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Here’s a great article that reveals the hypocrisy behind these Vacation Rental bills. Note the contradictory statements from the bill’s co-sponsor, Sabatini: “Sabatini said people should be able to do what they liked with their property and if a city wanted to pass laws limiting visitors or noise levels in a community, it cannot single-out…

The House Regulatory Reform Committee advanced HB 219 on February 10, 2021 by a narrow 10-7. Two “yes” votes stated that they would vote “no” in later committees unless improvements are made to the bill. Had those members voted “no” last week – the bill would have died. SB 522 goes before the Senate Regulated…

A years-long effort to block local governments from regulating vacation rentals is on the move again, as House and Senate leaders revive a proposal to prevent cities and counties from inspecting and licensing properties offered on platforms such as Airbnb. In a 10-7 vote on Wednesday, the House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee gave an initial nod…

Florida Sen. Manny Diaz (R-Hialeah) and Florida Rep. Jason Fischer (R-Jacksonville) are once again trying to take away local governments’ ability to regulate vacation rentals and vacation rental advertising. During the Jan. 14 meeting, Anna Maria commissioners authorized Murphy to use $3,640 of the city’s funds to partner with and upgrade the existing Home Rule…

The Florida Legislature doesn’t go into session until March 2, but committees started meeting this week and bills are being filed. The early stuff already is happening. And that means local governments around the state can start worrying about what’s ahead in the 2021 session. Already a bill has been filed to take away local…

It’s back. Again. Of course. Legislation to prohibit counties and cities from monitoring and controlling the impact of short-term rentals in their communities has been a high priority for huge corporations such as AirBnB and VRBO for more than a decade, and they’ve made it clear they will keep pushing until they have scored a…

Local governments are trying to address complaints about vacation rentals through new regulations, attempting to strike a balance between respecting property rights and protecting quality of life. St. Johns County has an ordinance on the way, and the city of St. Augustine has already begun enforcing new rules.

If one Florida senator gets his way, local governments may soon lose control over one ever-expanding industry: short-term rentals. Florida Senate Bill 522 was filed by Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah Gardens, in January and has been referred to the Regulated Industries, Commerce and Tourism and Rules committees. The bill essentially turns over the regulation,…