Key Takeaways

  • Hillsborough County plans a $200 registration fee for short-term rentals with a public hearing this week
  • Manatee County’s draft ordinance caps occupancy at 12 guests and mandates driveway-only parking
  • Both counties are taking up their proposals on the same Wednesday, with Hillsborough’s hearing preceding possible final adoption

Hillsborough County commissioners are set to vote on a $200 short-term rental registration fee this week, with the rules taking effect as soon as January if approved.

The Tampa-area county’s proposal, moving alongside a related discussion of Tampa possibly joining a countywide registry, would require vacation rental owners to register, pay the fee and name a 24-hour representative to handle complaints, according to a report from WFLA.

Hillsborough’s public hearing on the measure is scheduled for Wednesday morning at 10.

Next door, Manatee County commissioners are weighing their own ordinance the same day, with a workshop set for 9 a.m. The draft would cap occupancy at two people per bedroom, with a hard ceiling of 12 guests regardless of house size, and would require all guest vehicles to fit inside the driveway.

The Manatee proposal also mandates that a property manager stay reachable around the clock and respond to complaints within an hour. Neither county currently has a dedicated short-term rental ordinance, leaving enforcement to rely on general noise, fire and property codes.

Occupancy and parking rules divide Manatee residents

Reaction in Manatee County has split along familiar lines. Some residents believe the proposed limits could stop neighborhoods from turning into party houses, while others argue the county should enforce its existing regulations before layering on a new ordinance.

“I think this ordinance is a start, but I think we need more,” one Manatee County resident said at a previous meeting.

Hillsborough’s version leans more on paperwork than physical limits, designating a local responsible party for each rental rather than setting hard occupancy caps in the ordinance language itself.

The county’s push follows a wave of local action across Florida, including registration fees adopted elsewhere as counties try to fund enforcement without running afoul of the state’s preemption limits on local STR bans.

Related: Tampa weighs joining countywide short-term rental registry

The added compliance layer comes as operators already navigate thinner margins, a dynamic reflected in the wide earnings gap between top and bottom performing hosts. Cutting platform costs elsewhere, such as through direct booking to avoid platform fees, has become one way hosts offset new local fees like Hillsborough’s proposed $200 registration charge.

Both counties are set to take up their measures on the same Wednesday, with Manatee’s session a workshop rather than a formal vote and Hillsborough’s public hearing positioned as the step before final adoption.

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