CS/HB 833 (Duggan) is a comprehensive bill relating to short term rentals (STRs). Of interest to municipal operations, the bill:
- Standardizes what local governments can require as part of a local registration program
- Provides new enforcement measures to suspend or revoke licenses for noncompliance
- Places significant new enforcement responsibilities on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and new accountability measures on advertising platforms
- Maintains the grandfather for ordinances adopted prior to June 1, 2011.
CS/HB 833 will be considered by the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, April 12 at 3:00 pm (EST).
The League has identified 3 main concerns with the bill:
- Arbitrary Registration fees – The bill caps registrations fee at $50 for an individual unit and $100 for collective registrations (this could include up to 75 houses or units at various locations). These fees will not cover the cost of inspection and enforcement, forcing cities to subsidize this with taxpayer dollars. Please support amending HB 833 to allow cities to charge a reasonable fee that will cover the cost to run the registration program.
- Occupancy Limits - The bill restricts the ability of local governments to limit occupancy. Almost every negative secondary impact seen in residential neighborhoods from short-term rentals stems from occupancy. The number of people staying in a vacation rental directly impacts the amount of noise, trash produced, and the number of cars in the driveway, on the street, or in the yard. Many existing ordinances limit occupancy to two people per bedroom plus an additional two (4 bedroom house = maximum occupancy of 10), or the occupancy is tied to the square footage of the dwelling (1 person per 200 sq. ft.). If cities are prohibited from addressing occupancy, please include a reasonable statewide standard for occupancy.
- Improve State Enforcement of STRs – CS/HB 833 places significant new responsibilities on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) by requiring the agency to direct advertising platforms to remove unlicensed listings. This language needs to be strengthened to ensure compliance. Violations of state law should be taken seriously and enforced accordingly, and DBPR must have the resources to do so.
