County commissioners listened to opinions on what should be included in a proposed ordinance that would regulate short-term, or vacation rentals, on Sept. 2.
The elected officials and county staff are hammering out specifics of the ordinance the commissioners requested the staff to draft in June. A similar ordinance was drafted in 2025 but the board did not approve it, county Development Services Director Nicole Knapp said.
A state law passed in 2014 prohibits municipalities from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating their duration or frequency unless local regulations existed before June 1, 2011. Other issues can be regulated by municipalities.
A new short-term rental ordinance would require the creation of a new county department and staff to enforce its terms, including registration, renewal, occupancy restrictions, licensing, proof of ownership, identification of a designated operator and parking requirements, said Stephanie Charles, deputy director of county development services.
Citizens consistently express concerns about noise, trash and parking at short-term rentals, problems that are already covered by county ordinance, Knapp said, as well as occupancy restrictions, commercial versus residential zoning for rentals, and inspections.
“We stand here and we cry and we beg you for help,” a tearful Diana Adams told commissioners, recounting having to listen to 12 hours straight of multiple bouncing basketballs next door.
Two short-term rental houses on her street have more occupants than the rest of the entire street combined, she said.
“I haven’t been able to sleep in my own bedroom now for a year because of the noise,” Richard Hicks told the board, explaining that he has to get up at 4 a.m. for work, which means going to bed at 8 p.m.
“I got an hour of sleep Saturday night” due to loud music, he said, because when the neighbors finally quieted down, his adrenaline didn’t.
Erin Devilo questioned why short-term rentals are allowed in residential zones, since they operate as transient lodging, like hotels, and as commercial businesses.
The short-term rentals seem to be considered as dwellings by the county, but the county code defines dwellings as homes, Devilo said, adding that the rentals are actually transient lodging, which is not allowed in residential single-family zones.
“All of us that bought into residential single-family zones are asking ourselves, ‘How does this exist?’ ” Devilo asked. “Why is the code not being enforced?”
Speaking on the other side, Max Brandow, vice president of advocacy and member programs for the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, advocated for the county enforcing existing regulations rather than making new ones.
Complaints about noise, trash, parking and trespassing are already addressed in the current county code and could be beefed up, he said.
He told commissioners that the vast majority of rental operators are good neighbors and that it would be unfair for 98% of rental owners to shoulder the burden for the 2% that are bad actors.
Brandow said the proposed ordinance’s $600 annual fee is higher than any nearby municipality, including Hillsborough County, which passed a short-term rental ordinance the same day of the meeting that requires a yearly $200 fee and payment of fines if guests violate code enforcement rules beginning in January. Under the ordinance, a representative must be available to respond within an hour to problems, and the county will be allowed to inspect properties and require compliance within 30 days.
He said his group is not against registration and designated responsible party requirements, but added that after passing an initial inspection and operating for three years with no complaints, inspections should stop.
Brandow said it would be impossible for the county to enforce occupancy restrictions, one of the main ideas advocated by Manatee Concerned Residents, because no agency can do “bed checks.”
Dressed in blue at the meeting, the residents’ group favors an occupancy cap of eight people per unit as the most effective way to solve what they call “rental fatigue” problems for neighbors living next to vacation rentals. They also favor penalties for property owners for repeat offenses, registration fees and better enforcement of current laws and codes.
Commission chair Tal Siddique said he agreed that fees should be more reasonable than the proposed $600 per year and that while occupancy can’t be completely enforced, explicitly defined limits can be set.
He also said he thought residents could be right about transient lodging not being allowed in residential single-family zones.
Knapp suggested the team ask the county attorney to look into the transient lodging issue and said they will report back to the board within 30-45 days.
Cindy Lane is a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Beacons. She can be reached at clane@tbnweekly.com.