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.
Vacation Rental News & Info Regarding COVID-19
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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.
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.
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.
What is the enforcement mechanism for collecting the bed tax? It is a short jump from folks violating the rental ban to speculating that they probably don't pay the bed tax as well.
I would be willing to bet that when the sheriff has to go to a residence concerning a illegal rental that they would take the owners information down then forward that to either the state or the TDC. I would like to know how far back they would audit for it because he said something about them being charged with tax fraud if it was found they were not submitting the bed tax. But by submitting said tax it would prove they were breaking the rental ban. Quite the problem for the homeowner IMO.
