Orange County’s $384 million tourist tax fund is under scrutiny as new task force kicks off Tuesday

PHOTO VIA COMMISSIONER DR. KELLY MARTINEZ SEMRAD FACEBOOK PAGE

Orange County District 5 Commissioner and Vice Mayor Dr. Kelly Martinez Semrad is holding a press conference Tuesday morning to raise concerns about how the county’s tourist tax dollars are being allocated, just before the first scheduled meeting of the 2026 TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force (Website).

The “Defending Your Dollars” press conference is set for 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, July 21, at the Orange County Administration Building at 201 S. Rosalind Avenue [GMap] in downtown Orlando. Speakers will include county commissioners, state legislators, Unite Here! Local 737, Sunrise Movement Orlando, and local arts and culture groups.

According to a release we received earlier this evening, Commissioner Martinez Semrad is raising three specific concerns about the task force process.

1. On efficiency, she argues the current approach risks rubber-stamping consecutive convention center expansions while failing to invest TDT dollars in projects that benefit residents. Orange County collected $384.6 million in tourist tax revenue last year, and she wants future allocations to prioritize transportation along the Sunshine corridor, environmental restoration of lakes and rivers, and projects with high returns on investment.
2. On equity, she takes issue with the task force’s composition. Under current rules, representatives affiliated with TDT fund recipients are prohibited from serving, but exceptions were carved out for CFHLA, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld. Martinez Semrad argues that global hospitality corporations and the organizations that represent them should not be helping recommend how public tax dollars are spent, particularly when arts organizations are excluded for receiving TDT funding while those same corporations benefit financially from TDT-funded marketing through Visit Orlando.
3. On transparency, her office only learned on July 6 that rubric recommendations from the 2023 TDT Task Force were being incorporated into the current process, with no public input on that development. The evaluation rubric also allegedly does not incentivize transportation improvements, and only projects costing $20 million or more are eligible for review, which limits the pool of applicants.

Funding interest indicators are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 16.

“Tourist Development Tax dollars belong in the public conversation, and Orange County residents deserve a meaningful voice in how these funds are invested,” Martinez Semrad said. “The best return on investment occurs when TDT dollars enhance the visitor experience while also addressing the infrastructure and transportation needs created by tourism.”

The press conference is open to the press and public. The first TDT Citizen Advisory Task Force meeting follows at the same location later that morning.