October 3, 2025
Lake County Unveils New Hotel Incentives to Attract Visitors and Boost Local Tourism
By Frank Stanfield
Lake County Unveils New Hotel Incentives to Attract Visitors and Boost Local Tourism
New hotel tax incentives and plans for new lodgings and a resort community could lead more visitors to stay in Lake County instead crossing over into Orange, officials say.
“It’s really an amenities incentive,” says Meg Brew, the county’s economic development director.
The county is setting up a point system to reward hotels who provide unique services and ways to lure and keep visitors who might be drawn to special Lake County events.
“There are a lot of professional fishing events,” says Ryan Ritchie, director of the county’s tourism office. “Some of these boats cost $80,000 or $90,000 with all their electronics. They need a place to charge their boats.”
Summer Bay Orlando by Exploria Resorts in Clermont (Travelocity)
Hotels must invest at least $20 million to qualify for the grant program and have at least 75 rooms.
The county collects a 4 percent hotel bed tax on every dollar.
Ryan says visitors to Lake County can get a completely different experience from the hustle and bustle of Mickey Mouse and Interstate-4, like taking a ride on a sea plane in Tavares.
“Our motto is real Florida, real close,” he says.
One developer’s plans for two resorts in Wellness Way could end up qualifying for the new resort tax break.
QUALITY INN Leesburg, FL (Travelocity)
GT USA submitted plans this month for a master-planned community called Panther Run over 2,400 acres.
It includes two 600-room hotels, 700 multi-family units and a resort short-term residential rental units over 200 acres.
The company announced on its website that it paid $165 million for the property, advertising that it is “minutes from Disney.”
The 15,500-acre Wellness Way area was created with the county, city and state as an economic, job-creation spark plug, with the $100 million, 243-acre Olympus sports center as a key part of the vision.
Wellness Way (First Capital Property Group)
Olympus is designed as a sports, wellness, entertainment, and residential community.
Office and commercial, medical and research facilities are either on the drawing board or on Wellness Way wish lists.
On the lips of every hopeful official are the words “smart growth.”
County Commission Chairwoman Leslie Campione wants to create planning agreements with Leesburg in particular, which is exploding with growth, including The Villages.
County spokesman Jeff Foley said 1,000 residents recently responded to a survey about what they envisioned for the future.
“We’re working really, really hard on this,” Meg says.
Frank Stanfield has been a journalist for more than 40 years, including as an editor and reporter for the Daily Commercial, Orlando Sentinel and Ocala Star-Banner. He has written three books, “Unbroken: The Dorothy Lewis Story,” “Vampires, Gators and Wackos, A Florida Newspaperman’s Story,” and “Cold Blooded, A True Crime Story of a Murderous Teenage Cult.” He has appeared on numerous national and international broadcasts, including Discovery ID, Oxygen and Court TV. He maintains a blog at frankestanfield.com. Stanfield graduated with a political science degree from the University of North Florida and a master’s in journalism at the University of Georgia.
