Bills
Senate Bills
SENATE AND HOUSE COMMITTEE WEEKS CONCLUDE
• Returned home for the holiday season
• Will resume January 2023
SB 620
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Senate Judicial Committee – Voted 7-4 in favor
• Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee – Voted 11-4
SB 512
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Preempt cities from licensing short-term rentals
• Impose a fine for failure to register a vacation rental
• Limit a municipalities vacation rental registration process
• Maximum fine $50
HB 403
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Next Committee: House Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee
• Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee – Voted 11-4
HB 569
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Preempt cities from licensing short-term rentals
• Impose a fine for failure to register a vacation rental
• Limit a municipalities vacation rental registration process
• Maximum fine $50
SB522 Has been Temporarily Postponed
• Bill has been delayed
SB 522 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee this Tuesday
SB522 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee this Wednesday, April 20th @ 8:30 AM. Although the bill has been amended, the principle still stands against...
House Committee Postpones VR Bill
After the Senate scaled back its version of the bill, the House Ways and Means committee met on Monday 3/22/2021 and postponed consideration of a measure that...
HB 219 (2021) Vacation Rentals Added to House Meeting Agenda
HB219 has been added to Ways & Means Committee agenda, for meeting on 03/22/2021 12:30 PM
Appropriations Committee Amends SB522
The Senate Appropriations Committee amended SB 522 ahead of their most recent meeting before finding the bill favorable and sending it to the Rules Committee....
Senate Bill Passes through Second Subcommittee
Senate Bill 522 was Favorable today by Appropriations Subcommittee; YEAS 13 NAYS 5. Going forward in the process it will be passed to the Rules Committee. There...
SB522 will be heard on Thursday, March 11 at 11:30AM
Two weeks after Senate Bill 522 was found Favorable by Regulated Industries Subcommittee, it will be on the agenda for the next Senate Appropriations Committee...
Legislature tries to Strip More Authority from Local Governments
Efforts by state legislators to take vacation rental away from local officials are before the legislature this year, after similar bills died during the last...
SB 522’s Committee References Changed to Appropriations
The bill will now be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee, rather than Commerce and Tourism. Normally, bills do not get reassigned to a different...
Vacation Rental Proposal On The Move In Senate
As online platforms such as Airbnb have grown in popularity, regulation of short-term rental properties has become a perennial fight in the Legislature. READ...
Senate Bill Passes through first Subcommittee
Senate Bill 522 was Favorable by Regulated Industries Subcommittee; YEAS 6 NAYS 3. Going forward in the process it will be passed to the Commerce and Tourism...
House Bill Passes through first Subcommittee
House Bill 219 was Favorable with CS by Regulatory Reform Subcommittee and is being passed to the Ways & Means Committee. There is currently no date set for...
The Battle Continues into 2021
Florida Lawmakers Move to Scrap Local Governments’ Vacation Rental Regulations. Read more about it here: https://flaglerlive.com/160828/short-term-rentals-2021/...
Same Battle as 2020
The state legislature has initiated its annual battle with local governments over vacation rentals. Read about it in the Anna Maria Sun newspaper:...
Home Rule survived the 2020 Legislative session. However…
Home Rule survived the 2020 Legislative session. Both bills (SB1128 and HB1011) to defeat Home Rule were “TP’d” (Temporarily passed - which really means...
Senate Bill 1128 was “Temporarily Postponed” in Committee
Apparently an overwhelming number of local authorities showed up to testify against SB1128 on Monday before the Rules Committee. Hearing from all those who showed...
Governor questions the States’ “Micromanaging” of local Governments
Thank you Governor DeSantis for questioning the wisdom of the one-size-fits-all mentality rampant in the legislature. Read more about it HERE.
St. Pete Times calls Bills a NUCLEAR bomb
Jay Daigneault, an attorney for several beach towns in Pinellas County, calls these bills (CS/HB 519 and CS/SB 1766) to alter the Bert Harris laws a nuclear bomb....
Super Bowl Draws Illegal Rentals
The South Florida Sun Sentinel illustrates one of the many problems caused by vacation rentals in residential areas - illegal advertising on AirBnB and other...
