Santa Rosa tourist development council reports wins for tourism

It was good news all around for tourism in Navarre during the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council south end committee meeting on May 18.

Kate Wilkes, executive director for the TDC, announced that Senate Bill 376 and its counterpart in the House, 493, failed during the legislative session on the last day.

The bill, if passed, would have allowed a tax break for online reservation companies. A portion of the taxes from reservations, also known as bed taxes, go toward the TDC’s budget to promote the county and bring in business. Wilkes, along with several Santa Rosa County commissioners, was firmly against the bill since it would have “hurt our local businesses in favor of large corporations.”

For more on this story, see the May 19 edition of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.