Tuesday, March 25, 2025 Pinellas County’s tourism industry has defied expectations by generating a record $8.29 million in local tourism tax revenue in January 2025, just three months after hurricanes Helene and Milton caused significant damage in the area. Despite these challenges, the local tourism sector is showing resilience, and officials expect this trend to continue as over 1,400 hotel rooms reopen by the summer.
The tourism tax revenue for St. Petersburg, the county’s largest municipality, increased by 34% year-over-year, helping offset losses in nearby beach communities. This growth in bed tax revenue reflects a robust recovery, even as the region still grapples with the aftereffects of the hurricanes.
Resilient Tourism Amid Setbacks Brian Scott, the chairperson of the Pinellas County Commission, expressed his amazement at the January collections, given the aftermath of the hurricanes. “It’s amazing, to me, that our January collections in 2025 were better after two hurricanes, not that long ago,” Scott remarked. Despite this positive trend, the total revenue only exceeded 2023 levels by 1.
65%, with some hotels and vacation rentals still offline or shuttered indefinitely. While some beach areas, including St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, and Madeira Beach, experienced a 35% drop in bed tax revenue, St.
Petersburg’s strong performance was key to offsetting these losses. In fact, St. Petersburg’s tourism tax revenue reached nearly $1.
5 million in January, .
