Below is the detail posted on Zillow.com for his home at 3364 Coquina Key Drive Copy of post by Me Banes

FOR SALE BY OWNER - NO AGENTS!!!
Beautiful Vacation Paradise w/ great verified INCOME potential!
Year Booked-Days Rented-Days Revenue-Days
2015 $114,653-182 $103,214-188 $106,318-184
2016 $ 91,907-123 $105,296-144 $107,240-152
2017 $117,214-156 $109,629-138 $113,490-151 (Forecast)
2018 $ 0- 0 $ 14,032- 20 $ 19,013- 2 (Prebooked)
THIS IS COMPLETELY TURN KEY! Purchase includes well established fully operating rental website used to generate income with great "5 Star"" past reviews, returning vacationers, & its easy to maintain. All custom designed furniture is included with purchase of home, & the option to purchase a 2004 Chaparral Signature 330, twin 496 CI Engines- w/ twin cabins & 150 hours, Est. Value is $85k-$90k to be included as well. If desired, past reliable cleaning, garden, and handy man crew can be referred. This remodeled house, w/ screened lanai pool, hot tub and outside living area has Gorgeous water views open to Tampa Bay, along w/ recently custom designed dock & has the potential to moor a large sailboat. Purchase comes w/ all top of the line, specially designed furniture and upgraded appliances, entertainment systems, & remote controlled dimming lights throughout the house. Stunning upstairs bedroom suite w/ a fabulous sitting lounge next to the fireplace, wet bar, breathtaking views off of the 2nd floor balcony & the bathroom includes a select steam shower spa tub. Freshly painted exterior of house, pool/hot tub have just been refinished w/ a diamond paint coating bottom & new salt water system installed, ALL this year!
This opportunity is Ideal for vacation home owners looking to generate income while away, or those interested in rental investments without any start-up hassles.

These are friends who are celebrating their mothers' 90th birthday - you must be jealous as the income I showed on zillow is what the home could earn not what it did earn as I extrapolated what I could have charged not what I earned. Please explain to me what my visitors are doing that is creating you such a problem. Most of my guests are either friends, colleagues or friends of friends. My home is extremely well maintained and I believe adds to the community property value.

FYI - There are over 7,000 property owners renting their homes in the St. Petersburg area. My neighbor Eye on Coquina Key will not identify herself but I know who she is. My visitors are for the most part people I know or their friends looking for a nice home to vacation at. I have a bad leg and it's tough for me to get around but sharing my home gives me joy and pleasure. I would gladly help anyone in this community including my complaining neighbor. People like staying in homes not hotel rooms. My visitors are very quiet families for the most part who just want to enjoy our great Florida weather. I ask you to be tolerant and focus your complaints on the 7,000 not just me who by the way is not generating income.

Please lose this issue.

Update from the Codes Compliance Department: a case has been opened and is being investigated for this reported location. Any further updates or action will be handled by the Codes department. To track the status of this case, or to find contact information for the assigned investigator, click here:

https://actiononline.stpete.org/Click2GovCE/casesearch.html?caseYear=15&caseNumber=3824

or call 727-893-7373 and refer to the above case number.

This type of activity does not add value to a residential neighborhood.

It increases property value. Adds tax revenue for the county. Keeps your property taxes down. Obvioysly your comment is purely self serving not ojective. I respect your opinion but i have to disagree

Please close this issue

Great job eyeoncoquina keep up the good work! This chronic violater has to be stopped.

There are over 7,300 violators in the St. Pete area. The violation is only applicable to St. Pete residence under a grandfathered code. Renting one's property happens to be legal in the US under Federal Law and legal in Florida under state law. I'm still perplexed as to how you have been harmed. I would really like to know. Of course, I could apply to make my property a halfway house or a shelter for the homeless or get it approved for Section 8 for low income housing. I can certainly consider these options if you think I should.

Acknowledged

Maybe now is as good of time as any to offer my community neighbors a choice. Please let me know which one of the following 4 choices you think I should consider:

1. Halfway House
2. Homeless Shelter
3. Low Income Housing
4. Vacation Home for Guests

I am happy to proceed with whatever the community wants. Any of the top 3 will likely require me to engage in a long-term contract so please weigh and consider the above choices carefully. I await your responses.

