Key Takeaways

  • The Santa Rosa Island Authority’s committee voted unanimously August 20 to draft short-term rental rules for Pensacola Beach
  • The proposal would require a state-registered rental listing and a 24/7 contact person for law enforcement issues
  • The full SRIA board takes up the draft policy at meetings scheduled for August 26 and September 23

Pensacola Beach could soon require every short-term rental on Santa Rosa Island to register with the county and post a live, round-the-clock point of contact. The proposed policy comes after residents on the Florida Gulf Coast barrier island complained about overflowing trash, late-night noise and cars clogging narrow beach streets during peak season.

The Santa Rosa Island Authority’s short-term rental committee voted unanimously on August 20 to direct staff and legal counsel to draft the policy, modeling it on rules already in place in nearby Gulf Breeze, Anna Maria Island and Panama City Beach.

Board member Marc Marrocco, who sits on the committee, framed the authority’s role as the island’s landlord, according to a WEAR-TV report.

The draft would create a registry pulling data from property owners, Florida’s statewide vacation rental database and Escambia County Clerk of Court records.

Owners would need to show proof of registration with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and name a designated responsible party available at any hour to field law enforcement calls or county ordinance complaints.

“It gets crowded in the summer. It’s hard to find parking like before kids go back to school,” according to tourist Janet Douglass, who also pointed to trash left behind on the beach.

County authority limits how far the beach board can go

Kim Walden, who owns four rental properties in Escambia County, said the plan could work if it’s carried out carefully. She told WEAR-TV she thinks it would benefit both owners and visitors if the details get done right.

Related: Major college town inches closer to new short-term rental permit rules despite pushback

The authority’s own attorney has cautioned the board that its reach is limited. Escambia County controls enforcement over noise, parking and nuisance violations, meaning citations and fines would still run through the county’s ordinance process even if SRIA adopts a registry as a lease condition, mirroring debates seen in other short-term rental fights playing out nationally this month.

Marrocco said he favors modeling the ordinance on Panama City Beach’s approach, which pairs licensure with fines and a path to revoke a rental’s authorization for repeat violations.

The committee also discussed budgeting for a dedicated code compliance position to manage registrations and follow-up on complaints.

The draft policy heads next to the SRIA’s full board, which meets August 26 and again September 23, before any registry requirement could take effect.

MORE STR NEWS: