Possible tourism tax would be used to promote the northern part of Walton County

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — Walton County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to add a referendum to the Nov. 3 general election ballot that will let voters in the northern part of the county decide whether to impose a 2 percent tax on accommodations to market that part of the county to tourists and make tourism-related improvements. 

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If the tax is approved, commissioners will have to take additional steps to set up collections of the levy, Assistant County Attorney Heather Christman said Tuesday.

If passed, 40 percent of the revenue generated by the tax,levied on hotel and motel  room charges, condominium rentals and other accommodations leased for less than six months, would have to be used to market the northern part of the county The remaining 60 percent would be spent in north Walton as well, and could be used more broadly, such as to support events, programs or infrastructure that benefit visitors and locals alike.

Attractions in the northern part of the county, often overshadowed by the beaches in the county's southern end, include Morrison Springs, a popular diving spot, and the picturesque and historic city of DeFuniak Springs, which includes the oldest continuously operating public library in the state. 

A referendum on a tourist development tax for the northern end of the county has been discussed for some time. Last year, Walton County Commissioner Danny Glidewell said residents of the northern end of the county have wanted the tax for years, both to promote it as a tourist destination and to improve the area's infrastructure, improvements that could be enjoyed by residents as well as tourists.

While passage of the referendum would mean that a tourism development tax would be collected across all of Walton County — the part of the county south of Choctawhatchee Bay already assesses a 5 percent tax on accommodations — the funds generated would not be commingled, but would be used exclusively within their respective districts.

In southern Walton County, the 5 percent tourist development tax now raises more than $25 million annually. That money is used in a variety of ways, from funding a lifeguard program to building and maintaining beach accesses to supporting local events.

Taxing districts set up to collect the tourist development tax are mandated to begin collections at the 2 % level. That, along with the relatively fewer hotels, motels and condominiums available for rental in the northern part of the county will mean that collections there, at least for the foreseeable future, will be considerably lower than current collections in the southern end of the county.

On that point, Jay Tusa, executive director of the Walton County Tourist Development Council, responded to a question during a public hearing at Tuesday's commission meeting by saying, "We're not anticipating a lot of funds to be generated at first, so we want to see how we can capitalize on those funds for promotional purposes."

At least initially, Tusa said, there are no plans to build any facilities for the tourism effort in the northern part of the county, if the tax is approved.

For the immediate future, Tusa said, "We are looking to partner, perhaps with the Chamber (Walton Area Chamber of Commerce), and use some of their facilities in the north end, but that's still to be determined."

The county government can't serve as an advocate for the tax, Tusa explained, but he said that it's likely the Chamber of Commerce will be putting out a fact sheet to educate voters in the northern end of the county.