Orange County and Orlando leaders moved closer Thursday to tapping out-of-towners' wallets to solve local problems.

The county and city mayors joined hoteliers and theme-park executives to announce a plan to raise the tourist tax and spend half the money on local facilities: a performing-arts center, a basketball arena and a renovated football stadium.

Industry representatives had been leaning toward backing the tax and formally pledged their support Thursday.

Orange Mayor Rich Crotty and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer also reached an agreement on how to split a proposed $2 surcharge on rental cars, deciding to give 50 cents of every $2 collected to the Lynx bus system.

Neither proposal is a sure thing. But local leaders have been working for years -- without success -- toward building new community facilities and finding a dependable source of funding for Lynx. The announcements mark the closest they've come yet to either goal.

The community facilities -- a new arts center, a new or renovated TD Waterhouse Centre and an upgraded Citrus Bowl -- would cost an estimated $850 million to $900 million. Most of the money would come from the tourist tax.

Crotty and Dyer say the 5 percent tax on hotel beds should be increased by a percentage point. On Thursday, Walt Disney World President Al Weiss, Universal Orlando CEO Bob Gault and leaders of the politically influential Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association agreed.

"This is the first time the tourism community has stepped up and said, `Let's use the tourist tax for community venues,' " Dyer said. "This is a critical moment."

The tourism industry would get something out of the deal, too. Under a proposal pushed by the mayors, half the money from the extra percentage point would be spent on advertising meant to bring more tourists to area theme parks and hotels. Tourism executives said those advertising dollars -- estimated at about $12.5 million a year -- are desperately needed.

"We must compete in Central Florida to keep our economy healthy," Gault said. "Tourism has not returned to pre-9-11 levels yet."

Here's how the deal would work: The civic projects and the tourism industry would each get a portion of the money from the start. In the first two years, the tourism industry would get a greater share to "jump-start" marketing campaigns.

At the same time, the money earmarked for the civic projects would allow the city to issue bonds that would finance their design and planning, and later, construction. The multiyear projects would entail several bond issues staggered over time, as funding is needed.

The industry's share of the tourist tax eventually would be reduced and the civic projects would get more, so it would average out to an even split.

But it's not a done deal. Only the County Commission can raise the tourist tax, and only by a yes vote by five of the seven commissioners. The city and county are still haggling over how to structure a financing package based on the existing 5 percent tax, most of which is spent to pay the mortgage on the Orange County Convention Center.

The rental-car money for Lynx also is far from certain. Though the Legislature approved the rental-car surcharge, Gov. Jeb Bush has not said whether he will veto it.

The surcharge, which would generate an estimated $34 million to $38 million a year, also would have to be approved by voters. For a referendum to make it onto the November ballot, the funding agreement must be approved by city and county commissioners within days. Dyer has scheduled a special City Council meeting Monday, and the County Commission will take it up Tuesday.

Still, Lynx officials reacted with joy to news that the agency could count on a predictable funding source rather than rely solely on the whims of local governments, which can change their contributions from year to year.

"Through four years on the Lynx board, I have tried to get funding sources dedicated to Lynx," chairman Atlee Mercer said. "This helps tremendously."

Jerry W. Jackson and John Kennedy of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Mark Schlueb can be reached at mschlueb@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5417.