Sarasota County is the ninth-most active county in Florida when it comes to short-term rentals by the online company Airbnb. Hosts earned six-point-seven million dollars in rental income in 2016. And the county could soon be getting a piece of the action. The Herald-Tribune reports the county is close to an agreement with Airbnb to collect the local tourist development tax on its rentals. The ongoing argument has been that Airbnb has an unfair advantage over hotels and other short-term renters who have to pay the tax. As of now, there is no timeline for the county commission to approve what’s being called a Voluntary Collection Agreement.
