Description
After several complaints 146 18th Ave NE is still operating as an AirBnB. It is currently being rented and continues to be listed online, https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9992754?s=Scj1-7aw.
How many complaints will it take to stop this?
also asked...
Q. What are you reporting?
A. Zoning violation
A. Zoning violation
47 Comments
Acknowledged Mayor's Action Center 3 (Registered User)
Customer Support (Verified Official)
Customer Support (Verified Official)
Customer Support (Verified Official)
Fiona (Registered User)
Customer Support (Verified Official)
Update from the Codes Compliance Department: two cases have been opened and are being investigated for this reported address. Any further updates or action will be handled by the Codes department. To track the status of these cases, or to find contact information for the assigned investigator, click here:
https://actiononline.stpete.org/Click2GovCE/casesearch.html?caseYear=15&caseNumber=23099
https://actiononline.stpete.org/Click2GovCE/casesearch.html?caseYear=16&caseNumber=83
or call 727-893-7373 and refer to either case number 16-83 or 15-23099
Annon (Registered User)
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9992754?checkin=01%2F29%2F2016&checkout=01%2F31%2F2016&guests=6&s=Scj1-7aw
007 - REINSPECTION
Results status - INSPECTION COMPLETED
January 19, 2016 10:51:16 AM aejuzwia. 01/19/2016
NOTHING AT PROPERTY TO INDICATE SHORT TERM RENTALS, 2:00 PM. 01/19/2016
oldtimer (Registered User)
oldtimer (Registered User)
oldtimer (Registered User)
oldtimer (Registered User)
oldtimer (Registered User)
oldtimer (Registered User)
oldtimer (Registered User)
Fiona (Registered User)
Old NE Resident (Registered User)
Old NE Resident (Registered User)
ConcernedCitizen (Registered User)
Fiona (Registered User)
Customer Support (Verified Official)
Closed Codes Compliance 4 (Verified Official)
Reopened Annon (Registered User)
Annon (Registered User)
Annon (Registered User)
Acknowledged Customer Support (Verified Official)
Update from Codes: the case that was closed was for junk/trash/outdoor storage. The zoning violation case is still active. Any further updates or action will be handled by the Codes department. To track the status of this cases, or to find contact information for the assigned investigator, click here:
https://actiononline.stpete.org/Click2GovCE/casesearch.html?caseYear=15&caseNumber=23099
or call 727-893-7373 and refer to case number 15-23099
Fiona (Registered User)
JJH (Registered User)
Fiona (Registered User)
BeachBunny (Registered User)
Fiona (Registered User)
JJH (Registered User)
anonymous user (Registered User)
This sofa might end up in McGinniss' driveway at his personal residence at 165 18th Ave NE soon. I bet he could get the city to do something about that!
BeachBunny (Registered User)
BeachBunny (Registered User)
Also note that they've closed this case on SeeClickFix... BUT they posted a link to the complaint (dated October 2015!).
Gold: Inspector Name: GENE JUZWIAK 892-5149
Give him a call any time you see ANYTHING going on over there. The more complaints, the more likely they'll have to do something. And there's always WTSP. This would make for a good 6pm story, especially with the couches sitting out like that.
Pickles (Registered User)
Anonymous (Registered User)
Pickles (Registered User)
Not about people being harmed and such on this board anymore anonymous, this seeclickfix board has turned into a way for neighbors to flat out bully each other without the victims knowledge. You have people reporti g thier nieghbors for illegal dumping when they are putting out their bulk trash, reporting yard parking on people ho pull up close to thier house to unload a big or heavy load, reporting them for stuff they store in their backyards thats neatly organized and such.
Which is all bull to me as they are 1 wasting city workers time, tax payer money and making it extremely hard to get anything taken care of that truely needa addressing.
Anonymous (Registered User)
Old NE Resident (Registered User)
I don't know the original poster, but it could have been me. I'm in the SAME boat.
It's really sad that residents of Old Northeast care so little for their neighborhood that they are willing to watch it be ruined by the building of McMansions and residents illegally turning their homes into cheap hotels. This is ruining our neighborhood.
Ruining. It.
Air BnBs are illegal in our city. Yes - actually illegal.
To clarify - Illegal means 'Not Legal'. Just because a website enables people to break the law, doesn't mean it's 'legal'. No matter how much rental money you collect....you are still breaking the law.
To be a legal hotel, you actually have to go through a significant amount of compliance from safety to state and county codes - all of which are bypassed by these jackasses who continuously try to supplement their income via Air BnB.
Unfortunately - our city leadership is culpable in enabling these people to break the law due to lack of enforcement of the existing codes.
Personally, I would love to see a Class Action Lawsuit filed against the City of St. Petersburg for the continuation to un-enforce the county and state laws which prohibit the turning of a private home into an illegal hotel.
*Illegal hotels add to traffic clogging the neighborhood streets which increase maintenance costs which is passed on to ALL residents - not just the burden of the illegal hotel.
*Neighbors suddenly find themselves living next door to a rotation of noisy strangers who are on vacation- rather than long-term neighbors who they know and are familiar with
*Additionally, the Air BnB owners are not being charged any extra fees for garbage collection, city maintenance, street repair, parking, traffic issues, additional sewage and water demands...or any of the other tax burdens that hotels normally have to pay to manage a rotation of people using community resources due to their temporary residing on a property.
