the Panhandle, or from the coasts to interior gems like Ocala, Gainesville, or Sebring, they won’t go. A statewide Brightline system changes that, enabling more visitors to explore Florida’s lesser-known treasures, expanding the map of opportunity beyond crowded beaches and packed parking lots.

Rural Communities Need a Shot
The Florida Heartland and dozens of rural counties have been excluded from the tourism economy for decades. With better access via passenger rail, especially if stations are paired with local job centers, small business districts, or community redevelopment zones, these places could reap the rewards of visitor dollars, new jobs, and long-overdue public investment.

Economic Diversification
Tourism marketing alone doesn’t diversify a local economy. Infrastructure does. Reallocating a slice of TDT to complex infrastructure creates construction jobs in the short term and long-term economic resilience later. Rail corridors stimulate investment, attract logistics hubs, reduce congestion, and expand access to housing and education for both visitors and residents of Florida.

Smarter, Cleaner Travel
Brightline is America’s most advanced private rail operator, but it still needs public-private-philanthropic coordination to go statewide. Rail reduces emissions, takes cars off the road, and makes travel more affordable. A family traveling from South Florida to Tampa shouldn’t have to rent a car or brave I-75. They should be able to take a train.

Reform with Accountability

Opponents of this proposal often worry about local control or diversion of funds. But reform does not mean irresponsibility. Counties could still retain at least 70% of their TDT for core tourism marketing. In comparison, the reallocated 30% could be overseen through regional compacts, matching grants, or infrastructure trusts with strong oversight and clear goals.

Imagine if Visit Orlando or Visit Tampa Bay worked with Visit Sebring or Visit Lake County to co-fund new transit access points. That’s cooperative tourism planning, not cannibalization.

A Common-Sense Investment

Let’s be honest: the idea that tourism is just about ads, brochures, or flashy conventions is outdated. The real question is this: Can we transform tourist dollars into lasting projects that benefit both visitors and the communities they visit?

If the answer is yes, and it should be, then Brightline and similar infrastructure projects are the best bet we have. Let’s build a Florida that moves smarter, grows stronger, and invites everyone to share in the journey.