Key Takeaways

  • County staff estimate a dedicated short-term rental enforcement program would cost $1.5 million in year one
  • The program would require 11 new positions plus roughly $237,000 annually for software
  • Commissioners held a work session Wednesday but were not expected to adopt an ordinance

Enforcing new short-term rental rules in Manatee County could cost taxpayers $1.5 million in the first year alone. That is the estimate county staff gave commissioners this week, and it centers on a decision playing out in a Gulf Coast market that has drawn registry debates across the Tampa Bay region.

Manatee County commissioners met Wednesday for a work session on how far to go in regulating vacation rentals, including listings on Airbnb and Vrbo, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.

County staff told the board that a dedicated short-term rental program could require 11 new positions, running roughly $1.5 million in year one, plus about $237,000 annually for software.

Commissioners were not expected to adopt an ordinance at Wednesday’s session. The meeting was billed as a work session meant to give staff direction before any new rules get drafted and sent to public hearings, a process similar to how other Florida jurisdictions have handled new registration fees elsewhere in the country.

What county staff says they can and cannot regulate

County staff told commissioners that Manatee County cannot simply ban short-term rentals, limit how often they are rented, or cap the total number of rental properties.

Staff also said the county cannot treat a home as a commercial use solely because it operates as a vacation rental, which leaves local officials focused on life-safety inspections, occupancy, parking, noise, trash and enforcement.

Residents have told commissioners that enforcement is especially difficult because many disturbances happen at night or on weekends, after normal code-enforcement hours end. One resident told commissioners in June that existing rules “are not working,” saying complaints can effectively start over each time a new group of guests checks in.

Related: Tybee Island overhauls short-term rental rules with new zone caps and strict enforcement

The discussion follows months of complaints from residents about noise, parking, trash and large groups staying in single-family neighborhoods across the county.

Any new framework could ultimately produce a countywide registration and enforcement program, a shift that would put Manatee among a growing list of Florida counties layering local oversight on top of state licensing, not unlike the debate playing out around STR regulation fights in other tourist-dependent markets.

Manatee County does not currently have its own short-term rental ordinance and instead relies on state licensing rules alongside existing local noise, fire and property maintenance codes. Commissioners have not set a date for a follow-up vote, and staff has not said when a drafted ordinance will return to the board for public hearings.

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