PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Since he moved to Indian Rocks Beach in 2016, Jorge Blassino has seen his community change.
Dozens of homes have become short-term rentals, vacation homes available for rent on sites like AirBNB and VRBO.
“It’s almost like you close your eyes, and as soon as you open them, almost, you know, half of the neighborhood became AirBNB,” Blassino said. “It seemed to happen overnight. It was very, very quick.”
According to Blassino and other neighbors, the shift led to disruptive late-night parties, parking problems, and an uptick in littering.
“Used to be mostly on the weekends,” Blassino said. “Now, it’s kind of anytime of day.”
Blassino, however, says many of those problems were fixed last year when Indian Rocks Beach passed an ordinance that lays out extensive rules for vacation rental owners and the people who rent them.
Former city commissioner Lan Vaughan helped pass the ordinance.
“I was very happy and very proud to vote ‘yes’ on this,” he said.
Now, Vaughan is worried. After seven lawsuits were filed challenging the rules, the city entered into mediation with the plaintiffs. As a result of that mediation, city staff is proposing a plan to change the ordinance by watering it down, in Vaughan’s opinion.
“It would literally remove the teeth,” he said.
Tuesday, during a 4 p.m. meeting at city hall, commissioners will discuss the potential changes.
One would allow vacation rentals to have a higher occupancy rate than currently allowed in situations when a home has the required number of “habitable living spaces.” Another change would no longer allow the city to suspend or revoke a vacation rental’s license after multiple violations.
Vaughan stands by the ordinance, which he says was thoroughly vetted and conceived. He hopes the current commission will reject the proposed changes.
“I think the city commission should stand firm,” he said.
Blassino hopes so too.
“You have to stand up for what’s right,” he said.
Indian Rocks Beach Mayor Denise Houseberg, however, does not believe the proposed changes are too great of a sacrifice to the ordinance overall.
According to Houseberg, a prolonged legal fight would eventually hurt the city’s finances.
She acknowledges that the city is still deeply divided on the issue but hopes both side can compromise toward an amicable solution.
See the potential changes to the short-term rental ordinance by clicking here.
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