St. Augustine hotel manager: Governor should sign ‘party house accountability’ bill

After many years of debate, the Florida Legislature approved a much-needed update to vacation rental licensing in the state. Gov. Ron DeSantis should sign this bill, Senate Bill 280 , into law.

The state is long overdue for a modernization of its rules. This issue hasn’t been addressed by the state in over a decade. The marketplace has changed dramatically during that time, as unlawful short-term rentals have proliferated in many areas of Florida .

St. Augustine, as many know, is the oldest city in the U.S., which provides a charming backdrop of beautiful, narrow cobblestone streets and historic buildings some dating back over two centuries. But our city’s infrastructure and many of our single-family homes were not designed for nightly, high-occupancy turnover .

Many of these older homes are being converted into unlawful short-term rentals without basic safety requirements — building code compliance, fire and safety systems, food safety procedures, pool safety requirements or commercial insurance to name a few. Most visitors just assume that vacation rentals are safe when, in fact, they are likely not meeting some of the most basic protections.

At a minimum, properties that are hosting guests should be safe.

The current lack of compliance by some vacation rentals puts lawful operators — those who are following all state and local rules — at a competitive disadvantage. Additionally, a Florida TaxWatch report found that many unlicensed vacation rentals are likely dodging tax obligations. Shifting their tax burden to other operators, as well as regular taxpayers.

The lack of accountability in the vacation rental marketplace has also attracted criminal elements into Jacksonville-area communities . Gangs have been using area vacation rentals to move guns and drugs, leading to several high-profile busts. This puts visitors and residents alike in the line of fire.

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To date, the lack of a functional statewide licensing system has left many communities to fend for themselves. Neighbors and localities often must play “Whack-a-Mole" with bad actors, and they have little recourse to deal with party houses that flout local and state rules. The lack of action by the state has created a tense situation in many cities, as neighborhoods struggle to manage the issue.

By restoring accountability at the state level, communities will have a searchable database to ensure vacation rentals are operating lawfully, paying their taxes like the rest of us and protecting visitors to the state.

Senate Bill 280 takes a positive step forward to begin reforming the state vacation rental licensing system, restoring accountability to a key economic driver in our state.

Charlie Robles is general manager of The Collector Inn, which includes several fully restored historic homes in St. Augustine.

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions .

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Augustine hotel manager: Governor should sign ‘party house accountability’ bill