While winter slowly turns into spring, another seasonal change is taking place in Northwest Florida. The annual migration of snowbirds is coming to an end with a large group of the winter visitors leaving last month and the season officially wrapping up March 31.
The Destin Snowbird Association, the single largest snowbird association in the area, had 2,196 members this year, 217 more than last year. This year, snowbirds flocked to Destin from 38 states and nine Canadian provinces and they came from as far away as Alaska.
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Our lodging people say the bookings are much, much better than they?ve been for the last two years,? said Darrel Jones, executive director of the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council.
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Bed tax collections in Okaloosa County were down 18 percent in March of last year compared to March 2008, where as last April was up 7.9 percent from the previous year. Jones said the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 was up for bed tax collections and he expected that to continue with spring break.
?It?s as good or better than it?s been the past two years. That?s refreshing,? Jones said.
Walton County also saw a large reduction, more than 11 percent, in the amount of bed taxes it collected during spring break last year.
?Last spring break was a tough one,? said Tracy Louthain, director of communications for the Beaches of South Walton.
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Louthain said she expected this year?s spring break to have a slight increase compared to last year?s numbers. She said the rental agencies in the area are reporting strong bookings and inquiries so far this year.
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The influx of students for spring break does lead to more work for area law enforcement. The Okaloosa County Sheriff?s Office works with area condominium and hotel managers and meets regularly on how the two groups can help each other out.
Last year during spring break, the sheriff?s office issued 542 citations for underage possession of alcohol. That was up from 267 citations from 2008.
