Florida sues internet travel companies

TALLAHASSEE - The state of Florida is after millions of dollars it claims some Internet travel companies are taking out of the state.

Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum sued two of the companies -- Expedia and Orbitz -- Tuesday, claiming they have failed to reimburse Florida millions of tax dollars collected on hotel room rentals made through one of the online companies.

The lawsuit states that while the companies have been collecting the taxes from consumers, they have remitted only a portion of them back to Florida, keeping the rest as profit.

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, a Democrat, applauded McCollum's decision to sue the companies. Sink and McCollum are each seeking their respective party's nomination for governor.