Renner, Hansen Town Hall Meeting to Address Vacation Rentals, Dunes Restoration
The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 25 at the Hammock Community Center, 79 MalaCompra Road.
PALM COAST, FL – March 23, 2017 – State Representative Paul Renner and County Commissioner Greg Hansen will hold a Saturday town hall meeting to address two critical issues facing Hammock residents: short-term vacation rentals and beach restoration.
“There are so many of our residents who are concerned about whether we will continue to have local control or if there will be state preemption,” Hansen said. “Representative Renner and I spoke and decided it would be good for the two of us to have this town hall meeting following the two recent votes of the House and Senate in Tallahassee.”
The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 25 at the Hammock Community Center, 79 MalaCompra Road.
In addition to discussing short-term vacation rentals, Hansen and Renner will address the proposed plans and funding for beach restoration. The meeting is open to the public.
Homerulefl.com
Dear Senator,
Senate Bill 188 and House bill 425 is an overreach of State powers. I have not heard one local municipality state that vacation rentals are not vital. Here is the problem. When Senate bill 883 was passed in 2011 eliminating local control you also took away local zoning the was in place to protect single family communities. Where our children grow up and play. Where our grandchildren visit. Where families enjoy their properties in peace.
2011 Senate bill 883 open up our neighbors to businesses that where destructive to our communities. The vacation industry and AIRBNB, HOMEAWAY and VRBO fed our legislature a story of the poor family that needs the extra income to pay the mortgage. Must vacation rentals are owned by investors with no intent to settle down in these dwellings.
Senate bill 883 open all our neighborhoods that where not protect prior to June 2011 to unregulated businesses. These outside investors began buying up the distress properties and started building 8 -10 bedroom homes with the intent to operate a public lodging establishment. They also bought short sells. Converting four bedroom homes to eight bedrooms without filing permits with occupancies exceeding 20. These dwellings are no longer homes. They are illegal hotels.They are used for transient activities just like a hotel, bed and breakfast or motel. All of these public lodging establishments use a licensing agreement. They are not rentals or leases. A rental or a lease transfers property rights to the tenant. A licensing agreement does not.
Let’s take a look at a single family home that license their home to a bed and breakfast. This dwelling is now a transient public lodging establishment business. They have change the activity of the use of this structure. It is now referred to as a bed and breakfast. Their certificate of occupancy reflects this change. The dwelling is no longer being used for a permanent occupancy it is now transient. This dwelling is limited by local zoning where it could operate and be built. It is now a business. It is also subject to State fire safety inspections twice a year, in most cases it is required to be sprinklered, it also must have in place the requirements for ADA compliance and paid the appropriate taxes.
What makes a vacation rental different? It was built as a one family dwelling. It now holds a license designating it a public lodging establishment. It is a business and required to comply with the Florida State Fire code 69a-43. This dwelling is no longer being used for a permanent occupancy. The activity in this structure has changed. Why are vacation rentals ( aka, Resort Dwellings) not subject to the same regulations that any other public lodging establishment must follow?
The 2014 Senate bill was put in place after the vacation industry agree to accept these terms. The ordinances that would put in place after 2014 have been vetted by the proper stake holders in each local community. These vacation rentals have not been prohibited. Tourism has increase since the 2014 Senate Bill.
House Representative LaRosa example of overreach in Miami does not hold water. There ordinance in place was adopted prior to 2011. The increase of violation fees was due to the locality realizing that a vacation rental being license for 25K per week would not be deterred by a 500 dollar fine. This is how a local government should operate. They react to their local issues. In addition no other county, city or town is known to levy such fines and Miami excesses can be dealt with in court.
Also Senator Stube bill would not effect HOA’s but their are new bills submitted this session that will prevent HOA’s from regulating vacation rentals. That is 2017 Senate bill 1186. This bill needs to be defeated also.
I am asking you to rethink this. The state has more important issues at hand. But this issue should be handle by our local officials. Each city, county and towns have unique situation. One size does not fit all. The only citizens that lost their property rights where the ones that built or bought homes prior to Senate bill 883 in 2011 when this bill removed our protection thru zoning.
The vacation rental industry is not interested in our communities. They are only concerned about their business model. You are supposed to be representing us, the voter. This is not a property rights issue. If this was a property rights issue why are you allowing cities, counties and towns that did pass ordinances prior to 2011 that prohibit vacation rentals stay in place? The current bill does not prohibit vacation rentals it only regulates the activity.
Thank you,
Ronald J. Boyce
Retired FDNY Battalion Chief
Certified Florida Fire Safety Inspector