Tax Watch

Jim Larkin is worried that no one is minding county politicians.

Larkin, the general manager of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Fort Myers, is one of a dozen hoteliers who recently formed the Lee County Hotel Association. “We want hoteliers to know what's going on with the bed tax,” says Larkin, who is the new association's president.

The Lee County hoteliers are worried the bed tax that pays for tourism marketing is becoming a tempting target for county politicians who have seen their general revenues trimmed by the economic downturn.