2016–2025 Comparison

This analysis compares Nassau County Tourist Development Tax (TDT / bed tax) collections with
Florida statewide visitor totals over the past decade. While these metrics measure different
things (local lodging revenue vs. visitor volume), together they illustrate how a small,
capacity-limited island market compares to Florida’s statewide tourism engine.

Nassau County TDT Collections (Fiscal Years)

Estimated from Nassau County TDC / CVB reports and long-term trends

• FY 2016: ~$6.46M
• FY 2017: ~$6.82M (+5.6%)
• FY 2018: ~$7.30M (+7.0%)
• FY 2019: ~$7.78M (+6.5%)
• FY 2020: ~$7.38M (−5.2%, COVID impact)
• FY 2021: ~$8.51M (+15.2%, rebound)
• FY 2022: ~$11.39M (+33.9%, post-COVID surge)
• FY 2023: ~$11.54M (+1.3%)
• FY 2024: ~$11.54M (~0%)
• FY 2025: ~$11.99M (+3.9% est.)

10-Year Change:
~$6.46M → ~$11.99M (~+86% total growth)
Average annual growth: ~6.6%
Last 3 years: ~1–2% annually (clear flattening trend)

Florida Statewide Visitors (Calendar Years)

Visit Florida official visitation data

• 2016: ~112.0M
• 2017: ~116.5M (+4.0%)
• 2018: ~126.0M (+8.2%)
• 2019: ~131.0M (+4.0%)
• 2020: ~79.4M (−39.4%, COVID impact)
• 2021: ~122.0M (+53.7%, rebound)
• 2022: ~137.6M (+12.8%)
• 2023: ~140.6M (+2.3%)
• 2024: ~143.0M (+1.7%, record high)
• 2025: On pace for 150M+ visitors

10-Year Change:
~112M → ~143M (~+28% total growth)
Average annual growth: ~5.4%

What the 10-Year Data Shows

• Nassau County experienced steady growth pre-COVID, a dip in 2020, and a sharp rebound in 2021–2022.
• Growth has flattened over the last 2–3 years, signaling capacity limits rather than decline.
• Florida continues to grow because it has scale, infrastructure, and geographic diversity.

Bottom Line

Amelia Island benefited from Florida’s tourism recovery — but the data shows it has reached a
natural ceiling. Flat growth is not failure. It is the expected outcome for a small,
high-demand barrier island.

Florida can keep adding visitors.
Amelia Island doesn’t need to.

Quality stays > quantity crowds.