local County tourism development taxes (bed tax)

[Cathy811]

Santa Rosa county FL no longer (eff 6/1/21) accepting Airbnb payments since they refuse to provide the physical address for the remitted taxes. However, Airbnb continues to collect the local bed taxes, but won’t respond to my inquiries over the past 20 days.  Highly illegal and unethical to collect them and not payout to the Host. Anyone else have a similar issue, and if so, how did Airbnb fix the issue. No response after 20 days….totally unacceptable!!  They are still remitting FL State taxes, but not local taxes. Do they intend to keep these $$??  We paid out of pocket so we weren’t delinquent. Maybe time to hire an Attorney?  

[Lorna170]

@Cathy811   You need to get an attorney who will at a minimum, deliver documentation to the County that AirBnB has collected the taxes on your behalf, has not disbursed them to you, and that you are reporting your income properly.  Be advised that the County will not care and will probably demand that you pay your taxes, even though you did not receive the money.  It may take several months for AirBnB to straighten out their programming -- your attorney will have better advice in that respect.

[Cathy811]

Thanks Lorna!  

[Cathy811]

I filed arbitration against Airbnb with AAA, per Airbnb's own instructions; paid the $200 (my part), and now Airbnb has missed the 2 deadlines issued by AAA to pay their part of $300.  The cc'd letter I got from AAA said if Airbnb doesn't pay their part by a date that has already passed, the case will be dropped.  How can this be legal; not to mention ethical?  Airbnb collects thousands and thousands of $$ from travelers in Tourist Development taxes; does not pay them to the County, nor do they pay us as the Host, so that we can in turn pay the county ourselves (of course we already paid out-of-pocket).  What is my next step since they hav'nt replied to either of the 2 letters to them by AAA?  I've already contacted the State Attorney General, so is that next, small claims court, etc?  Please advise.  Have tried working with Airbnb's CS for months, to no avail.  They not only owe me, but many many others in my same County.  Maybe reporting them to the FTC too?  I will not let this drop since it's now become the principle of the matter and not just the $$.  

[Cathy811]

Oh, and I already delievered the documentation to the County, and they won't do anything either.  Santa Rosa County Florida