INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — County Budget Director Jason Brown gave his quarterly budget report to the county commission today. Brown said tourism has been the brightest spot in the county economy with tourist tax revenue up 12.4 percent at the end of the third quarter of the 2011-12 fiscal year.
Sales tax revenue is up more than 5 percent compared with the prior fiscal year at the same point and income from impact fees increased slightly according to Brown, indicating a degree of economic recovery.
Brown said the privatization of beach park maintenance will save the county $165,000 this year and that the golf course and building departments, both enterprise funds, are doing well, with revenue ahead of last year.
“There were a few shocks, including the cost of fuel,” Brown said, summing up, “but over-all we are about where we expected to be.
Later in the meeting Commissioner Peter O’Bryan reported more positive economic news in his update from the from the September 5 meeting of the Treasure Coast Council of Governments.
“The good news is unemployment is down, year-over-year, in all 67 counties in Florida, and consumer sentiment in the state is up,” said O’Bryan.
On a less positive note he said unemployment had ticked up in the most recent month compared to the month before.