Overwhelming Amount of Testimony Against SB1128
Well over 100 city officials and private citizens showed up on Tuesday to the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee to voice their opposition to SB1128 which...
HB1011 Now has Funding
HB1011 passed the Government Operations and Technology Subcommittee by a vote of 8 to 5 on 2/4. An amendment was added as follows: “For the 2020-2021 fiscal year,...
Lido Key Latest to Fall Victim
Beautiful Lido Key, home of the famous shopping mecca St. Armands Circle near Sarasota on Florida’s west coast is the latest to fall into the clutches of...
The Ultimate Hypocrisy
Senator Manny Diaz has again introduced a bill (SB1128) that would preempt all local Vacation Rental rule ordnances and decimate vulnerable local...
Follow the Money
In case there is any doubt as to what really motivates our elected representatives, please read the article below. It is easy to correlate the names mentioned in...
Surveys show 74-90% of Florida residents favor Home Rule over state control
Some state legislators seem to be numb to what Florida residents really want. The results of 2 recent surveys can be viewed HEREand a more recent one HERE
A Constitutional Amendment that needs our support
A constitutional amendment has been proposed that would require a 2/3rds majority to enact Home Rule preemption measures at the state level. SJR164 filed by...
Another setback for Home Rule?
Rep Halsey Beshears was recently appointed by Governor DeSantis as Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation. Rep Beshears has not been a proponent for...
Herald Tribune article on Home Rule
This article quotes some legislators of being skeptical of Vacation Rentals driving out residents:Click HERE
Sanibel/Captiva feeling the Effects
An article in the Sanibel-Captive IslanderClick HERE
A Revealing Look at the Influence of Special Interests on the Florida Legislative Process
Last year, in a huge conflict of interest, sponsor of current HB1383, Jamie Grant, spoke on behalf of the Vacation Rental Management Association which is a...
An Alarming Illustration AirBnB’s efforts to subvert Home Rule
This lengthy, in-depth article in Wired magazine shows what we as Florida residents are up against in our fight to preserve our communities. Through well funded...
Poll Shows That 70% of Floridians Want Home Rule
A poll of 1400 people conducted by FloridaPolitics.com shows that 70% of Floridians want local control over short term rentals. This message needs to...
Another Example of State Regulations Making the Job of Local Government More Difficult
By defining a vacation rental as a “residence” and prohibiting any change to grandfathered regulation, the state has severely tied the hands of local government....
More Voices Opposing State Preemption of Home Rule Authority
We are beginning to hear from more seniors who came to Florida hoping to enjoy retirement in a quiet neighborhood. To their peril, they find that...
Fallout Continues from State Vacation Rental Overreach
Once a vacation rental is legally in a residential area, there is little the local government can do. It’s up to the state to restore home rule authority to local...
A Good Summary of Vacation Rentals in the 2018 Legislature
As illustrated in this article, it seems like vacation rental advocates will stop at nothing to preempt local government's role in controlling investor owned...
How Many more Editorials do we need before Tallahassee Listens?
This Editorial from South Florida makes an excellent point that lobbyists now have increased power in the State Legislature as the result of term limits. It's a...
It seems like existing Home Rule survives another Legislative session
Neither one of the House or Senate bills are currently scheduled to be heard by committee which is confirmed here by the Senate's...
GateHouse Paper’s Editorial Highlights Vacation Rental Legislation in the House
In taking the old Sausage factory adage, the recent actions in the House of Representatives are examined in this editorial. It could be comedy. The problem is...
An Illustration of Why the Best Government is that Closest to the People
Here is a stark contrast illustrated in the following between two approaches to regulating vacation rentals. The first is Senator Hutson's defense of his...
West Coast Editor Again Concludes the Best Government is that Closest to the People
The Editor of the Sarasota Observer is complementary of Sen. Steube's stand for individual rights and a rational argument. However, he points out that the 1968...
Opposition to Tallahassee’s Preemption of Home Rule Expands beyond Coastal Communities to Orlando
The Orlando conference of Mayors rebel against the threats to their constitutionally guaranteed right to home rule posed by legislation now working its way...
