Tourist Development Tax collection showed a 47.33% increase in South Walton for June 2021 compared with the previous year. Total collections for June 2021 were $9,666,342. When compared to pre-COVID collections (at 2% to eliminate issues of tax rate changes), June's TDT collection was a 38.56% increase compared to June 2019. 

The Tourist Development Tax, or bed tax, is a five percent tax collected on hotels, condos, and other short-term rentals south of Choctawhatchee Bay. It is the best way to gauge visitation and demand trends in South Walton. The revenue supports tourism marketing and beach operations including cleaning and maintaining beaches, lifeguards, destination improvements, and preservation initiatives. 

Tourist Development Tax collection on short-term rental accommodations north of Choctawhatchee Bay totaled $40,505.74 for June 2021.

The Tourist Development Tax, or bed tax, is a two percent tax collected on hotels, condos, and other short-term rentals. It is the best way to gauge visitation and demand trends. TDT revenues must be collected for a full year (until March 2022) before they can be spent. 

There's always a lot of discussion in the community about what we do as an organization and how we are funded, so our Interim Executive Director Jason Cutshaw recently sat down with District 3 County Commissioner Mike Barker to talk about our mission, how our organization is different from the Tourist Development Council (TDC), and other topics like how we can spend funds and who actually contributes to the Tourist Development Tax.

CLICK HERE to watch our tourism talk.

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The safety of Walton County remains at the forefront of our minds. We've created a COVID-19 Travel Updates page on our website to share the latest information about safely traveling to Walton County. This page is updated regularly as new information becomes available.