This topic came up in the Covid-19 thread. Prior to issuing the state-wide Stay At Home order for all of Florida which took effect Thursday night, Governor De Santis issued a two week ban on vacation rentals on March 28th, which is currently set to expire on April 11th. The circumstances on the ground have significantly changed since the initial Vacation Rental ban was issued, including the Governor issuing the state-wide Stay At Home order.
I am assuming that the Vacation Rental ban will be extended until at least April 30th, to mirror the Stay At Home order for Floridians? Otherwise, we would find ourselves in a farcical situation where we are being told to stay at home, but people can come here from out of state to have a vacation; apart from the obvious ridiculousness of that scenario, a failure to extend the Vacation Rental ban is only going to encourage people to come here, which is exactly what the county is trying to prevent and for good reason.
Replies
88
Beach Comber
I am always skeptical about making assumptions.
Admin
At this point owners have to hope for a "normal" summer season. Losing most of spring break is bad, losing any of summer is a whole different ball game. Our friends and neighbors are hurting but I hope people remain optimistic. Keep in mind there will be some people giving in to fear, and will be fear talking. And there also already exists a small vocal group who don't like tourism and the tourism industry and will be talking disaster. Filter them out.
Beach Comber
It is not just vacation property owners that hope for a normal summer. Losing the beach has hurt more than I expected. It was a part of my daily activities.
I agree don't give in to fear. filter out the negative, focus on the positive.
I agree don't give in to fear. filter out the negative, focus on the positive.
Beach LoverAuthor
At this point owners have to hope for a "normal" summer season. Losing most of spring break is bad, losing any of summer is a whole different ball game. Our friends and neighbors are hurting but I hope people remain optimistic. Keep in mind there will be some people giving in to fear, and will be fear talking. And there also already exists a small vocal group who don't like tourism and the tourism industry and will be talking disaster. Filter them out.
Hey Kurt, thanks for your reply. I agree with all of the above, however my real question in starting this thread was to find out whether or not people thought the 2 week vacation rental ban will be extended beyond April 10th; I personally believe it *should* be extended to be in line with the Stay At Home order which is effective until April 30th for all Florida residents. It defies logic and common sense to allow vacation rentals to resume on April 11th, while the entire state is in a de facto lockdown until the end of the month.
Admin
Hey Kurt, thanks for your reply. I agree with all of the above, however my real question in starting this thread was to find out whether or not people thought the 2 week vacation rental ban will be extended beyond April 10th; I personally believe it *should* be extended to be in line with the Stay At Home order which is effective until April 30th for all Florida residents. It defies logic and common sense to allow vacation rentals to resume on April 11th, while the entire state is in a de facto lockdown until the end of the month.Seems like it would be extended but the stuff out of Tallahassee and DC usually gives me a headache and/or a stomach ache. :doh:
:lol:
Beach LoverAuthor
Still no word on the rental ban being extended......
Beach Lover
It looks like there’s a meeting scheduled for the 14th. According to the agenda posted on the WCC website, there will be a COVID update toward the end of the meeting. Whether or not that includes discussing the rental ban that’s supposed to be lifted several days prior, I have no idea. I find it incredibly frustrating that they haven’t called a meeting to discuss this prior to the ban being lifted, so we could at least know what’s going to happen one way or the other.
Here’s a link to the agenda if anybody wants to take a look at it.
Walton County - Meeting Information
Here’s a link to the agenda if anybody wants to take a look at it.
Walton County - Meeting Information
Beach Fanatic
WCEM just posted that he extended it til the 30th............Thank YOU!!!!
Governor Ron DeSantis issues Executive Order 20-103, extending short-term rental ban through April 30.
Governor Ron DeSantis issues Executive Order 20-103, extending short-term rental ban through April 30.
SoWal Guide
Friday April 10
Today, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-103, which extends Executive Order 20-87, related to vacation rentals, until April 30, 2020. A PDF copy of Executive Order 20-87 can be found [here](https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/orders/2020/EO_20-87.pdf).
Today, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-103, which extends Executive Order 20-87, related to vacation rentals, until April 30, 2020. A PDF copy of Executive Order 20-87 can be found [here](https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/orders/2020/EO_20-87.pdf).
Beach LoverAuthor
Thank you Jesus. (And Ron DeSantis).
