Time is up.
The deadline to register for the transient public lodging establishment license in Bradenton Beach was March 19.
And, by the March 19 filing deadline, the city had received only 130 registrations, although code enforcement officer Gail Garneau said March 20 she estimates there are 600-800 vacation rentals in the city.
Following a lengthy review, revision and notification process, enforcement of tighter regulations addressing noise, trash collection, parking and occupancy has commenced in Bradenton Beach.
In August 2017, city commissioners and the mayor held a final hearing and adopted the amended quality-of-life ordinance, as well as the associated fee schedule for the transient public lodging establishment license — now required for short-term rentals.
Packets notifying property owners of the ordinance requirements, including applications and notification of a $150 filing fee, were mailed to property owners November 2017.
The ordinance was ratified Nov. 19, 2017, and residents were given 180 days to apply. With its expiration, new applicants will be subject to a $300 late fee — in addition to the $150 application fee — that only can be waived by a vote of the city commission, according to city treasurer Shayne Thompson.
The ordinance, similar to vacation rental ordinances in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach, was amended to allow for enforcement of waste collection, noise and parking regulations at vacation-rental homes. The city hopes to avoid Bert Harris Jr. claims — demands for compensation due to government regulations that diminish the value of private property — by limiting its regulations.
The amended QOL ordinance bases occupancy on a state-regulated calculation relating to air conditioning load, which, according to building official Steve Gilbert, “usually” amounts to an occupancy limit of two people per bedroom, plus two.
John Lefner, business development and community manager with Anna Maria Island Vacation Rentals by Vacasa, which filed 25 TPLE applications, wrote in a March 20 email to The Islander that he hopes everyone gets on board with the new regulations as, “we all need to follow the same rules and regulations to keep this peace of paradise that we call Anna Maria.”
The packet and application can be downloaded at www.cityofbradentonbeach.com.