I think Mr Banes should rent to 8-10 St Pete college students for the semester. It would be nice housing for the students and cheaper that the dorm if split 8-10 ways. That should be fun!!!

Mr Banes' home is the nicest one on all of Coquina Key...

Do whatever you want. It has to be legal in a residential neighborhood. I know, how about a single family residence?

Yes, this is a single family residence. I know I have to get approval for some of the options - but I will favorably consider and pursue whatever the community likes best. By the way - you never did tell me how you've been harmed or how this is impacting your way of life - I really do want to know

If you need to know why the rules are the rules, go see the City of St. Petersburg and ask them why?

Fact is I have asked the city - no one seems to be able to tell me why the code was enacted. Fact is the State of Florida does not prohibit homeowners from renting their property. They only allowed those with old codes to be grandfathered. Like I've asked - How have you been harmed or negatively impacted. Just for the record.

The home is rented by the night as listed on homeaway.com and Vrbo.com. The nightly rate published is $400 per night. There are tenants checking in on 10/26 for two nights.
If the city would like to change zoning to make this neighborhood nightly Rental area then bring it to a vote. The city of St. Pete has chosen not to enforce zoning regulations. This property has been rented nightly since 2014.

Wrong again - I have used the site but my guests are not being charged - they are friends of mine from Washington State here for the kids entry in the St. Pete Yacht race. How have you been harmed or negatively impacted. Just for the record.

EyeonCoquina -Please let me know which one of the following 4 choices you think I should consider:
1. Halfway House
2. Homeless Shelter
3. Low Income Housing
4. Vacation Home for Guests
I am happy to proceed with whatever the community wants. Any of the top 3 will likely require me to engage in a long-term contract so please weigh and consider the above choices carefully. I await your responses.

Man, you are really stuck. The question that you are trying to get the answer for is why do zoning laws exist. Most cities were blindsided by the law allowing this outrageous behavior and it needs to be fixed. Thankfully, the City of St. Petersburg had a grandfathering status. This is the best thing that a city can have in place. If someone chooses to live near a hotel zoned area, that is their right to do, but most people do not want to live next door to a hotel, so they have zoning laws to protect the residential neighborhood and keep the commercial zones elsewhere. This is peaceful and quiet enjoyment of your home and neighborhood. This creates stabilization and that is why!

The city needs to correct this issue. Now that Mr. Banes has finally admitted to what he is doing, he should receive a cease and desist notice immediately.

I respect your opinion but I don't happen to agree. If I had monthly renters then you would not have a concern. The fact that they stay less than a month seems to offend you. Also, the fact that you have not been harmed or inconvenienced tells me that you're more concerned with an outdated code that even the State of Florida does not agree with. Remember the people visiting me are generally families who want to stay in a home and not a hotel. If you're being harmed or inconvenienced I'd like to know so I can address your concerns. Like I said earlier I can consider other options. It's really up to the community as to how I proceed. Again, as I stated earlier, if the community prefers I allow my property to be used as a halfway house, homeless shelter or for low income housing I will check with the appropriate agencies to get see what actions I need to take for approval. There are also homes for battered women and of course our local community college students. It's our community - I'm trying to accommodate what the community wants.

Letting people stay here is not against the code

I hope you're prepared to tell the community that you want me to turn my home into a place for those less fortunate. If that's the community's wish I will try to accommodate them

Please be man or woman enough to tell the community your name and not hide behind the cloak of anonymity

Here is the Florida Statute on Vacation Rental. Copied and pasted here:

Vacation rental.—A vacation rental is any unit or group of units in a condominium or cooperative or any individually or collectively owned single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit that is also a transient public lodging establishment but that is not a timeshare project.

If you are not registered as a transient public lodging establishment, you cannot vacation rental your home. Further, transient establishments must follow many laws and inspections.

So, the state does not allow you to do what you are doing.

I am registered with the State of Florida to operate and have a State issued license - by your definition - no one would be allowed to rent their homes. Bed & Breakfasts are subject to inspection - I am not operating as a B&B. Renting ones house is not subject to inspection unless there is a hazard.

