Visit Orlando, credited with helping build Central Florida into the nation’s top vacation place, might have misappropriated nearly $20 million in tourist-tax revenue by improperly classifying the money as private rather than public funds, Orange County auditors say.

“It’s very hard to parse out from the records which funds are which,” said assistant comptroller Wendy Kittleson, who raised the possibility Tuesday during a three-hour public discussion of Visit Orlando’s spending practices with the Board of County Commissioners.

She stressed the $19.9 million figure was an estimate based on Visit Orlando’s private revenues dating back to 2019. The tourist agency’s public revenues are subject to stricter spending rules than those private funds.

The guess flabbergasted Casandra Matej, presid

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