A VICTORY FOR HOME RULE
On 12.16.2016 Florida State State Senator Greg Steube introduced a bill, Senate Bill 188 (SB-188), relating to Florida vacation rentals, such that: “A local law, ordinance, or regulation may not restrict the use of vacation rentals, prohibit vacation rentals or regulate vacation rentals based solely on their classification, use or occupancy. This paragraph does not apply to any local law, ordinance or regulation adopted on or before June 1, 2011.”
Vero Communique provided detail on SB-188 in an article published on 3.31.2017.
Kerri McNulty, an assistant city attorney for Miami, said that: “We view it as an attack on home rule. (Emphasis added) We are being inundated with calls from our residential neighborhoods who are complaining about these short term rentals which are essentially businesses…We need to be able to regulate them.”
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, a Democrat, said the rentals bill is one of a number of examples of the Republican Legislature’s contempt for home rule.
“Its an all-out assault on local government and our ability to self-govern,” Buckhhorn said, “and this is coming from the same people who say the government that’s closest to the people is the most effective. That would be us.”
On 1.24.17 Florida State Representative Mike Larose and introduced a companion bills, House Bill 425 (HB-425), which passed in the house.
Had Senator Steube’s SB-188 passed both would had nullified the regulations adopted by the Indian River County for short-term rentals on June 21, 2016.
But on 5.5.2017 SB-188 was “indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration.”
On 5.8.2017 it “died on calendar.”
We need to keep an eye on this because Senator Steube will surely be back with another Senate Bill.
According to a headline in the Bradenton Herald on 5.10.2017, “It died on calendar this legislative session. But Sen. Greg Steube plans to revisit vacation rental bill next year.”
Read more here:
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article149762969.html#storylink=cpy
Vero Communiqué 