Seventeen months removed from implementing the city’s vacation rental ordinance citywide, staff has identified 14 points of clarification and alteration, all unanimously approved on July 21 by the Sarasota City Commission.
It surprised commissioners the term citywide doesn’t really mean citywide, as neighborhoods in multi-use zone districts were exempt from the registration and regulation ordinance. That’s because it was drafted to mirror the May 2021 legislation — which included only the barrier islands — that applied to zone districts that include uses other than residences of up to four units per lot.
“A year later, staff has identified some amendments to improve ordinance clarity, to enhance safety for renters and security, to support more accurate advertising and to refine our administrative processes,” Vacation Rental Compliance Supervisor Hannah Chabica told commissioners. “It aims to incorporate the amendments in the best interest of the public health safety and welfare and to ensure residents peaceful enjoyment of their homes, to protect the health and safety of vacation rental tenants and to encourage them to be respectful of neighborhood residents.”…