SARASOTA, Fla.-- Airbnb rentals are spreading rapidly. The company’s site says it offers 5 million unique listings in 81,000 cities.
But not all cities allow nightly rental of owner-occupied properties, including Sarasota.
City commissioners will take up the one-week short-term rental ordinance Monday night. One city leader wants to tweak it and allow nightly rentals.
Mark, an Airbnb landlord who asked we don’t use his last name, rents out two rooms through the app at his historic Sarasota home north of downtown.
“We’re ‘super hosts,’” he says.
As with most Airbnb properties, the price per night is under $80. Times two rooms, it adds up.
“We’ve had 1,000 guests. 600 reviews and 5 stars,” says Mark.
But is Mark following the city’s one-week minimum short-term rental rule? He says it doesn’t apply to him because his is not a rental property.
Rental landlords are "using that house as a business … with us it’s an owner-occupied Airbnb listing; we rent one room,” says Mark. He adds it’s not a hotel or bed and breakfast -- it’s his home.
According to a commissioner, Mark’s Airbnb is one of 250 in the city.
“Right now people are blatantly getting around Sarasota’s one-week minimum rule. Imagine if we open it up to the Airbnb of the worlds?” says Bob Thill, a homeowner in Lido Shores on Lido Key.
That may just happen. Thill says he’s among 200 homeowners in the Lido Shores community of Lido Key who will attend tonight’s city commission meeting to stop it from happening.
“Enforcement can be a complete nightmare. We think it will disrupt the character of our neighborhood,” says Thill.
"No it’s not a problem," says Mark. “We’re able to help the economy locally.”
Thill's response: “Keep our residential neighborhood residential.”
Commissioners will not vote on changing the rule Monday but could direct city staff to look further into it and report back.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now.
Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
