McKee's office confirms the tax collector is auditing Mission Inn's claims of a 26.3% revenue loss for the six months beginning Sept. 1, 2001. A new state law allows an extension, without a 3% penalty, if a hotel owner or tourist-related business can show it lost at least 25% in sales compared with the previous year and have an annual tax bill of at least $10,000.

In Mission Inn's case, however, the 1,000-acre, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL-based resort is claiming the revenue loss was suffered by a total 26 parcels involved in the hotel or tourist business. McKee has to show Lake commissioners by May 7 that Mission's Inn claim is valid, partially valid or not valid, his office tells GlobeSt.com.

Mission Inn is the first company in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties to request a tax payment extension, tax collectors in the four-county area tell GlobeSt.com. Members of the Buecher family, which owns and developed Mission Inn, couldn't be reached.