Vacation rental regulations are safe — for now.
After 10 days on the governor’s desk, Senate Bill 280, which would have reshaped the statewide vacation rental landscape, was vetoed June 27 by Ron DeSantis.
SB 280 was filed last November by state Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-St. Petersburg, and an amended version passed through the Legislature by the time session ended March 8.
The bill would have preempted municipal vacation rental regulations adopted before June 1, 2011, to the state — other than for Flagler County, which was exempted in the proposed legislation.
The measure would have established statewide maximum overnight occupancy limits, limited the number of inspections at each property and capped fines for rental violations to $500.
State legislative officers signed SB 280 June 17 and presented it to DeSantis, who could have signed the bill or taken no action, allowing it to become law 15 days after its presentation.
However, DeSantis vetoed the bill, effectively killing it unless the Legislature overrules his decision with a two-thirds vote from members in each chamber.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy, who led efforts to oppose SB 280, sent a June 27 email to city commissioners, staff and the media celebrating the veto.
“I so much appreciate all of your support with our campaigns and efforts to stop this poorly thought-out piece of ‘Pork Chop’ legislation,” Murphy wrote.
In a June 28 interview with The Islander, Murphy gave some credit for the veto to Anna Maria’s efforts, which included the use of a city website, homerulefl.com, and lobbying by Matthew Blair of Tallahassee-based Corcoran Partners.
The website facilitated public involvement by providing a system to deliver thousands of calls and prewritten emails opposing the bill to state officials and the governor’s office.
Murphy said Blair helped steer the website’s messaging by pinpointing concerns with the bill — such as the carveout for Flagler — using his connections with the governor’s office.
He also credited the efforts of the many people who helped reinforce the city’s messages.
“It shows the power that people have when they pull together,” Murphy said. “This was not an individual effort. … It was all of the island together, and not just the island, but beach communities from all over the state.”
“(DeSantis) got the message loud and clear that this was not good policy,” he added.
While Murphy called the veto a “tremendous success story,” he acknowledged the threat of vacation rental preemptions would likely return next year.
By then, Murphy, who will leave office later this year after serving 10 years as mayor, will not be around to lead the effort.
Former Commission Chair Brian Seymour and current Commission Chair Mark Short will vie for the mayoral post in the Nov. 5 general election.
Murphy expressed confidence in both candidates’ ability to carry on and refine the city’s efforts to oppose legislation like SB 280.
“Hopefully, we got it to the point where they can pick it up and fine-tune it to their needs and likes and make it even more effective than it is today,” Murphy said. “I feel comfortable with either (mayoral candidate) driving that car — giving them the keys to the Oldsmobile.”
In the meantime, Murphy can breathe a sigh of relief, sit back and relax.
“I’m exceptionally happy that the governor was wise enough to veto this piece of pork chop legislation,” he said. “Once again, we’ve dodged another bullet.”
Editor’s note: In the 1950s and ’60s, thanks to malapportioned legislative districts, a bloc of rural Democratic lawmakers known as the Pork Chop Gang controlled both chambers of the Legislature with their priorities to uphold segregation and enrich themselves. — Reason magazine, reason.com.