Tourist Development Council of Manatee County Opposes Regulation from Tallahassee
The TDC which is Manatee County's advisory board designed to promote tourism in this coastal community is firmly opposed to regulation of vacation rentals at the...
Home Rule Suffers a Setback in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee
In spite of over 20 local governments expressing opposition to Senator Steube's SB1400, this committee votes overwhelmingly in favor of moving it forward. Even...
Senator Steube’s Hometown Newspaper Offers Some Insights
This article from the Sarasota Herald Tribune offers some disturbing insight into Senator Steube's real motives when introducing legislation for statewide...
Conference of Mayors Points Out This Is a Nationwide Problem
During the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which took place from June 23-26 in Miami Beach, a bi-partisan group of mayors from around the country agreed that...
Getting TV Coverage in South Florida
More TV coverage like this is needed elsewhere in our...
Help Educate the Chamber of Commerce
Here is a link to a survey conducted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. It was found by one of our more active members in Flagler County. It is an opportunity to...
Sen. Steube’s Home Town Newspaper Questions His Judgement
Sen. Steube has vowed to continue his crusade even though defeated in the last Legislative...
The Fight Starts All Over Again
Apparently Sen. Steube didn't heed the advice offered in the editorial on May 4 in the Observer papers (and posted below) that advised him to recalculate his...
An Editorial on Sen. Steube
This editorial finds merit in Steube's willingness to stand up for his beliefs. However, the article also illustrates the unfortunate part is that his beliefs are...
Other US cities are waking up; Isn’t it time for Florida?
As seen in this article, other places in the US seem to be way ahead of our...
HB425 Passes by narrow margin in House
This article summarizes the various sides in this controversy:http://floridapolitics.com/archives/tag/house-bill-425Missing and conveniently overlooked in this...
Collateral Damage from Lack of Regulation of Vacation Rentals
The proponents of HB425 and SB188 keep arguing for a "level playing field". We wonder how these people feel about how level it really...
Some Good News for The Home Rule Cause
SB188 was heard in the Community Affairs Committee in the Senate yesterday. It passed with an amendment that effectively neutralizes the onerous effects that the...
State vs Home Rule is called Florida’s Civil War
The Editor of the Business Observer as an ardent free market advocate looks at both sides of the argument and takes a stand. He points up: "We all have learned...
Miami-Dade Starts to Voice Opposition
This article makes one wonder why Tallahassee thinks they know better than those closest to the problem. The Legislature isn't offering a solution, only saying...
The Hotel Industry Weighs in
A Miami Herald article refers to Airbnb rapid growth coming from "commercial"...
Sen Steube’s Home Town Newspaper Turns Against Him
The Sarasota Herald Tribune calls SB188, sponsored by its home town Senator a Big Government...
Letter to the Editor Palm Coast Observer
The author points up an interesting dichotomy. If you build a large house and want to operate it as a B&B, you are not allowed to do so in a residential area....
Lifestyle at Risk
Here's the latest from some Anna Maria residents who are not against vacation rentals, but just want some...
Denver recognizes that commercial rentals in residential areas destroys the integrity of a neighborhood
Download the full "Denver recognizes that commercial rentals in residential areas destroys the integrity of a neighborhood" PDF article »
Please Florida Legislator, How Many More Residents Do We Have to Lose Before You Wake Up?
The Beach Community of Anna Maria Island is down 20% in permanent residents. Here’s one more example reported in the Sun Newspaper on March 1, 2017 where a resident has served his community for years, but has had it with the disruption caused by vacation rentals. He is no longer a participant, just a statistic.
A Passionate Defense Of Home Rule Written In 2014 That Still Applies Today
Flagler County Commissioner Frank Meeker wrote a strong and impassioned op-ed in The Daytona Beach News-Journal in 2014 on the importance of home rule. It was...
Would You Rather Protect Paradise, Or Have Paradise Lost?
This great article by Tom Aposporos (who is a licensed real estate broker) written in 2014 in the Sarasota Herald Tribune offered some direct facts about how the...
