Pasco County is looking to tweak its vacation rental rules, to make them more applicable to today’s times.
The issue came up during the public comment portion of the Pasco County Commission’s May 18 meeting.
Nancy Thrower, who lives in Hudson, asked the board to amend the county’s ordinance that governs vacation rentals.
“I’m here today to request that you begin the process to amend the current Pasco County ordinance governing vacation rentals.
“As you know, the current Pasco County vacation rental ordinance, enacted way back in 1999, restricts vacation rentals to 30 days or more, unless community owners file a petition with 51% owner support to change the minimum to six days instead,” Thrower said.
“It would be to our whole county’s benefit to update this ordinance, as soon as possible, because right now, Pasco County is losing out on much-needed revenue.
“It is out of reach financially for most families to take 30 days off, in a row, for summer vacation.
“Pasco County businesses are also missing out on tourist revenue.
“We all know that COVID-19 really stressed our economy.
“The extra revenue generated from updating this ordinance would go a long way to helping local businesses continue getting back on their feet, and then prosper going forward.
“Our county businesses will definitely see an increase in customers, with this change, as it will help extend our tourist season.
“Third, investors are losing money.
“Many condo owners purchase their properties to enjoy themselves and use them as vacation rentals to help pay for them until they retire,” she told commissioners.
She said that changing the ordinance would be a step toward supporting local businesses.
“Passing an ordinance of no less than six days is sufficient to keep condo complexes and other associations from competing with hotels, while unburdening private businesses, so all can prosper.
“My ask is that you change the current 30-day Pasco County Vacation Rental Ordinance to a six-day minimum.
“Please empower homeowner associations and property owners with the right to propose a longer minimum stay for their own properties, if they so choose. Please amend this ordinance to make it less restrictive on our personal property rights, and help our local businesses thrive,” Thrower said.
Commissioners do not respond to speakers during the public comment period of their meetings, but later in the meeting, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said that the issues raised by Thrower are valid.
Starkey said there are vacation rentals all over the place in Gulf Harbors, and the county’s current ordinance is not working.
“I don’t think we can code enforce our way out of the new reality of short-term rental. So, in my opinion, we need to have rules in place that we can enforce. But we can’t enforce anything, when they’re not allowed.
“I think our short-term rental ordinance needs to go and we need to put rules in place — fire, safety.
“We need to manage them, and right now we’re not.
“So, I think we should talk about short-term rentals,” said Starkey.
Commissioner Jack Mariano said: “It is something we need to address. I think we need to scrap the ordinance, start afresh. And start allowing people to do this, as quick as we can. A new set of rules.”
County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder told the board: “You’ve got a 1999 ordinance that predated when the Legislature changed the rules and said anyone that had an ordinance in place at the time that they passed their legislation could keep it. But once you start playing with it, you lose that grandfather.
“The Legislature has taken away your ability to adopt a new one (vacation rental ordinance).
“If you scrap the ordinance, you scrap it.
Starkey added: “Right, we lose our grandfather.”
One option is to simply get out of the business, Steinsnyder said.
Mariano suggested: “Maybe we need to do an agenda item and we can discuss it.”
Starkey added: “Get tourism involved.”
Commissioner Mike Moore agrees that the county’s tourism team should be involved in the discussion.
Mariano asked Steinsnyder: “Can you bring what the effect would be, if we went with just the state regulation? So we can all look at it ahead of time before the next meeting?”
Steinsnyder agreed to do so.
Published May 26, 2021
Greg says
Vacationers are not welcome next door to me. Did not move here to live in a vacation resort. If we go through with allowing weekly rentals the whole neighborhood within 10 years will probably turn over to nothing but short-term rentals. Most people do not want a new family living next door to them on both side every single week. If I did I would stay in a hotel. This is not fair for people that want to feel safe in their home as well as their property being safe. Bring in short-term rentals and crime will go up.
