Advocates for The Northwest Florida Heritage Museum successfully lobbied the Valparaiso City Commission to ask for $5,000 in Tourism Development Tax Dollars to restore a historic buggy that is on display in the museum.ย 

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So, a couple of explainers are in order.ย 

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Tourism Tax Dollars are taxes the County Collects from hotels for overnight stays – usually a couple of bucks per room per night. They add up pretty quickly – into the millions of dollars per year. With the recent bed tax expansion, now Valparaiso (and Niceville) can request that money, too. There are some rules attached to the money – namely, the money has to be spent on something that will promote tourism or bring more tourists to the area. โ€œIts something you donโ€™t have to worry about in terms of your budget, ” said a Northwest Florida Heritage Museum representative, Dr. Marie Hallion, โ€œitโ€™s some wonderful bonus money thatโ€™s coming along.โ€

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A buggy, which I didnโ€™t know until the Valparaiso City Commission meeting on Monday Night, is a people carrier powered by horses. Who knew?ย 

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Anyway – the city commission approved the request to the Tourism Development Council (TDC) Unanimously. The total cost of the recommendation is $6,000 – so the Northwest Florida Heritage Museum will be responsible for the other $1,000. The TDC will have to approve the expenditure, as will the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners. Once all of the approvals are made – the museum will get the restoration money for their buggy.ย 

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The city must request the money before the application deadline closes on April 14th.ย 

Northwest Florida Heritage Museum Logo
Northwest Florida Heritage Museum Logo