March tourist tax numbers released

Siesta Key beat out every other region in tourist development taxes collected by the Sarasota County Tax Collector with $796,561 pulled in from the 5% tax on rental revenue in March.

The taxes are collected on rental sales of less than six months, so they are generally used as a proxy to measure tourism activity. And with March tax collections this year more than double the amount recorded in March of 2012, Siesta Key reaped the benefits of returning consumer confidence.

Siesta has contributed roughly $1.8 million to the $5.8 million collected so far this year, and because of the lag time created by the collection process the numbers are usually adjusted upward.

For a detailed breakdown and analysis of this data and an update on how Siesta Key businesses fared this tourist season pick up a copy of the May 17 issue of the Pelican Press.