Tourist Development Tax collections were down by 5.9 percent last November when compared to November 2017, according to new numbers published by Sarasota County Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates. The November decline follows a 12 percent decline between October 2017 and last October. The Tourist Development Tax (popularly known as a "bed tax") is a 5 percent charge on revenue from rentals that last six months or less. The revenue is used to promote tourism, maintain beaches, support the arts and more. Last November, the tax collector's office collected just under $1.2 million in Tourist Development Tax revenue, compared to over $1.2 million in November 2017.