House Bills
SENATE AND HOUSE COMMITTEE WEEKS CONCLUDE
• Returned home for the holiday season
• Will resume January 2023
SB 620
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Senate Judicial Committee – Voted 7-4 in favor
• Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee – Voted 11-4
SB 512
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Preempt cities from licensing short-term rentals
• Impose a fine for failure to register a vacation rental
• Limit a municipalities vacation rental registration process
• Maximum fine $50
HB 403
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Next Committee: House Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee
• Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee – Voted 11-4
HB 569
Sponsored by: Sen. Travis Hutson
• Preempt cities from licensing short-term rentals
• Impose a fine for failure to register a vacation rental
• Limit a municipalities vacation rental registration process
• Maximum fine $50
SB522 Has been Temporarily Postponed
• Bill has been delayed
SB 522 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee this Tuesday
SB522 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee this Wednesday, April 20th @ 8:30 AM. Although the bill has been amended, the principle still stands against...
House Committee Postpones VR Bill
After the Senate scaled back its version of the bill, the House Ways and Means committee met on Monday 3/22/2021 and postponed consideration of a measure that...
HB 219 (2021) Vacation Rentals Added to House Meeting Agenda
HB219 has been added to Ways & Means Committee agenda, for meeting on 03/22/2021 12:30 PM
Appropriations Committee Amends SB522
The Senate Appropriations Committee amended SB 522 ahead of their most recent meeting before finding the bill favorable and sending it to the Rules Committee....
Senate Bill Passes through Second Subcommittee
Senate Bill 522 was Favorable today by Appropriations Subcommittee; YEAS 13 NAYS 5. Going forward in the process it will be passed to the Rules Committee. There...
SB522 will be heard on Thursday, March 11 at 11:30AM
Two weeks after Senate Bill 522 was found Favorable by Regulated Industries Subcommittee, it will be on the agenda for the next Senate Appropriations Committee...
Legislature tries to Strip More Authority from Local Governments
Efforts by state legislators to take vacation rental away from local officials are before the legislature this year, after similar bills died during the last...
SB 522’s Committee References Changed to Appropriations
The bill will now be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee, rather than Commerce and Tourism. Normally, bills do not get reassigned to a different...
Vacation Rental Proposal On The Move In Senate
As online platforms such as Airbnb have grown in popularity, regulation of short-term rental properties has become a perennial fight in the Legislature. READ...
Senate Bill Passes through first Subcommittee
Senate Bill 522 was Favorable by Regulated Industries Subcommittee; YEAS 6 NAYS 3. Going forward in the process it will be passed to the Commerce and Tourism...
House Bill Passes through first Subcommittee
House Bill 219 was Favorable with CS by Regulatory Reform Subcommittee and is being passed to the Ways & Means Committee. There is currently no date set for...
The Battle Continues into 2021
Florida Lawmakers Move to Scrap Local Governments’ Vacation Rental Regulations. Read more about it here: https://flaglerlive.com/160828/short-term-rentals-2021/...
Same Battle as 2020
The state legislature has initiated its annual battle with local governments over vacation rentals. Read about it in the Anna Maria Sun newspaper:...
Home Rule survived the 2020 Legislative session. However…
Home Rule survived the 2020 Legislative session. Both bills (SB1128 and HB1011) to defeat Home Rule were “TP’d” (Temporarily passed - which really means...
Senate Bill 1128 was “Temporarily Postponed” in Committee
Apparently an overwhelming number of local authorities showed up to testify against SB1128 on Monday before the Rules Committee. Hearing from all those who showed...
Governor questions the States’ “Micromanaging” of local Governments
Thank you Governor DeSantis for questioning the wisdom of the one-size-fits-all mentality rampant in the legislature. Read more about it HERE.
St. Pete Times calls Bills a NUCLEAR bomb
Jay Daigneault, an attorney for several beach towns in Pinellas County, calls these bills (CS/HB 519 and CS/SB 1766) to alter the Bert Harris laws a nuclear bomb....
Super Bowl Draws Illegal Rentals
The South Florida Sun Sentinel illustrates one of the many problems caused by vacation rentals in residential areas - illegal advertising on AirBnB and other...
