Dear Friends in the Community:
As the president of the Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS – the voice of real estate in our region — I feel it is important to alert you to an issue that poses great concern to a variety of stakeholders within our community. As you may know, the 2024 legislative session has ended, and during that time Florida lawmakers passed Senate Bill 280 – Vacation Rentals, which will have a negative bearing on the rights of private property owners. As such, we encourage your readers to encourage Governor DeSantis to veto this bill when it reaches his desk for the following reasons:
- The bill creates a “Tax” on short-term rental owners by allowing local governments to charge unlimited fees for registrations, renewals, and inspections.
- The bill fails to define “material” violations allowing local governments to suspend or revoke vacation rentals for minor infractions.
- The bill forces short-term rental owners to appeal disciplinary actions through the court system.
- The bill does not provide consumer protections to current or future short-term renters by notifying them that a rental has been suspended or revoked, leading to potential rental agreement violations.
- The bill arbitrarily limits occupancy levels which will cause large groups to reconsider vacationing in Florida.
Vacation rentals need to be regulated, but that regulation needs to be done in a fair and balanced way. This bill does not accomplish that. By vetoing this bill, Governor DeSantis will allow lawmakers and stakeholders more time to work together towards a better balance of private property rights and local government regulation of short-term rentals.
Rory Dubin
2024 President of the Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS®
