Politico by Arek Sarkissian
June 1, 2018
TALLAHASSEE — The rapid growth of online rental sites like HomeAway Vacation Rentals and Airbnb has unearthed a mother lode of local tourism taxes for dozens of counties that collect them, but that new revenue comes at a cost.
The 40 counties in Florida that have agreed to let Airbnb, for instance, collect those previously untapped tourism taxes have also lost the ability to identify properties and owner “hosts.” This leaves little recourse to confirm the cash remitted by Airbnb is accurate. The counties also see the information as crucial in a war against raucous vacation pads plopped into otherwise peaceful residential neighborhoods.
A delicate compromise among counties, online rental sites and hoteliers may be left up to state lawmakers, who will take up the issue during next year’s legislative session.
“I expect the issue to return next year,” said state Sen. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), who will become Senate president in November.
The Legislature passed a law in 2011 ceding regulatory power over vacation rentals to the state, but that was toned down in 2014. Two bills filed during this year’s session, FL SB1400 (18R) and FL HB773 (18R), died as lawmakers rushed to respond to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association President and CEO Carol Dover said this year’s bills would have forced vacation rentals to fall under the same statewide inspection standards as traditional hotels.
“We want uniformity,” Dover said. “And all aspects would be held in regard to Florida being the No. 1 tourist destination in the world.”
TALLAHASSEE — The rapid growth of online rental sites like HomeAway Vacation Rentals and Airbnb has unearthed a mother lode of local tourism taxes for dozens of counties that collect them, but that new revenue comes at a cost.
The 40 counties in Florida that have agreed to let Airbnb, for instance, collect those previously untapped tourism taxes have also lost the ability to identify properties and owner “hosts.” This leaves little recourse to confirm the cash remitted by Airbnb is accurate. The counties also see the information as crucial in a war against raucous vacation pads plopped into otherwise peaceful residential neighborhoods.
A delicate compromise among counties, online rental sites and hoteliers may be left up to state lawmakers, who will take up the issue during next year’s legislative session.
“I expect the issue to return next year,” said state Sen. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), who will become Senate president in November.
The Legislature passed a law in 2011 ceding regulatory power over vacation rentals to the state, but that was toned down in 2014. Two bills filed during this year’s session, FL SB1400 (18R) and FL HB773 (18R), died as lawmakers rushed to respond to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association President and CEO Carol Dover said this year’s bills would have forced vacation rentals to fall under the same statewide inspection standards as traditional hotels.
“We want uniformity,” Dover said. “And all aspects would be held in regard to Florida being the No. 1 tourist destination in the world.”