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First Public Hearing to Consider Ordinance Regarding Short-Term Vacation Rentals; Creating New Section 6 of Code, Appendix A, Article III, to be Entitled, Requirements for Short-Term Vacation Rentals; Providing for Regulations of Short-Term Vacation Rentals Consistent With F.S. Chapter 633 and are Comparable With Those That State Applies to Other Transient Public Lodging Establishments
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
I. Prior Board Direction
On February 3, 2026, the Planning Department presented a proposed ordinance to adopt land development regulations for short-term vacation rentals to the Board for discussion purposes. That proposed ordinance was based on the one adopted by Pinellas County.
At the agenda item's conclusion, the Board reached a consensus that it did not want to move forward with that proposed ordinance. The Board members expressed their concerns that certain provisions contained therein were too draconian. Specific provisions that Commissioners objected to included regulating peer-to-peer/platform entities (e.g., AirBNB, etc.), requiring operators to obtain a certificate of use from the County, delegating too much discretion to the Administrative Official to grant such certificates, requiring insurance coverages above those provided by traditional homeowners' or renter's policies, requiring operators to disclose their occupancy rates, requiring inspections on demand, requiring operators to post certain information in their properties, and requiring responsible parties to inquire into a prospective tenant's sexual offender/predator status. Instead, the Board reached a new consensus that Staff should redraft the ordinance to adopt the licensure and inspection standards adopted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for transient public lodging establishments. Multiple opponents of the prior, proposed ordinance expressed their belief that DBPR's regulations were appropriate, but that DBPR did not aggressively e...
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