Overwhelming Amount of Testimony Against SB1128
Well over 100 city officials and private citizens showed up on Tuesday to the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee to voice their opposition to SB1128 which...
HB1011 Now has Funding
HB1011 passed the Government Operations and Technology Subcommittee by a vote of 8 to 5 on 2/4. An amendment was added as follows: “For the 2020-2021 fiscal year,...
Lido Key Latest to Fall Victim
Beautiful Lido Key, home of the famous shopping mecca St. Armands Circle near Sarasota on Florida’s west coast is the latest to fall into the clutches of...
The Ultimate Hypocrisy
Senator Manny Diaz has again introduced a bill (SB1128) that would preempt all local Vacation Rental rule ordnances and decimate vulnerable local...
Follow the Money
In case there is any doubt as to what really motivates our elected representatives, please read the article below. It is easy to correlate the names mentioned in...
Surveys show 74-90% of Florida residents favor Home Rule over state control
Some state legislators seem to be numb to what Florida residents really want. The results of 2 recent surveys can be viewed HEREand a more recent one HERE
A Constitutional Amendment that needs our support
A constitutional amendment has been proposed that would require a 2/3rds majority to enact Home Rule preemption measures at the state level. SJR164 filed by...
Another setback for Home Rule?
Rep Halsey Beshears was recently appointed by Governor DeSantis as Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation. Rep Beshears has not been a proponent for...
Herald Tribune article on Home Rule
This article quotes some legislators of being skeptical of Vacation Rentals driving out residents:Click HERE
Sanibel/Captiva feeling the Effects
An article in the Sanibel-Captive IslanderClick HERE
A Revealing Look at the Influence of Special Interests on the Florida Legislative Process
Last year, in a huge conflict of interest, sponsor of current HB1383, Jamie Grant, spoke on behalf of the Vacation Rental Management Association which is a...
An Alarming Illustration AirBnB’s efforts to subvert Home Rule
This lengthy, in-depth article in Wired magazine shows what we as Florida residents are up against in our fight to preserve our communities. Through well funded...
Poll Shows That 70% of Floridians Want Home Rule
A poll of 1400 people conducted by FloridaPolitics.com shows that 70% of Floridians want local control over short term rentals. This message needs to...
Another Example of State Regulations Making the Job of Local Government More Difficult
By defining a vacation rental as a “residence” and prohibiting any change to grandfathered regulation, the state has severely tied the hands of local government....
More Voices Opposing State Preemption of Home Rule Authority
We are beginning to hear from more seniors who came to Florida hoping to enjoy retirement in a quiet neighborhood. To their peril, they find that...
Fallout Continues from State Vacation Rental Overreach
Once a vacation rental is legally in a residential area, there is little the local government can do. It’s up to the state to restore home rule authority to local...
A Good Summary of Vacation Rentals in the 2018 Legislature
As illustrated in this article, it seems like vacation rental advocates will stop at nothing to preempt local government's role in controlling investor owned...
How Many more Editorials do we need before Tallahassee Listens?
This Editorial from South Florida makes an excellent point that lobbyists now have increased power in the State Legislature as the result of term limits. It's a...
It seems like existing Home Rule survives another Legislative session
Neither one of the House or Senate bills are currently scheduled to be heard by committee which is confirmed here by the Senate's...
GateHouse Paper’s Editorial Highlights Vacation Rental Legislation in the House
In taking the old Sausage factory adage, the recent actions in the House of Representatives are examined in this editorial. It could be comedy. The problem is...
An Illustration of Why the Best Government is that Closest to the People
Here is a stark contrast illustrated in the following between two approaches to regulating vacation rentals. The first is Senator Hutson's defense of his...
West Coast Editor Again Concludes the Best Government is that Closest to the People
The Editor of the Sarasota Observer is complementary of Sen. Steube's stand for individual rights and a rational argument. However, he points out that the 1968...
Opposition to Tallahassee’s Preemption of Home Rule Expands beyond Coastal Communities to Orlando
The Orlando conference of Mayors rebel against the threats to their constitutionally guaranteed right to home rule posed by legislation now working its way...
