CCNA Asks City to Update Vacation Rental Ordinance to Include all Residential Neighborhoods
Chapter 34.5 was added to the Sarasota City Code back in May 2021. Its intent is “to ensure the City’s residents the tranquility and peaceful enjoyment of their homes and their neighborhoods”. The issue was the misuse by owners in running vacation rentals. In July 2023 CCNA endorsed moving this ordinance “city-wide”, as the issues that instigated the need for the ordinance were now problematic in every neighborhood in the city.
On February 5, 2024, the City Commission extended Chapter 34.5 Vacation Rentals to the entire City. There was no intent on CCNA’s part to exclude any neighborhoods and no discussion of that happened publicly. The provision of the ordinance that identified the applicable residential zoning on the barrier islands was not modified to include the zoning of residential neighborhoods that are unique to mainland neighborhoods thus some of the most problematic neighborhoods were not covered by the extended ordinance.
CCNA through a letter from the Board to the Commissioners is asking them to amend Chapter 34.5 or otherwise make revisions so that the ordinance applies to all residential structures (1 to 4 family) in the following zones:
- DTE – Downtown Edge (Rosemary, etc.)
- DTN – Downtown Neighborhood District (Gillespie Park, etc.)
- Special Overlays like Park East, etc.
- Corridors, like North Trail, etc.
The ordinance in no way takes away any owner’s property rights. The ordinance provides for a registration process to address the safety of guests, the adherence to City ordinances regarding the duration of short-term rentals and occupancy, state licensing and county bed tax collection. Having a registered responsible party has proven to be valuable in mitigating issues, and these provisions need to apply to all neighborhoods.
