Vacation rentals debate heats up in Indian Rocks Beach | Beaches

INDIAN ROCKS Beach — The line to talk at a Nov. 15 conference on small-time period rentals stretched from the front of the Town Corridor auditorium to the back again and out the doorway, as hundreds confirmed up to vent on the incredibly hot-button issue.

In the course of the direct-up to the conference, members of a grassroots group opposed to the explosion of holiday rentals in the metropolis continuously urged town leaders to tackle the “cancer in their community” and suppress difficulties connected with “transient housing,” citing sounds, trash and parking troubles.

But several who arrived out spoke in protection of holiday rentals. Numerous urged for an conclude to the name-contacting and for a cooperative hard work to get the job done collectively and obtain remedies.

“I very own a small-term rental and I really don’t want the lousy factors there possibly,” Steve Van Leeuwen claimed early in the 3 1/2-hour assembly. “But I want to protect us. We make for an simple concentrate on.”

Van Leeuwen said the industry can help the barrier island’s economic system. 

“People really do not understand what small-term rentals do for the group,” he explained.

Van Leeuwen included that 6{0b5b04b8d3ad800b67772b3dcc20e35ebfd293e6e83c1a657928cfb52b561f97} of the scheduling fees go to the metropolis “right off the top” and famous most people store and eat locally.

“And I acquire situation with the identify ‘transients,’” he said. “These persons are travelers. They spend money right here.”

That sentiment turned a common theme as three-dozen speakers took the microphone, with some supplying likely solutions to an situation that absolutely everyone agreed is not going absent.

“This fee cannot outright outlaw brief-expression rentals,” Metropolis Legal professional Randy Mora said in his opening remarks. “It is not an option to us in 2022.”

Longtime resident Bob Copeland cited a point out statute with regards to getaway rentals that he said could direct to stricter restrictions for the industry statewide.

“My memo supplies a apparent route for the metropolis to get out of this trouble by basically making use of the principles less than the statutes,” reported Copeland, who directed the memo to the town lawyer and Metropolis Supervisor Gregg Mims.

Copeland claimed he found a 2015 Flagler County scenario that was upheld on attractiveness and provides county officials the capacity “to control something other than for frequency and duration” of shorter-phrase rental promotions.

He extra: “These statute provisions established a lessen bar for enforcement than the guidelines relating to those people issues for the typical general public in a residential region. The point out set a specific regulation to management incorrect habits in general public lodging. … When these investors decided to invest in a assets as a (small-time period rental) they have picked out to convert it from a household use to a industrial use. And the business zoning, fire, and security codes are substantially better than household.” 

Copeland mentioned people codes include mandatory fire suppression and escape devices, specific inspections of balconies, railways and stairs for buildings about 3 tales superior. He mentioned there also can be larger town service fees and necessary fences, visitor registers and maximum occupancy boundaries.

“I would undertaking to say there are multiple rentals that are not in compliance,” Copeland stated.

To that level, Pinellas County Fire & Rescue District Chief Jeffrey Davidson explained the department is operating on generating an ordinance relevant to hearth-basic safety polices that would piggyback with the city’s regulations.

“We’ve been operating for months on an ordinance we want to enact districtwide,” Davidson claimed, noting the legislation would enable the section to inspect professional lodging and “make absolutely sure they are adhering to the code” when it will come to hearth suppression, smoke alarms and other regulations.

Davidson said they also could “make recommendations” concerning occupancy and “we can perform with the metropolis to determine any troubles.”

Right after a town of Largo code enforcement officer spoke about the hardships of imposing laws, Redington Seaside Mayor David Will mentioned they “have the identical problems” in his town and urged citizens to continue to keep contacting their condition legislators in Tallahassee who have “handcuffed” the community lawmakers. 

“Local voices need to be generating local decisions,” Will claimed, introducing there is a bill getting introduced this legislative session “that will return your ability to weigh in on zoning (so) remember to don’t give up on that.”

“This is my 14th 12 months up right here and this is something we have to dwell with,” IRB Commissioner Phil Hanna mentioned, “Florida Statute 509 is where this stuff is slipped in, so there absolutely is a pathway, and together we can get this to transpire.”

Mayor Cookie Kennedy, who observed point out Sen. Ed Hooper was in attendance and is “on our side” of the challenge, explained the fee is going to produce a letter recommending the fireplace department’s ordinance “so they can get moving on that appropriate absent.”

Kennedy famous the metropolis has hired a next code enforcement officer to address rentals and is on the lookout to retain the services of a magistrate to tackle the conditions. She also instructed the town manager to start addressing items like optimum occupancy, company tax licensing, public facts campaigns and escalating expenses and fines.

The mayor also thanked all people, together with “the great getaway rental owners,” for doing the job toward the betterment of the neighborhood.

“All the beach front mayors agree on this difficulty,” she extra.