Sheriff Department depends on citizen reports of short term rentals violations.
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“It’s getting out of hand,” Adkinson said.
But, he added, “we can’t deal with it if we don’t know about it.”
“If you don’t live or own property here, you’re not supposed to be here,” Adkinson said.
“The only people who should be on the beach right now are property owners or local residents,” he added.
...throughout recent days, Adkinson has expressed concern about that, pointing out that people may be coming into the county from “hot spots” — areas of the country where COVID-19 is more widespread than in other areas of the country.
...In the March 27 order, DeSantis noted that “many cases of COVID-19 in Florida have resulted from individuals coming into the state of Florida from international travel and other states, posing great risk to Florida residents.”
....During his now-weekly Thursday “Sheriff Live” interactive social media livestream broadcast, Adkinson provided the office’s administrative phone number (892-8186), and its non-emergency phone number (892-8111), as a means for people with information on potential violations of the short-term rental ban to contact the sheriff’s office.
Violation of the short-term rental ban is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a jail term of up to 60 days and a fine of up to $500.
“We put a group of 15 out from New York last week,” the sheriff said Thursday.
The sheriff’s office also “took care of another one (alleged vacation rental violation) from Tennessee,” Adkinson said, adding that a couple of cases likely are headed for prosecution....”