Irina says
Absolutely agree! I also DO NOT want a new unknown people as my neighbors every single week!
Who will be responsible for the consequences???
AJ says
Vacation rental all have owner or management in place who has the best interest in maintaining the ppty in pristine condition, the long term rental however is where you see the dissociation of ownership and upkeep of the ppty. please find me a run-down filthy vacation rental.
PAm says
Home owners are already renting short term and have been. Go on any vacation rental site and you can book one for just a few days. I think it should depend on where you live. If you live in an HOA then you should not be allowed to do it at all. Those other home owners pay to live there and not have vacationers next door.
Nicole says
Bringing in short term vacation rentals to our community is asking for more crime, cheapening our house values, and homeowners that have families risking living next door to child predators (these vacation sites DO NOT background check!). We moved here to have a SAFE and low-crime environment- If we wanted to be surrounded by house hotels, we would’ve moved closer to the beach!
John says
Nicole thats hilarious!! Vacation rentals are clean, well kept and the nicest houses on block. Long term rentals are run down, no exterior tlc, cars all over yard and house is run down!!, values do go up with Airbnb!!, vacationers are not out committing crimes, there spending tourist $$ around the county!! Dint want a negative review from owner and sign off on parries and noise issues!! I always say educate before acting out!!
Claudia says
Exactly! I can’t believe the comments on here, these people should be educated on the matter. Airbnb allowance raises up the value on homes BY A LOT. LTR is what makes them go down. SMH, that’s what’s so wrong with the country, lack of knowledge on any topic IS DANGEROUS.
Carrie says
No Airbnbs please. I pay a lot of money to live here and I do not want vacationers renting houses in my neighborhood. Period. That’s one of the reasons we left Pinellas County. Do you want drunk partiers playing loud music all hours of the night with cats parked all over? Because that’s what you’ll get.
Claudia says
You do know there’s thousands of places being rented out that have security cameras, property managers and plenty of WARNINGS on the site that prevent this type of behavior? If that was to happen they get booted out. Period. While having a permanent neighbor means you’re stuck with that family for a long time. JS
Dee Peteck says
Quit pimping out Pasco county. Greedy developers And commissioners need to stop ruining our quiet and beautiful county. All the wildlife where I live is gone and yet they keep on raping the land.
Brenda Beauchamp says
The vacation rentals in our neighborhood are the best kept house in the subdivision. They are adding value to every single neighbor. its the long term rentals that are not maintained and have toys and trash everywhere in the yard
Travis Helton says
I agree! I’ve been to Pasco county three times this year looking for a vacation home that I could rent out to overnight guest as well. The neighborhoods that allow overnight rentals are in way better shape than the ones that don’t. Long term renters don’t care, they’ll just rent elsewhere. Short term or overnight renters most of the time take way better care of your home and cause less issues because they fear losing their privileges of staying somewhere for a family vacation!
Jeremy says
I couldn’t agree with you more. The NIMBYs simply do not understand what they are talking about.
Tana E Shiver says
Thank you. I feel as a land lord I can keep a better eye on any problems and keep up my property better than any long term that I have had with renters. More issues and laws that protect them until its to late and they get in trouble while it cost me much $$$$ and time to fix. I have my last two that ended with one dying at a work place while have to work with his family regarding dogs and his belongings and than the last one marital problems which led to holes in my walls and no rent for August as they thought they could use the deposit for partial rent.
Robert Urbain says
All the people that agree to vacation rentals do not live next door to one.
It is living hell. Being woken up any time of the night. Losing so much sleep it
affects your job. Having to every week remind new renters that this is a residential neighborhood and we have to get up early to go to work in the morning. The evil looks,the slamming car doors, beeping horns, hooting and hollering etc. If this ordinance is changed to allow shorter rental terms I have no choice but to put up my house for sale. Sounds like the quality of life in Pasco county.
