Cocoa Beach asking Florida DOGE to investigate how tourism taxes are being spent | FOX 35 Orlando
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Cocoa Beach asking Florida DOGE to investigate how tourism taxes are being spent

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Published  April 3, 2025 11:35pm EDT
Brevard County
FOX 35 Orlando

Florida's DOGE being requested in Cocoa Beach

Florida DOGE is being requested in Cocoa Beach. The city is holding a meeting tonight to discuss how tourism tax dollars are being spent. FOX 35's Esther Bower talks to local commissioners, who say they're not getting enough money, and they bring in the most tourists.

The Brief

    • Cocoa Beach officials want a state investigation into how tourism tax dollars are distributed. 
    • They argue the city generates most of the county’s revenue but receives too little in return. 
    • A vote on the resolution was set for Thursday night.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. - DOGE investigators could be coming to Cocoa Beach. On Thursday night, city commissioners were expected to vote on a new resolution to investigate what tourism taxes are really being used for and ask the Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) task force to get involved in the local government’s affairs.

Commissioner says city isn't getting fair cut of money it generates

What we know:

Cocoa Beach city commissioners are set to vote on a resolution calling for an investigation into the allocation of tourism tax dollars. 

Commissioner Jeremy Hutcherson argues that Cocoa Beach generates more than half of Brevard County’s tourism tax revenue but receives an insufficient portion in return. The resolution would request the Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) to investigate the distribution of these funds.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear how much of the tourism tax revenue Cocoa Beach currently receives versus what it contributes. Additionally, whether DOGE will take up the investigation if the resolution passes is uncertain. There is also no guarantee that an investigation would lead to changes in funding allocations.

The backstory:

Cocoa Beach, a major tourist attraction in Florida, is widely advertised, with billboards as far as North Carolina promoting its beaches. 

Despite drawing around 2 million visitors annually, the city must fund police and fire services for them while operating with a local population of only about 11,000. The Tourism Development Council, which oversees the tax money, follows state regulations that mandate spending on marketing, capital improvements, and beach renourishment.

What they're saying:

Commissioner Jeremy Hutcherson is proposing the new resolution because he says Cocoa Beach brings in more than half of the county’s tourism tax dollars, but they’re not getting enough of the revenue.

"From basically North Carolina down, you see Cocoa Beach advertised," said the commissioner, noting how billboards are scattered across the country with Cocoa Beach plastered on the ads.

The tourists are coming, but Commissioner Hutcherson said Cocoa Beach isn't getting a big enough cut for all the money the city generates.

"When 60% of your revenue is coming from one municipality, I think it’s only fair to contribute more than an insignificant amount back to the city to fund services," he said.

His resolution asks Florida’s DOGE team to dig into tourism tax dollars which are allocated by the county.

"The Tourism Development Council spends dollars that come in from the hotel bed tax which is collected by the state and then sent to the county," said Andrew Connors, one of the members of the Tourism Development Council for Brevard County.

The council he sits on oversees how tourism taxes are distributed. Connors, who is also the mayor of Titusville, said the state mostly controls what they can do with the money.

"So much has to go to marketing, capital improvements, beach renourishment," he said. "It’s all very structured, very regulated on how it’s being spent at the state level."

Hutcherson wants the state to take a closer look at how the money’s being distributed to find waste and make sure tax dollars are being used fairly.

"There’s a massive disconnect, and it’s not fair to put that," said Hutcherson. "It’s definitely wasteful to out that burden on residents."

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:

The Source: FOX 35's Reporter Esther Bower interviewed Commissioner Jeremy Hutcherson on 4/3. She also spoke with and interviewed a representative on the county's Tourism Development Council, Andrew Connors, on 4/3. She emailed Brevard County's public information officers on April 3, 2025, asking for comment on the new resolution being considered in Cocoa Beach and how the county allocates the taxes.

Brevard CountyCocoa Beach