PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Tomorrow is the last day of the Florida legislative session, and a bill is now headed to the governor's desk for signature. The bill, SB 280, creates statewide regulations for short-term rentals, like Airbnb's and VRBO's.
Tourism contributes more than 100 billion dollars to Florida's tourism economy each year, according to Visit Florida; all of those tourists need a place to stay.
Regulating short-term rentals has created a divide in communities like Indian Rocks Beach. Some residents feel partying and parking became such a problem that local laws were needed. On the flip side, rental property owners say the regulations were impossible to comply with in some cases.
"You know, what local ordinances do? What I've seen in my experience here is there's a set of rules for thee and not for me," resident Matthew Barrowclough said. "And that mentality is dangerous, because it starts to put neighbor against neighbor for no good reason."
Barrowclough lives in Indian Rocks Beach and owns properties he rents out on a short-term basis. He supports Senate Bill 280. Through the bill, short-term rental regulations will be standardized on a state level. The bill will also create a statewide database for short-term rental properties.
"State Bill 280, essentially says, 'okay, we're gonna have kind of one complete rule over the state.' That will empower property owners to understand how do we operate with our within the state," Barrowclough said.
When Indian Rocks Beach created its local ordinances on short-term rental regulations, it was easy to know where neighbors stood. Yard signs were planted throughout Indian Rocks Beach residential areas that read "homes not hotels!" or "IRB ♡'s tourists."
Local leaders say this legislation is an overstep, taking away local control.
"I believe that it is an overstep as far as our local governance, and what we do as a city, because we're closest to our residents, to our residential community," Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Cookie Kennedy said.
Kennedy said she's got nothing against short-term rentals, but she doesn't believe a one-size-fits-all approach will work.
"It's disheartening. We worked in our city over six months, trying to put together a code that is good for our residential community," Kennedy said.
If SB 280 passes, portions of some local ordinances may be superseded. A recent change to the law before its final passage grandfathers in vacation home ordinances that were passed before June 1, 2011.
The bill also provides funding for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to hire 9 new employees to implement and enforce this bill.
If signed into law by the governor, the bill will go into effect on July 1.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