Jim says
I laughed at the comments of higher crime rates if you open up to vacation rentals, you know because families on vacation are all criminals looking to rob you after paying for a vacation rental. LOL!
In reality, the person above that said short term rentals are the best kept houses is correct. You can’t rent a junky home, it has to have curb appeal. Now long term rentals are a real problem. Those renters could care less about the homes they live in, and the landlords usually do not care about trying to keep the places clean until it is time to get a new lease.
The one above that is worried about noise, its a decent point, but that is what a noise ordinance is for. Enforce it.
I do not have a short term rental, but I support the idea.
Tana E Shiver says
Thank you!
Claudia says
Seriously ! Unbelievable! They obviously don’t study the market or economics, plus not having knowledge of what all goes into play in order to have an ARBNB and the regulations , makes them think the wrong thung without the real facts in hand. It’s a matter of educating themselves 1st. City officials need to worry about what’s reality, these complains are unfunded and shouldn’t be taken in consideration.
Sandra Nelson says
Short term rentals should be allowed. Most of the comments above are made by people who do not understand the economic impact of short-term rentals. They’re buying into the myth that short term rentals create crime and loud obnoxious guest and parties. In the five years I have been doing this I had one party that I shut down within the hour and removed the guest immediately. I have one property in Hernando county that has generated over $33,000 annually to Federal, state, county and occupancy taxes. On top of my property tax bill is double what it would be if I lived in that home. My home is kept in pristine condition because I want to continue to attract Guest . Furthermore my guest visit local restaurants and entertainment venues pumping more tourism dollars into our community. Don’t ban short term rentals ban the owners of the ones that are creating problems.
Hilltop says
Agreed. Adding to what you have said, violations of things like noise ordinance or parking is something that can and should be enforced for the entire community. These issues are not specific to short term rentals. I have several short term rentals on my block. Those houses are the cleanest most well kept ones around. I also have some long term rentals that are not cared for one bit.
Dee Peteck says
Nope – disagree- I have witnessed what short term rentals have done to a community that no longer has affordable housing. No affordable housing no workers, teachers, LEO, firefighters, EMT- you will price them right of the community.
Claudia says
There’s specific areas where Abnb is wouldn’t be allowed, just like in other counties, those with HOA by general rule wouldn’t, if you already own a home and are a teacher, firefighter or any other 100k and less paying job then you ALREADY have a place and guess what, house value went up.
Dead towns do not work, those teachers will go elsewhere bc the schools sooner or later will have less students, parents have to migrate to bigger cities to get better jobs. Times have changed.
Brad says
There are a lot of short term renters that don’t cause problems, but the realty is short term renters are more likely to come here to party and as far as enforcing the noise laws that’s a joke. By the time you call and the police come out, you go back to bed and a half hour later they wake you up again. Who wants to play that game? The fact is the landlords make more money renting by the week then the month and most of them don’t live here or only care about the money they can make. Keep the short term renters out!,
Rayna says
Property managers are to be responsible and make sure their “business” does not disturb neighbors. That’s all. That is all that needs to be regulated in some way. So Simple. And then every Pasco county resident could benefit from development.
Airbnb hosters have to maintain the properties pristine. Airbnb Grade. How about Pasco County’s current grade? You tell me with all that piling garbage on patios, abandoned cars on yards, old sheds ready to collapse etc… How is that better than development? Who wouldn’t like the county’s economy to boom? Tourism doesn’t bring crime. Poverty does.
Mike Shumaker says
I full support short term vacation rentals. I live on the water in Leisure Beach and currently have no plans to rent my home. But, I know many people all over Hudson who do rent theirs. These homes are not nuisances if managed by the owner or property managers. (I have owned longterm rentals and vacation rentals since 1984 and sold my last one in 2019 when I retired to Hudson) A non-rental property can be a nuisance just as easily as a rental one. It all depends on the owner. The county shouldn’t punish everyone because there may be a few bad apples.