MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — On Wednesday, Bradenton city officials will consider new changes to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO.
It's something we're starting to see regulated on both the state and local levels.
Short-term rentals and what comes with them are a growing debate for coastal cities. We just saw a months-long back and forth about this in Indian Rocks Beach. Now Bradenton will begin its discussion.
While many officials say they love having people vacation in their cities, short-term rentals often bring in a lot of loud parties and late nights, which creates a frustrating situation for locals living near those rentals.
Bradenton city officials will consider changes to its rental ordinance during the city council meeting on Wednesday.
Some of the changes include:
- Rental owners will need to have their certificate of registration no later than December 31. That is a month earlier than the previous date.
- The city will also consider changing the definition of vacation rental to include condos with three or more units.
- The agenda item says that the ordinance will be submitted for codification.
June 14 is the first reading for these changes, so don't expect any final decisions on Wednesday.
Many coastal cities across the state have similar regulations in place. Indian Rocks Beach is one that we saw implement a wide-ranging ordinance to regulate the number of short-term rentals a few months ago.
In the state legislature, there's a pair of bills that would restrict how cities can regulate short-term rentals. Some say if the law is passed, it would help cities monitor short-term rentals without over-regulating them. Others think the bill would take away the city's ability to protect its citizens from what short-term rentals can cause.
You can read the Bradenton City Council agenda item here.
Click here to read about the bill in the state legislature.
