Hillsborough County will increase the tax rate on overnight stays at local hotels by 1 percent (from 5 to 6 percent) joining other counties designated as high-impact tourism areas. Only counties generating yearly hotel tax revenues of $600 million or more are eligible to increase taxes collected on hotel rooms by an additional 1 percent. [...]
TAMPA — The Westin Tampa Bay sold for $57.6 million, according to a deed recorded Friday with the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court. The sale of the 244-room hotel in Tampa's Rocky Point area was announced last week but the price was not disclosed then. To read more on this article by Susan [...]
There’s an assumption among Rays’ stadium supporters in Tampa that Hillsborough County’s newly-increased bed tax is a guaranteed $6+ million a year to help finance a new ballpark in Ybor City. However, several county commissioners are privately casting doubt on that assumption, as there are a lot of things those tax dollars can fund other than a [...]
Alaska Airlines is offering another direct flight between Seattle and Tampa beginning in December. The flight, which begins Dec. 19, will be the second daily flight between the two cities and is part of a larger expansion of the airline's Florida destinations. To read more of Malena Carollo's article, CLICK HERE!
The Westin Tampa Bay has been sold to a Nashville-based firm. Castlerock Asset Management declined to say what it paid for the 16-story, 244-room hotel at 7627 W Courtney Campbell Causeway. No deed had been recorded as of Tuesday. To read more of Susan Taylor Martin's insightful article, Click Here!
The Cross Bay Ferry is planning to connect South County residents to the MacDill Air Force Base, but the proposed terminal site's space is limited, making it critical that transportation is needed. Tampa attorney Ed Turanchik, who represents Cross Bay Ferry operator HMS Ferries, asked the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority members on Friday to consider expanding the [...]
A 26-year-old Starbucks barista in the suburbs of Tampa known as Vayne Myers has suffered from anxiety ever since he was a child. A co-worker suggested he try an emotional support animal. So Mr. Myers bought a duck and named it Primadonna. The snow-white bird has worked wonders for his state of mind. To read [...]
Visitors in April brought in $3.3 million in tourist taxes, according to the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office, up nearly 6 percent from the same month last year. That made April the fourth month of record-breaking tax collections from hotel stays this year, according to Visit Tampa Bay. To read more on Malena Carollo's [...]
Hillsborough County commissioners voted Wednesday to raise the county's tax on overnight stays to 6 percent. The vote is a year in the making, following Hillsborough County's designation as a "high-impact" tourism destination in 2018. To read more on Malena Carollo's article, Click Here!
OAG’s analysis highlights the airports that have grown the most in key performance metrics, including: seat capacity growth (Fastest Growing Airports), scheduled routes (The Trailblazers), number of scheduled international routes (Global Gateways), aircraft turnaround time (Turnaround Kings) and percentage of seats operated by low-cost carriers (Low-Cost Collaborators). Airports were categorized and evaluated by size: Major, [...]