ORLANDO-Area hoteliers may not have enjoyed a banner September occupancy month but they had a banner season over a 12-month period beginning in October 2004, according to final statistics compiled by Orange County comptroller Martha Haynie.

Tourist tax collections on occupied hotel and motel rooms in September were the lowest of the year at $6.67 million but set a record $120 million for the county's full 12-month fiscal period that ended Sept. 30, Haynie says. The previous high mark was $111 million collected in 2004.

The 5% tax levied by Orange County on guests occupying the area's 116,000 hotel and motel rooms, along with other short-term rentals, started in 1979 when the room tax was 3%.

Haynie's staff had budgeted collections of $7 million for September but the $6.67 million came in 5.9% below budget and 17.7% below the September 2004 collections mark of $8.11 million. Haynie called this year's September collections "somewhat disappointing" but was pleased with the year's overall performance.

Twelve months ago, her staff projected a total $108 million would be collected in fiscal 2005. That would have been $3 million under the $111 million collected in 2004. The record $120 million this year was 11.1% over Haynie's budgeted amount.

The comptroller's final fiscal year figures show February and March as the best collection months with $11.5 million in February and $14.3 million in March. August, September and December were the slowest collection periods with $6.67 million in September, $8 million in August and $8.65 million in December 2004.