In 2015, the Hillsborough County Hotel & Motel Association (HCHMA) leadership began to research the potential of creating a fresh approach to destination marketing in Hillsborough County. The problem, although the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) continued to show growth, the uses of the fund were stretched and limited in its flexibility and continually under annual state legislative attack.

Over the next two years, the HCHMA leadership not only internally, but also externally through the Civitas Consulting Group and Visit Tampa Bay, focused on an answer that would appear to serve as a strategic shift in local destination marketing.

The HCHMA leadership analyzed the TMSBD's central concept, that supplemental room nights can be generated by an industry directed fund that can more efficiently generate hotel growth. One key element of the HCHMA leadership's vision was to identify a solution to the market's occupancy weak periods. The TMSBD in multiple examples across the country seemed to offer a hotel funded strategy, through a public/ private partnership structure with local government, as a source of growth of sales tax revenue, employment stability, new room night generation and marketing flexibility.

In 2018 and after revision by Tampa City Council in 2020, after a lawsuit challenging the legal basis of the original ordinance by the State of Florida Speaker of the House, the City of Tampa, the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office and the HCHMA launched Florida's first TMSBD. The funding basis - full hotel underwriting on a prorated assessment formula driven by the # of rooms per participating hotel.

The TMSBD is governed by a thirteen member board of directors comprised of hoteliers from the City of Tampa. The board oversees the careful stewardship of TMSBD dollars to create strong, measurable results in attracting tourism activity, increasing overnight stays and growing Tampa’s tourism market share.

The Downtown/Historic Ybor Tourism Marketing Special Benefit District (TMSBD) Governance Structure has been established to provide a two‐step assessment and approval structure. All marketing campaigns and related budgets will require the approval of the TMSBD Governance Sub‐committee. This committee will be empowered to oversee any and all digital marketing campaigns as well as evaluation of any prospective conventions that are eligible for support through the convention concession program.