Flagler County tax collector reports FY25 revenue up 3%; steps to find unregistered short‑term rentals

Shelly Edmonson, Flagler County tax collector, told the Flagler County Tourist Development Council on Oct. 15 that final fiscal‑year 2025 collections for the tourist development tax totaled $4.4 million, roughly 3% higher than the prior year and about $113,000 above the county’s budget projection.

Edmonson gave the council a data briefing and described steps the tax office is taking to identify unregistered short‑term rental (STR) operators. She said the office switched scraping vendors Oct. 1 to try to improve detection of unlisted or mis‑reported units and will return to the council with more comparative data at a future meeting. “We just started with them the first of this fiscal year, so just a few weeks ago. I don’t have much to report right now,” Edmonson said.

The tax collector reminded owners that County Ordinance 2018‑10 requires a local business tax receipt and a tourist development tax account to operate a short‑term rental in Flagler County. Edmonson explained the local business tax receipt is an annual certificate that expires Sept. 30 and carries a $7.50 per unit fee; the tourist‑tax account is managed through a secure, confidential portal used to file and pay monthly or quarterly collections.

Edmonson detailed recent enforcement activity: five enforcement actions to date, two tax warrants filed on properties, three pending tax warrants being prepared, and 17 accounts currently under investigation. She said the office will place tax warrants on properties when warranted. On community outreach, Edmonson said the tax office displays information in lobbies, highlights compliance at public events and maintains an anonymous reporting button that generates about two to three reports a month.

Council members asked operational questions. When asked about the new scraping vendor’s start date, Edmonson confirmed Oct. 1 and said initial samples looked similar to the county’s prior vendor but that the new vendor may produce more usable reports. Members also asked whether municipal requirements for business tax receipts should be included in outreach materials; Edmonson said the tax office will add municipal variations to its presentation and directs callers to flaglertax.gov for specific steps.

The tax office’s update also included a snapshot of account types and rental zones across Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and unincorporated Flagler County and a note that the county’s rental account list decreased slightly after management‑company cleanup of inactive listings.

The council accepted the consent agenda — which included the financial reports that Edmonson referenced — at the start of the meeting.