Tourist-tax collections in Orange County soared like the temperature in July, hitting the highest total ever on record for the month.

Receipts hit $29.5 million, an increase of 11.1% or nearly $3 million better than July 2024, said Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks collections and spending of revenues raised by the 6% levy on hotel rooms and other short-term lodgings in the county.

“Summer performance continued to heat up,” he said.

Tourist tax revenues, driven by the region’s hotel room occupancy and the average daily room rate, are generally viewed as an economic barometer of Central Florida tourism, the region’s dominant industry, which has been on a steady incline the past two years.

Diamond said collections continue to be “epic,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to Epic Universe

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