thank you! lets keep reporting these multiple rentals a month. these owners don't care about the neighborhood

These are such crap. SRQ has a great ordinance but refuse to put in place a NEEDED registration process for RSF homes on the island that wish to legally rent. It's lawless and can be easily corrected but county refuses to have registration process that goes with the law. Without registration process, there is little code enforcement can do.

Your request has been received and forwarded to our Code Enforcement department. Tracking number 20 176057 00 11 has been created for investigation. Please call the Contact Center at (941) 861-5000 for more information. You can also follow the issue at https://building.scgov.net/PublicPortal/Sarasota/SearchPermits.jsp.

Because we have the existing rental ordinance it’s a VERY simple fix… Merely need a registration process that backs up the ordinance by requiring RSF owners on barrio island to sign off on “existing ordinance” when they wish to rent. This allows Code enforcement to contact 3rd party booking agents for calendar information… Why is this important? When an owner signs up with a 3rd party like AirBNB or VRBO they agree to abide by local ordinances. Registration for RSF homes is the best mechanism to properly and effectively enforce our existing ordinance. It confirms ordinance, like Jackson Ville Beach and Miami implemented i.e. Registration process for existing ordinance does not violate state rules like county attorney claims… It actually encourages the existing ordinance.

That said, I met with Expedia/VRBO Government relations taskforce and they want to help with suspected illegal properties - He’s even willing to advise Sarasota county as they did with Jacksonville Beach who also had an ordinance before 2011 but had no registration process until recently.

Requirement for “RSF” homes on the barrier island to register if they wish to rent.

Super simple request: BCC directs OCA to work with my team to vet the registration process to combat illegally short-term rentals on Siesta. Just “talk with us” by instructing OCA to hear us out and try to develop a plan. In all fairness, I’ve done all the leg work. Meaning I know what’s needed.

Introduction: The number of illegal short-term rentals on Siesta Key is estimated around hundreds but most likely could be in the thousands.

Short-term illegal rentals have caused problems such as loud noise, inadequate parking, neighborhood safety issues, garbage collection, decreasing of property values, and scatter our resources like first responders and public funding for infrastructures. Illegal rentals 100% are stealing from the legal rentals and their occupancy does not increase the taxes collected for you either. Illegal rentals hurt the taxes collected for your budget (especially when they fly under the radar and don’t collect them). They HURT the demand (OCC and ADR) of the legal ones that are doing it right and also employee 1,000’s of local Sarasodian’s needing jobs more than ever! It is a big problem that needs to be resolved immediately.

Simple Solution: Several FL cities and counties have already implemented registration process for short-term rental ordinances such as Jacksonville Beach, Miami-Dade, and Fort Lauderdale. Sarasota County Zoning Ordinance prohibits all short-term rentals for periods of less than 30 days for RSF dwellings.

(It does NOT conflict with Florida Statues to implement the requirement for owners/owner’s representative to register an RSF home on the barrier island if they wish to legally rent, like county attorney leads BCC to believe. Applying the registration process is the most efficient way to stop illegal short-term rentals, and registration is needed to effectively manage short-term rentals. It’s the right thing to do.

Sarasota County has a great ordinance https://www.scgov.net/Home/ShowDocument?id=42331 but is missing the key component to regulate and enforce illegal activity and beyond. Just like Jacksonville Beach i.e. who also had an ordinance but no registrations process before 2011.

Government relation teams are already in place for all 3rd party online booking sources. Their government relations taskforce want to help with suspected illegal properties – These platforms do NOT like illegal rentals any more than a neighbor living next door to one– However, it’s up to the county to implement the registration process. Illegal rentals give 3rd parties a bad name. Illegal one’s water down rate (ADR) of legal rentals and unlike the legal properties that governed by DBPR, RSF don’t have any real enforceable rules to abide by. Hence why they hurt reputations of 3rd parties and Sarasota county’s. They hurt overall revenues for everyone (including 3rd parties and ‘Sarasota county’).

That being shared, with a registration process, the owner signs off on county ordinance and agrees to allow 3rd parties to share calendar data. Currently, Sarasota has no county mechanism to force owners to provide code enforcement agents with any rental activity when they suspect an RSF owner is renting for less than 30+ days. See, when an owner signs up with a 3rd party (like Airbnb) they also agree in their contract that the owner will abide by local ordinances and requirements. (One of which is registration – also not required because SRQ does not have one).

Hope this helps.

This house has become of one those hotel houses. I just 8 weeks of ownership the sheriffs has been out twice due to noise complaints. Advertised on Airbnb as as 14 beds / 5 bedroom house. Looks like non-permitted work done.

Original home listing on realtor.com

Airbnb ad

Zoning: RSF. See attached.

What’s the status of this issue?
Great feed.
But looks like no action to address the issue yet.

What was the action taken?

I was recently pulled over on river road on 5/2 traveling NW. Deputy Egoville was very nice. I support our police all the way!!! However when I pulled over on the road side my car hit a huge bump. It bent both my rims & damaged my 2 tires on the right side. One HEL--- of a bump or gully. I had to purchase 4 new tires as a result of this INCIDENT!! I sent a copy of the bill with my traffic violation payment to the Sarasota County. I am hoping they will reimburse for my 2 tires $400. I did not get new rims yet my mechanic put the 2 bent rims on the back. I will see how it goes with the new tires. Please fix that huge bump on the roadside so this does not happen to another vehicle. I am sure the officer saw me hit this huge gully.

Thanks!

Respectfully,

Sherry Scianna