Instead - these Air BnB owners -- have no issues placing the burdens of these extra costs on their neighbors -- YET - expect us to just silently take it - simply because YOU are making money from it!
The majority of these illegal hotels do not even pay the proper taxes, ie: they claim Home Stead when in fact they rent their house out daily/weekly/monthly. That's actually called "tax fraud" - which again - is illegal.
The Air BnB crew in our neighborhood selfishly contribute to the ruination and decline of Old Northeast as an actual, functioning neighborhood. This is all motivated purely out of greed--- and selfishness. It's ruined neighbor relationships and has created a transient feel to the neighborhood that didn't exist prior. Operating a hotel out of your home - is certainly NOT the same thing as renting a garage apartment for 6mths to a year or more to a single individual.
But - hey - you're making some cash, so we're expected to just shut up and smile! Right?......
Eventually, Old NE won't be recognizable -- nor a even a draw to tourists-- and the money train WILL dry up. It will. It's already happening. Every day - one more vintage house meets a bulldozer and our history is destroyed along with the uniqueness of Old NE. The look and feel of Old NE will not be unique in a matter of time.
But, by then, it will be too late, and what we all found so valuable living in Old NE will be gone.
In the meantime, I will continue to do MY part - legally - in trying to prevent it from happening. If that means, reporting this issue on ClickFix every single day or calling the City every single day to complain or reporting to the County Tax Dept. every single day - I will do it. It really takes so little time out of my day. Just another task I have to do....dxd
And, if you don't like it - too bad.
Mrs. Peculiar (Registered User)
To Old NE Resident: Thank you! I am with you. I live a couple of blocks down from this Air B&B mess and it upsets me greatly.
I am disgusted. Not only is 18th Ave NE now a transient party haven, it is being defiled by buildings that look like medical offices and Eastern European prison blocks.
Where is code enforcement? A homeowner in Allendale can't build a carport because it doesn't look enough like her house, yet we have to put up with the continuous desecration of the most beautiful neighborhood in town.
Unfortunately, because of bad planning and greed, at least one house on every block in Old NE will look like something out of a bad apocalyptic movie in the next 5 years.
And some will say "If you don't like it, don't live there." I say, "If you don't like what I write, please don't read it.. I've lived here longer than you. I guarantee it."
oldtimer (Registered User)
This is such a troubling situation. What is comes down to is greed and arrogance. If the builder gave even a nod to the ambiance of the neighborhood, all this negativity would not be happening. Neighborhoods evolve. You don't have to build a reproduction of all the houses on the street. However, the incongruity of an ultra-modern house in a neighborhood of historical and mid-century style homes is offensive. The builder can choose to force his designs on the neighborhood with an "up yours" attitude, or he can have respect for the charm of the neighborhood while moving it forward into creative and pleasing design.
To add insult to injury, the builder buys a house to tear down for a new incongruous structure and hedges his investment by violating the law to rent the house to transients until he's ready to have his way. Another slap in the face of neighborhood residents. The house is apparently now rented to a family. Great news. Meanwhile, the builder's modern house across the street doesn't seem to have any buyers after many attempts to sell it. If the structure had been a bit more harmonious with the neighborhood (why people move here ), it would probably have sold in a heartbeat if reasonably priced. Who's the ultimate loser here?
Adam (Registered User)
Rob (Registered User)
Is the owner collecting and remitting the tax to the tax collector? Per Pinellas County Tax Collector: "Any renter who resides for a period of six months or less in a facility located in Pinellas County must pay the taxes to the owner or the owner’s representative of the rental property."
If the owner is not collecting, or collecting and not remitting the tax to the tax collector, per the Pinellas County Tax Collector: "Among other statutory remedies, a warrant may be issued and filed in Pinellas County Official Records, creating a lien against the owner’s real and/or personal property located in Pinellas County."
Rob (Registered User)
LuG (Registered User)
Until we take on City Hall to change the building code 286-H implemented last summer that allows these big builders to go up to .85% impervious ratio with zero lot lines because they get credit if they build something that "looks period" and contains material that "looks period" we will continue to see good homes, especially one story craftsman/bunglelows being torn down and replaced by McMansions that aren't the character of this neighborhood. I certainly plan to be at the City Council meeting 2 Aug at 0900 to voice my concerns and that of a 23 story condo going in at 1st Street and 4 or 5th Ave.
These developers continue to ruin the city...why not improve South of downtown? There are plenty of homes there that need to be torn down as they are in bad repair...push development in areas that need it, not ones that are already established.
I am also seeing now that good homes such as the one on 20th and Cherry being expanded on the back side with monster bump outs? How is this possible, there are two that just started in ONE and there is NO way that they can be below the .65% impervious ratio...so I guess they get to fall under the new code of .85% and yet, I can't go over .65% to put a pool in my back yard...
totally ridiculous and so much collusion...
Display Name Blocked (1231482) (Registered User)
Closed Customer Support (Verified Official)
The City of St Petersburg periodically reviews past reports that are made from citizens within our city limits, and in an effort to clean-up old issues that were resolved some time ago, we are marking as 'closed' those issues that were submitted in the past for which the work has been completed or the issue has otherwise been resolved.
If you think for any reason that the issue you submitted in the past might still be unresolved, please feel free to submit a new report with the SeeClickFix St. Pete website and we will make sure the issue is directed to the appropriate City department to be addressed as soon as possible.
Thank you - MAC