Tourist Development Council of Manatee County Opposes Regulation from Tallahassee
The TDC which is Manatee County's advisory board designed to promote tourism in this coastal community is firmly opposed to regulation of vacation rentals at the...
Home Rule Suffers a Setback in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee
In spite of over 20 local governments expressing opposition to Senator Steube's SB1400, this committee votes overwhelmingly in favor of moving it forward. Even...
Senator Steube’s Hometown Newspaper Offers Some Insights
This article from the Sarasota Herald Tribune offers some disturbing insight into Senator Steube's real motives when introducing legislation for statewide...
Conference of Mayors Points Out This Is a Nationwide Problem
During the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which took place from June 23-26 in Miami Beach, a bi-partisan group of mayors from around the country agreed that...
Getting TV Coverage in South Florida
More TV coverage like this is needed elsewhere in our...
Help Educate the Chamber of Commerce
Here is a link to a survey conducted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. It was found by one of our more active members in Flagler County. It is an opportunity to...
Sen. Steube’s Home Town Newspaper Questions His Judgement
Sen. Steube has vowed to continue his crusade even though defeated in the last Legislative...
The Fight Starts All Over Again
Apparently Sen. Steube didn't heed the advice offered in the editorial on May 4 in the Observer papers (and posted below) that advised him to recalculate his...
An Editorial on Sen. Steube
This editorial finds merit in Steube's willingness to stand up for his beliefs. However, the article also illustrates the unfortunate part is that his beliefs are...
Other US cities are waking up; Isn’t it time for Florida?
As seen in this article, other places in the US seem to be way ahead of our...
HB425 Passes by narrow margin in House
This article summarizes the various sides in this controversy:http://floridapolitics.com/archives/tag/house-bill-425Missing and conveniently overlooked in this...
Collateral Damage from Lack of Regulation of Vacation Rentals
The proponents of HB425 and SB188 keep arguing for a "level playing field". We wonder how these people feel about how level it really...
Some Good News for The Home Rule Cause
SB188 was heard in the Community Affairs Committee in the Senate yesterday. It passed with an amendment that effectively neutralizes the onerous effects that the...
State vs Home Rule is called Florida’s Civil War
The Editor of the Business Observer as an ardent free market advocate looks at both sides of the argument and takes a stand. He points up: "We all have learned...
Miami-Dade Starts to Voice Opposition
This article makes one wonder why Tallahassee thinks they know better than those closest to the problem. The Legislature isn't offering a solution, only saying...
The Hotel Industry Weighs in
A Miami Herald article refers to Airbnb rapid growth coming from "commercial"...
Sen Steube’s Home Town Newspaper Turns Against Him
The Sarasota Herald Tribune calls SB188, sponsored by its home town Senator a Big Government...
Letter to the Editor Palm Coast Observer
The author points up an interesting dichotomy. If you build a large house and want to operate it as a B&B, you are not allowed to do so in a residential area....
Lifestyle at Risk
Here's the latest from some Anna Maria residents who are not against vacation rentals, but just want some...
Denver recognizes that commercial rentals in residential areas destroys the integrity of a neighborhood
Download the full "Denver recognizes that commercial rentals in residential areas destroys the integrity of a neighborhood" PDF article »
Please Florida Legislator, How Many More Residents Do We Have to Lose Before You Wake Up?
The Beach Community of Anna Maria Island is down 20% in permanent residents. Here’s one more example reported in the Sun Newspaper on March 1, 2017 where a resident has served his community for years, but has had it with the disruption caused by vacation rentals. He is no longer a participant, just a statistic.
A Passionate Defense Of Home Rule Written In 2014 That Still Applies Today
Flagler County Commissioner Frank Meeker wrote a strong and impassioned op-ed in The Daytona Beach News-Journal in 2014 on the importance of home rule. It was...
Would You Rather Protect Paradise, Or Have Paradise Lost?
This great article by Tom Aposporos (who is a licensed real estate broker) written in 2014 in the Sarasota Herald Tribune offered some direct facts about how the...