Beach Fanatic
Thank you Jesus. (And Ron DeSantis).Hope I can get a refund or a reschedule. May 9th arrival. Haven’t planned on this vacation for a couple of weeks. Staying home of course. Ellen
Beach LoverAuthor
Hope I can get a refund or a reschedule. May 9th arrival. Haven’t planned on this vacation for a couple of weeks. Staying home of course. Ellen
The suspension is until April 30th. It could be extended, I guess, if the situation hasn’t improved by then. I hope you can get a refund/reschedule if it comes to that; this isn’t the time to be going on vacation. I hope it works out for you.
Beach Fanatic
Since it has been extended please report any violations to the authorities and the person/company allowing them to check in to FLDPBR. The EO has changed but they still need us to report the abusers.
Emergency Management – COVID-19 – Vacation Rental Closures
Executive Order 20-87 orders all parties engaged in rental of vacation rental properties to suspend vacation rental operations. Vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in for the duration of the order. If you believe any licensee is operating contrary to the Governor’s Executive Order 20-87, please report the information here.
Emergency Management – COVID-19 – Vacation Rental Closures
Executive Order 20-87 orders all parties engaged in rental of vacation rental properties to suspend vacation rental operations. Vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in for the duration of the order. If you believe any licensee is operating contrary to the Governor’s Executive Order 20-87, please report the information here.
Beach Comber
The suspension is until April 30th. It could be extended, I guess, if the situation hasn’t improved by then. I hope you can get a refund/reschedule if it comes to that; this isn’t the time to be going on vacation. I hope it works out for you.Reschedule is the way to go, hopefully the beaches will be open by then.
Beach Comber
20-103 does not appear at fl.gov or on the Governor's page...FYI
Beach Fanatic
Does this apply to individual owners?
Beach Fanatic
20-103 does not appear at fl.gov or on the Governor's page...FYIHeres a link to the PDF...https://frla.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/EO-20-103.pdf
Beach LoverAuthor
Does this apply to individual owners?
It applies to "all parties engaged in rental of vacation rental properties".
Beach Lover
Maybe people should consider the possibility that they're not going to die if they don't go to the beach this summer. There are lots of places in the country where families can enjoy a nice vacation. It's going to take time for things to get back to "normal" and it may not happen quickly.
Beach Comber
Maybe people should consider the possibility that they're not going to die if they don't go to the beach this summer. There are lots of places in the country where families can enjoy a nice vacation. It's going to take time for things to get back to "normal" and it may not happen quickly.Not quite following your post... so it’s good to go on vacation as long as it isn’t here? IMHO as soon as the state and country deem it ok to resume travel I would think we would welcome our visitors.
Beach Fanatic
Some would rather NOT have millions of people here.
Beach Fanatic
Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson spent part of Monday in the State Attorney’s office discussing prosecution of violations of the statewide ban on short-term vacation rentals.
The meeting came after a weekend in which Walton County deputies investigated citizen complaints about more than a dozen apparent violations of the ban, instituted statewide in March by Gov. Ron DeSantis to limit travel to Florida to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The ban on short-term vacation rentals, initially instituted in March, was left in place in the governor’s latest executive order regarding COVID-19, which became effective Monday. That executive order allows for the partial reopening of restaurants and retail stores. The short-term vacation rental ban does not cover hotels, inns or resorts, but does cover condominiums.
Since the ban has been in place, the Sheriff’s Office has evicted “several” parties who were in violation, Adkinson said Monday. Those violators face possible second-degree misdemeanor charges, which carry a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.
A Sheriff’s Office report on one of those evictions, an April 18 incident involving 15 people from New York staying in a home a few blocks off County Road 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, provided some indication of the difficulties in dealing with alleged vacation rental violations.
A deputy went to the home, and when he and an accompanying sergeant asked for identification for people in the home, they were asked by one of the renters, “Are you guys going to make some sh-- up?”
Adkinson added Monday that owners of short-term vacation rental properties can face far more serious charges than renters.
“Some of these people, we’re talking about tax fraud,” said Adkinson, in terms of not reporting or paying taxes on rental income received during the ban.
“There will be warrants issued for arrest,” Adkinson said.
As a practical matter, the sheriff added, his office won’t necessarily pursue illicit out-of-state renters. But, he said, even a misdemeanor warrant can create problems for its recipient.