I ask you kindly to please stop committing liable against my good name. You are making inaccurate and false statements against me which is subject to legal recourse. I ask you again to tell me and the community your name so I an better address your remarks and concerns

Fix It & Eye on Coquina - I could empathize with your concerns and would take action if my guests were creating you personal harm or inconvenience in some way. So far, I haven't heard either of you complain about being harmed or inconvenienced. All I've heard so far is that you want an antiquated code better enforced. The city is aware of this problem and has the job of enforcing it on over 7,300 violators. I don't think they have the manpower to enforce it uniformly across the entire city area. Additionally, the State legislator has prohibited them from changing any of the code. For some reason, the city council is not yet willing to rescind the code and comply with the State of Florida law. Those of us who are part of the 7,300 fighting this code still have to have a State License and pay taxes. In short, the city is actually benefitting from our actions. There are plenty of other issues that could use your attention. I don't think this one is causing the problem you seem to imply.

Your activity harms everyone. The city needs help enforcing the code, that is why we are speaking out and hopefully this code will never change. There are areas that this activity is allowed so you could sell this house to a nice family who wants to live there and go buy a legal "vacation rental" elsewhere. Hotels should not be in the middle of residential areas. Plain and simple. Hope it all works out. Nothing personal. You seem to be able to get away it thus far and have found every loophole in order to do it, but you are also misrepresenting this property when you offering if for sale as a vacation rental and you are telling the authorities, they are just 'friends'. The list of what is wrong with what you are doing is so long, that there is no way to fit it all in here, but what you are doing is not in keeping with living in a residential zone so we all hope you stop it and that the city enforces the code for you just the same as for everyone else that has to follow it.

Fix It - You won't even identify yourself - You say that everyone one is harmed - yet you don't one instance of harm - I think that you're just wanting to create chaos and cause friction - maybe you're just jealous or envious but certainly not worth any more attention since you aren't man or woman enough to identify yourself

For the record - the house is no longer for sale - I've decide to fight this thru since you picked this fight. I won't quit - maybe you should consider relocating. Also, my home is not a hotel - its a home and its being used as a home for those wanting to visit friends, relatives by families. I just want you to get the facts right

To My Community Neighbors. Shown below are some excerpts from the State Legislature on STR

In the 2017 Florida Legislative Session the Legislature restricted local regulations under the argument that municipalities were getting unfairly out of hand cracking down on vacation rental homes. But now the issue of statewide rules emerges.

Simmons and others focused some attention on Flagler County, which has administered regulations of single-family homes and duplexes, which Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen called “a very workable set of regulations which everybody in Flagler County agrees with. They like what we are doing.”
Those regulations require vacation rentals to obtain county certificates and pay bed taxes, to obtain a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation license as a transient public lodging establishment, and to meet various standards for swimming pools, sleeping rooms, parking, and various services.

I think there should be a set of standards for vacation rentals and would support the efforts under review by Flagler County

A hotel in the middle residential neighborhood. Hope the City of St. Petersburg never allows this on any level.

509.242 Public lodging establishments; classifications.—
(1) A public lodging establishment shall be classified as a hotel, motel, nontransient apartment, transient apartment, bed and breakfast inn, timeshare project, or vacation rental if the establishment satisfies the following criteria:
(a) Hotel.—A hotel is any public lodging establishment containing sleeping room accommodations for 25 or more guests and providing the services generally provided by a hotel and recognized as a hotel in the community in which it is situated or by the industry.
(b) Motel.—A motel is any public lodging establishment which offers rental units with an exit to the outside of each rental unit, daily or weekly rates, offstreet parking for each unit, a central office on the property with specified hours of operation, a bathroom or connecting bathroom for each rental unit, and at least six rental units, and which is recognized as a motel in the community in which it is situated or by the industry.

Ok. Public Lodging. Does not make any difference. Overnight stays - Transients is a Nuisance in a residential zone.

I understand your position. Since it is now being debated in the State Legislature I suspect that the State will enact whatever it decides on all counties within the state in the near future.

Mr. Banes checked in a new set of 6 tenants yesterday at 5:34. According to the planning on VRBO they are staying till Sunday and have paid $400 per night for 3 nights. There are 6 adults and two rental cars.

Ms. Vanetta McGown - the calendar and rates are not always in sync - fact is that I don't charge most of my guests to stay and I do block out dates for maintenance, repairs, etc.

