ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Vacation rentals and how to regulate them are at the center of a debate raging locally and at the state level.
Florida legislators are considering a bill that would enable the state to regulate short term rentals such as Airbnbs. It would also restrict local governments from making laws pertaining to short term rentals.
"We're going to Tallahassee," St. Augustine City Manager John Regan said Tuesday afternoon over the phone.
He and City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline talked to First Coast News from the car on their way to the state capital, where they spoke during a hearing on the short term rental bill before a House committee.
That proposed bill would strip the power to regulate vacation rentals from local governments, and it would place it in the state's hands.
"We are opposed to the bill, yes," Regan said.
And why?
"Because every municipality is different and no one size fits all," he answered. "What we might need or might be desired by our population in terms of regulation might not be the same as Miami, Orlando or Tampa."
St. Augustine is dealing with the boom of short term rentals.
Homeowners like Ronnie May of St. Augustine say vacation rentals help them make extra money.
"It supplements our income and provides income to maintain this property," May said.
City leaders have fielded complaints about noise and parking from some residents who say short term rentals are to blame.
In recent months, St. Augustine proposed its own local laws to regulate how long guests can stay, parking requirements, and safety standards. This leaves many short term rental owners bracing to abide by much stricter standards.
"Now they're moving the goal post. I feel I'm being stabbed in the back now," May said.
The City Manager said he's not against short term rentals, but he is concerned about how they're regulated.
"Short term rentals are best regulated at the local level," Regan said. "This is another example of the erosion of home rule."
He and Kline plan to fight -- as they've done for the past two years -- to keep the law-making power for vacation rentals at the local level. Meanwhile, St. Augustine residents wait to see what happens.