As an example, Adkinson pointed to a Canadian resident recently evicted from a vacation rental. “Good luck getting back across the border with an outstanding warrant,” he said Monday.
Adkinson provided the public with two non-emergency office telephone numbers — (850) 892-8186 and (850) 892-1111 — to call to report potential violations of the short-term vacation rental ban.
For illicit renters, the sheriff said, “this boils down to (a mindset of) ‘I’m more important than the people who live here.’”
The story is somewhat the same in nearby Destin, just across the county line in Okaloosa County. There, city officials are working through about 30 complaints of potential violations of the rental ban, said Catherine Card, the city’s public information manager.
Reports are being forwarded to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for enforcement action, Card said. As in Walton County, the larger local rental companies aren’t a problem, according to Card. Rather, the problem is with third-party renters like Vrbo, an online rental service.
The meeting came after a weekend in which Walton County deputies investigated citizen complaints about more than a dozen apparent violations of the ban, instituted statewide in March by Gov. Ron DeSantis to limit travel to Florida to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The ban on short-term vacation rentals, initially instituted in March, was left in place in the governor’s latest executive order regarding COVID-19, which became effective Monday. That executive order allows for the partial reopening of restaurants and retail stores. The short-term vacation rental ban does not cover hotels, inns or resorts, but does cover condominiums.
Since the ban has been in place, the Sheriff’s Office has evicted “several” parties who were in violation, Adkinson said Monday. Those violators face possible second-degree misdemeanor charges, which carry a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.
A Sheriff’s Office report on one of those evictions, an April 18 incident involving 15 people from New York staying in a home a few blocks off County Road 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, provided some indication of the difficulties in dealing with alleged vacation rental violations.
A deputy went to the home, and when he and an accompanying sergeant asked for identification for people in the home, they were asked by one of the renters, “Are you guys going to make some sh-- up?”
Adkinson added Monday that owners of short-term vacation rental properties can face far more serious charges than renters.
“Some of these people, we’re talking about tax fraud,” said Adkinson, in terms of not reporting or paying taxes on rental income received during the ban.
“There will be warrants issued for arrest,” Adkinson said.
As a practical matter, the sheriff added, his office won’t necessarily pursue illicit out-of-state renters. But, he said, even a misdemeanor warrant can create problems for its recipient.
As an example, Adkinson pointed to a Canadian resident recently evicted from a vacation rental. “Good luck getting back across the border with an outstanding warrant,” he said Monday.
Adkinson provided the public with two non-emergency office telephone numbers — (850) 892-8186 and (850) 892-1111 — to call to report potential violations of the short-term vacation rental ban.
For illicit renters, the sheriff said, “this boils down to (a mindset of) ‘I’m more important than the people who live here.’”
The story is somewhat the same in nearby Destin, just across the county line in Okaloosa County. There, city officials are working through about 30 complaints of potential violations of the rental ban, said Catherine Card, the city’s public information manager.
Reports are being forwarded to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for enforcement action, Card said. As in Walton County, the larger local rental companies aren’t a problem, according to Card. Rather, the problem is with third-party renters like Vrbo, an online rental service.
Beach LoverAuthor
Rosemary Beach website is taking bookings for next week or earlier and offers no mention of the vacation rental ban. Sheriff might want to take a look at that.
Admin
Yesterday, the Walton County Board of County Commissioners voted to send a letter to the Florida Governor asking that he rescind the ban on short-term vacation rentals.
Admin
Tourist Development Tax collection showed a 41.48 percent decrease in South Walton for March 2020 compared with the previous year. Travel impacts from COVID-19 began to be felt mid-March, significantly impacting these results. It is anticipated that the impacts will be further felt for April’s numbers, and continuing as long as COVID-19 continues to impact people’s ability to travel.
The Tourist Development Tax, or bed tax, is a five percent tax collected on hotels, condos and other short term rentals. It is the best way to gauge visitation and demand trends in South Walton. The revenue supports tourism marketing and beach operations including cleaning and maintaining beaches, lifeguards, destination improvements and preservation initiatives.
The Tourist Development Tax, or bed tax, is a five percent tax collected on hotels, condos and other short term rentals. It is the best way to gauge visitation and demand trends in South Walton. The revenue supports tourism marketing and beach operations including cleaning and maintaining beaches, lifeguards, destination improvements and preservation initiatives.
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