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Tourism panel backs new bed tax
By Eve Modzelewski, staff writer For the new "5th cent" tax to pass, at least four of the five county commissioners must approve it. Commissioners will consider the issue at their Dec. 17 meeting. Area tourists could face higher lodging taxes if officials heed the advice of the county's Tourist Development Council. The council on Tuesday unanimously supported a new 1 percent room tax and renewal of an existing "4th cent" tax, both for 15 years. The tax increase would cost 70 cents a night for someone staying in a $70-a-night room. For the new "5th cent" tax to pass, at least four of the five county commissioners must approve it. The Tourist Development Council will forward its recommendation to commissioners, who will consider the issue at their Dec. 17 meeting. Tourist room taxes apply to dwellings rented for six months or less, including hotels, motels, cottages, mobile homes, campgrounds, apartments, condominiums, duplexes and single-family homes. County Administrator Doug Anderson has proposed using $7.8 million - or $520,000 a year - of the tax revenue for capital improvements at Thomas J. White Stadium in St. Lucie West, home of the New York Mets' spring training facilities. The Mets' spring training contract with the county expired this summer, and the county is in the process of negotiating a new deal with the team. "We need to maintain Thomas J. White, and we need to operate Thomas J. White," Anderson said. An additional $840,000 would be used to lure Dreams Park South, a $5 million youth baseball complex, to Port St. Lucie, Anderson said. The developers of Cooperstown Dreams Park in New York have proposed building a 14-field, major-league style camp on 30 acres next to PGA Village. Dreams Park would get the money only if it lured hundreds of teams to St. Lucie County each year. "If they don't reach that level of play, then they don't get a nickel," Anderson said. Tourist activity generated by Dreams Park, combined with the new tax, could be a boon to the county, he said. "It's a guaranteed program," Anderson said. "We can't lose on it." Indian River County has a 4 percent room tax, and Martin County enacted a 2 percent room tax Nov. 1. Though the Tourist Development Council readily supported an extra-cent tax in St. Lucie County, some county officials have expressed reservations. At Tuesday night's County Commission meeting, Chairman Cliff Barnes said he worried about passing the tax before completing a contract with the Mets. "I don't want to telegraph to the Mets that we have this huge pool of money," Barnes said. Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson said she wanted to ask the Hotel and Motel Association how the extra tax would affect business before enacting it. Still, Commissioner Doug Coward, who is chairman of the Tourist Development Council, supported the extra-cent room tax and said he was pleased the council unanimously supported it. "These are dollars generated primarily from people outside our region," Coward said. "I don't think those folks are going to be looking at their bill seeing if there's an additional 70 cents on it," Coward said. "It's pretty clear that this is a positive step and a win-win situation." The new 5th cent tax would take effect Feb.
1. The 4th cent tax, which expires Dec. 31, would be reinstated the same
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