Special Series: "When Pigs Fly" This is a collection of articles on the facts, problems and issues other communities are having with their current or planned Conference/Convention Centers. - City pushes bed-tax idea forward

Feelings mixed among Snowbirds on bed-tax hike, who should pay

Troy Espe - The News Herald - Sunday, January 12, 1997

Ontario native William Parfitt sidesteps errant waves as winter tides pound the shrinking shores along Panama City Beach. Seagulls hunch closer and closer to condominiums, searching for higher ground.

But as the beach slides into the sea and a hike in the bed tax looms, Parfitt and other vacationers aren't panicking just yet.  ``(Panama City Beach) is nice for older people, but it's getting expensive,'' Parfitt said. ``A lot of people are on a damn pension, you know.''

On Tuesday, the Bay County Commission raised the bed tax by 50 percent, bringing the total to 3 cents on the dollar. The rate takes effect March 1 on all hotels, motels, condos, and campgrounds west of the Hathaway Bridge.

Revenues from the additional cent - projected to raise $1.25 million annually - will help pay the local share of a $30-million beach renourishment project. Tourism officials hope the project will begin this fall.

Many snowbirds - U.S. Northerners and Canadians who winter here - say the 1-cent bed tax hike isn't going to put them in the poorhouse. But some question if it will do any good.  ``It's a waste of time,'' said Katy Briles of Illinois. ``They're pouring money in the ocean.''

Some snowbirds question why they have to foot the bill, adding they've already seen a reduction in tourists this winter.  ``I think local people should pay as well,'' said Bill McKee of Nova Scotia, Canada.

Other tourists say the new 1-percent bed tax is a small price to pay. Replenishing the world's most beautiful beaches is the important thing, they say.

Bob Gortner of Indiana says taxes are part of life, and if people want to visit the beach, they should be prepared to get out their checkbooks.

``When things have to be done, they have to be done and people have to pay for it,'' Gortner said. ``If people want the beach, someone's going to have to pay.''

Don White of Indiana said he has trouble walking along the beach because of all the water.

``Down there it's OK,'' he said, pointing to St. Andrews State Recreation Area. He then turned toward Spyglass Road, ``But I try to walk down there, but you can't.''

Hurricane Opal in 1995 and more recent winter storms have eroded several inches of beach. Some gulffront homeowners and business owners complain of having no sand in front of their buildings.

Emily Holmes, manager of Merrimac Motel on Thomas Drive, said she doesn't mind the new tax, even though it will directly affect her guests.

``I don't foresee that it will hurt our business,'' she said. Bill Hawkins, owner of Sun-Glo Motel on Thomas Drive, agrees. The bed tax is the most viable option to pay for beach nourishment, he said.

``The beach is in pretty bad shape. Something needs to be done,'' Hawkins said. ``I don't think (the bed tax) will affect tourism. You're talking about a few dollars more.''

Other business owners say they're tired of all the bellyaching over the cost and environmental impact of renourishment. ``We have the right to stop (the erosion),'' said Mark Rubin, who runs a charter fishing service. ``We have a responsibility to stop it. If Mother Nature opens a sinkhole on your street, would you just say, `Let Mother Nature put it back?' If Mother Nature takes it away, why can't we put it back?''

But others contend the county has rushed into the beach renourishment project. The county will begin taxing tourists even though it doesn't have a concrete plan or an exact dollar amount for the project.

``That's not the right way to approach the tax,'' said Kris Gudimetta, owner of Siesta Motel on Front Beach Road.  ``Everybody's priority is to get the beaches back in shape, but the point is, how?''

Gudimetta said he's worried that if the plan runs over budget - which government projects are wont to do - county commissioners will raise the bed tax again. Plus, the tax hike is just another reason for tourists to vacation elsewhere, he said.

``I don't know if it's going to hurt,'' Gudimetta said. ``It's kind of a dissatisfaction to the customers though. They can go somewhere else where there isn't the tax.''

Snowbirds say they're willing to wait on the sidelines and pay the extra taxes while county leaders and residents bicker over the best way to save the beaches.

But don't forget who pays the bills around here, they remind.  ``What would the local people do if we weren't here?'' said Rig Hartley of Ontario, Canada. ``What would they do then?''

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