Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds is proposing a change to how counties can spend hotel-tax revenue, arguing that local governments should have greater freedom to put the money toward transportation and infrastructure.
The proposal quickly sparked debate online, with some Florida Reddit users saying they liked the idea while remaining critical of Donalds over other issues, including his position on data-center development in the state.
During an interview Thursday, Donalds said he supports allowing counties to use revenue generated by hotel rooms and short-term rentals for infrastructure and transportation projects.
Donalds said he wants counties to maintain control over the money rather than redirecting it to a statewide program. He also criticized Jolly’s proposal to use some tourist-tax revenue for a catastrophic insurance fund covering hurricane and natural-disaster losses.
Some of the Reddit criticism shifted away from hotel taxes and toward Donalds’ position on data-center development in Florida.
Donalds has argued that data centers should be responsible for their own infrastructure and utility costs rather than passing those expenses on to residents. The issue has nevertheless generated controversy across Florida as communities debate the potential effects of large data centers on electricity, water and surrounding areas.
Florida Reddit Users Debate Donalds’ Proposal
Reaction on Florida’s subreddit showed that support for the hotel-tax idea did not necessarily translate into support for Donalds.
Some commenters focused on Donalds’ party affiliation rather than the proposal itself, while others argued Florida should pursue different sources of revenue for infrastructure.
“Tax corporations properly and you solve quite a few problems,” one person wrote.
The Reddit discussion represents the views of individual users and should not be treated as representative of Florida voters overall.
The Reddit criticism comes as Donalds and Jolly remain closely matched in recent polling. A St. Pete Polls survey conducted Sept. 15-17 found Donalds at 43.5% and Jolly at 43.4% among 913 likely voters, a difference well within the poll’s margin of error.
For now, the hotel-tax debate highlights a policy difference between the candidates. Both have supported changing how Florida can use tourism-generated revenue, but Donalds wants counties to retain control of the money, while Jolly has proposed using some tourist-tax revenue as a potential funding source for a statewide catastrophic insurance fund.
