DeSantis Doubles Down, Once Again Calling for a “Tourist Tax,’ Adding Thousands to Your Next Disney Trip

With the Florida Legislative session coming to an end, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has doubled down on a proposal he made earlier in the session to create a “tourist tax” to help balance the state’s budget and allow Florida to cut most of its taxes for residents.

DeSantis first floated the proposal at the beginning of the legislative session, telling reporters that the state should “tax the tourists, tax the foreigners.” Now, DeSantis has doubled down on that proposal.

DeSantis said:

If you ask people, would you rather not have to pay property taxes if that meant that Canadians and Brazilians may pay more hotel tax, I think 100% of Floridians would say that’s a trade that they would want to make.

Legislative Priorities

One of the main items on the Legislature’s agenda is taxes in the state. It is currently considering several different proposals that would lower everything from property to sales taxes in Florida.

Earlier this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis endorsed a proposal to eliminate property taxes in the state. On Disney World’s four theme parks, Disney pays nearly $60 million in property taxes to Orange and Osceola Counties.

Disney World also pays millions in property taxes on its hotels, restaurants, and water parks, with the Beach and Yacht Club Hotels costing Disney the most at nearly $10 million.

House Speaker Daniel Perez proposed lowering the state sales tax from six percent to 5.25 percent this week. He estimates that it would save Florida taxpayers billions every year.

All of these taxes could be made up by adding a statewide tourist tax. According to the Governor’s office, Florida saw 142.9 million visitors in 2024, the most ever. All those visitors paid some sort of tax to the state, including sales tax on trips and tourist taxes in most counties. In Orange County, the tourist tax is six percent.

Tourist Tax

While Orange County and most other counties in Florida have some tourist tax, the money can only be used for specific purposes. Currently, in Orange County, that money can only be used for infrastructure and facilities to draw in tourists or advertisements to bring tourists to the area.

DeSantis’ proposal would require a dramatic overhaul of the current tourism tax system. According to the Florida Policy Institute, if Florida eliminated property taxes in the state, it would put a $2,000 hole in the budget for every man, woman, and child in the state.

Property taxes make up approximately 50 percent of school revenue and one sixth of city/town revenue in Florida.

Despite that massive hole in the state budget, neither DeSantis nor the Florida Legislature has determined how high the tourist tax would have to be to fill that hole. However, some estimates suggest that it would have to double the current six percent that Orange County currently requires.

A tourist tax of more than 10 percent would potentially adds thousands to an already expensive trip to the Walt Disney World Resort. 

With DeSantis leaving office at the end of 2026, his time is limited to make this proposal a reality. However, for those living outside the state, this could be a nightmare scenario.

Would you still travel to Florida if there was a 10 percent tourist tax?