Zika fears erode Miami-Dade hotel tax income according to : Tampa Bay

Hotel taxes in December fell from the amount generated the previous year — the fourth month in a row that happened. MIAMI — Hotel tax revenue in Miami-Dade County has dropped at a rate not seen since the Great Recession, a decline some attribute to tourists afraid of the Zika virus. In recent boom years the county has used hotel tax reserves to fill holes in the budget, which could complicate things in 2017. Stuart Blumburg, a retired head of a county hotel association, says officials should be concerned. Hotel taxes are used to fund museums, theaters and the $300 million debt incurred by the Miami Marlins baseball park.




By: Associated PressFebruary 4, 2017MIAMI (AP) -- Hotel tax revenue in Miami-Dade has dropped at a rate not seen since the Great Recession. The Miami Herald reports that hotel taxes in December fell from the amount generated the previous year. Miami-Dade expects 2017 to also be a down year due to Zika fears, but the county's budget director says there is still enough surplus hotel tax from strong recent years to cover any shortfall. Hotel taxes are used to fund museums, theaters and the $300 million debt incurred by the Miami Marlins baseball park. A decline in public money some attribute to tourists afraid of the Zika virus.

Zika pushes Miami-Dade hotel taxes into worst slump since Great Recession

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collected by :Lucy William
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