ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of millions of dollars are up for grabs in Orange County, and dozens of organizations are hoping to secure a share of the record-setting funds.
The Tourist Development Tax Task Force met this week to begin discussions on how to allocate $430 million collected from visitors staying in Orange County hotels and short-term rentals.
Officials say the amount is the most the county has ever collected from the tourism tax.
The demand for money far exceeds the supply.
The task force received nearly $3 billion worth of funding requests from organizations seeking support for major projects and initiatives.
The largest request came from the Orlando Dreamers, who are asking for $375 million to help build a baseball stadium as part of their ongoing effort to bring Major League Baseball to the Orlando area.
In its application, the organization says the stadium project would create thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars in economic activity.
Officials estimate the total cost of the stadium project would exceed $2 billion, with construction potentially beginning as early as next year.
The Orlando Dreamers are among 17 applicants that will move forward to present their proposals to task force members.
The group will review the requests before making recommendations on how to spend tourism tax dollars.
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