I understand your position. Since your concern is now being debated in the State Legislature I suspect that the State will enact whatever it decides on all counties within the state in the near future.

Have you gone after the other 7,300 residents advertising on VRBO? Or am I the only one you're targeting? Are you being harmed or inconvenienced by me having guests?

We are going after everyone with the City of St. Petersburg, not that it matters. You are still booking on Homeaway and possibly other sites. You are charging and continuing to rent unlawfully even after you have paid guilty fines. Whatever the State is going or not going to do is completely of no concern at this time and point.

Violation of zoning laws. The City of St. Petersburg does not allow overnight stays. Must be minimum of 30 days and only 3 times per year.

Ms. Vanetta McGown - Since you are apparently obsessed with your issue and even though you have not been harmed or inconvenienced. Please let me know which one of the following 4 choices you think I should consider:
1. Halfway House
2. Homeless Shelter
3. Low Income Housing
4. Vacation Home for Guests
I am happy to proceed with whatever the community wants. Any of the top 3 will likely require me to engage in a long-term contract so please weigh and consider the above choices carefully. I await your response I do intend to use my home that benefits everyone.

Fix It - Even though you won't identify yourself to our community and since you are apparently obsessed with your issue and even though you have not been harmed or inconvenienced. Please let me know which one of the following 4 choices you think I should consider:
1. Halfway House
2. Homeless Shelter
3. Low Income Housing
4. Vacation Home for Guests
I am happy to proceed with whatever the community wants. Any of the top 3 will likely require me to engage in a long-term contract so please weigh and consider the above choices carefully. I await your response I do intend to use my home that benefits everyone.

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p814233vb

1 - 3 night minimum stay

You only have 7,299 more residents to go after for alleged violations. Good luck in your endeavor. Curious what you will do if the state allows people to rent their property out as a vacation rental. The state already says that it is legal but it did give grandfather privilege to counties with codes enacted prior to 2011. I expect that there will be some sort of compromise. But then again, I don't have a crystal ball to see into the future.

Maybe you should consider trying to find child predators living in our community. I think that is more worthy of your efforts.

Since a select few of you want change - I will accommodate you - I intend to file whatever documents necessary to have my home designated either as a halfway house, shelter for the homeless, low income housing (Section 8), home for pregnant or abused women or advertising it for rent at the university for college students etc. I have another home so this will not impact me near as much as it will the community I once loved. As I stated in other correspondence - I would comply if that's what the community wanted. So this is my legal way of complying.

Almost anyone can open a halfway house in Florida because there's almost no regulation or accountability.
Every day, hundreds of people emerge from jails, detox centers and mental hospitals desperate for a place to stay while they try to remake their lives. Most can't afford a square meal, let alone first and last month's rent and a damage deposit.
Many wind up in transitional houses — often called halfway houses or sober living houses — that give them a bed and promise to help them find jobs and get to 12-step meetings.
The Tampa Bay Times examined dozens of halfway house programs in the Tampa Bay area. Among them are large, professionally managed facilities that generally deliver what they promise. But many others are little more than flophouses that cram residents two or three to a room in dingy quarters with no job assistance, no trained staff and no support.

Remember this is what you forced me to do to better our community since people wanting to have a family place to visit are unwelcomed on our island

I will consider holding off on proceeding with this option if all of you will agree to hold off complaining until the state legislature decides this issue. The choice is yours. Let me know if my request is unreasonable. I await your response.

Since I am not able to walk very far - may I suggest that those of you who are complaining circulate a petition asking what your neighbors want. The choices are 1) Allow Vacationing guests to stay on our island with No complaints filed against me until the state legislature decides how they want to enact any changes or 2) community prefers that I convert my home into a halfway house to assist in the rehabilitation of those less fortunate. Please do not underestimate or test my resolve. I want this issue settled one way or the other as neighbors complaining, fighting and arguing over an issue that is not causing any harm or inconvenience is not in the best interest of our island community. Let me know the results so I can respond properly.

Issue 4143741 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue.

Codes: duplicate issues closed, please refer to Active SCF issue #4136735, link below:

https://seeclickfix.com/issues/4136735

Or call Codes and refer to active case 18-5649.