Seminole County adding new hotel fee to pay for development of indoor entertainment complex

Seminole County adding new hotel fee

Seminole County hoping to add new hotel fee to pay for development of indoor entertainment complex. FOX 35's Marie Edinger has the latest.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Seminole County in Central Florida is booming with new homeowners, visitors, and tourists – and the hotels and the county are hoping to reap the rewards of those hotel stays.

The Seminole County Board of Commissioners recently approved a new hotel fee – $1.75 per room, per day – that would help fund the building of an indoor sports and entertainment complex and to bring in more high-profile events, officials said.

Tourism Improvement District (TID)

The Board of Commissioners recently approved the creation of the Seminole County Tourism Improvement District, an initiative that has been years in the making.

Officials say it will help secure revenue to support sports tourism in Seminole County, potentially generating an estimated $3.2 million a year, a news release said.

The fee – $1.75 per room, per day – applies to hotels with at least 60 rooms. According to the county, more than 50% of hotel owners in the county supported the added fee.

It will be overseen by a 7-member board, each appointed by a county commissioner.

Kristin Oswald, who owns a hotel in Altamonte Springs, told the Commission that she was against the proposed fee at first, but changed her mind after learning more about it.

"Everyone will benefit," she said, referring to the indoor sports complex that would be funded by the new money.

This fee would be in addition to Seminole County's 5% Tourism Development Tax, allowed under Florida Statute, and the county's 7% sales tax.

Semionle County owns the Boombah Sports Complex, part of Boombag Sports Complex, which brings a lot of people to the county for sports games and tournaments.

Colton Baptiste, general manager of a La Quinta-branded hotel close to the sports complex, told FOX 35 that during the peak season, he sees upwards of 10,000 people each month.

"During, like, the peak months, you know, we can sell 128 rooms here; 99 could be for Boombah," he said, adding that the complex itself drives a lot of business towards his business.

"Barcelona, Spain – they were just here this last week. The week before that was Aruba."

He wants that momentum to continue – and so does the county.

When does the new hotel fee start?

April 1, 2025.

What do we know about the indoor sports complex?

It's still in the beginning stages, but officials said design and planning could begin as early as the summer. From there, it would have to go through proposals, approvals, and permitting before shovels hit the ground.

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