Sarasota Moving to Implement Vacation Rental Regulation City-Wide

At a recent Sarasota City Commission workshop, the Commission agreed to move forward with a plan to implement vacation rental regulation on all properties within Sarasota city limits.

Previously, vacation rental regulations had been focused only on the barrier island communities of Lido, Bird, and Siesta Key. With this new plan, every property owner in the city will have to wade through a litany of red tape and bureaucracy just to exercise their constitutional private property rights.

Vacation Rental Regulations Concerns

RASM, and other REALTOR® Associations throughout the nation, in the past, have fought against vacation rental regulations that impact homeowners’ private property rights, and we’ll continue to do so whenever these sweeping regulations pop up.

The plan to regulate vacation rentals city-wide has not passed yet, but it’s very likely at least 3 commissioners will pass this when it comes before them for an official vote in the coming weeks and months. RASM will be there every step of the way to make sure the voices of homeowners and organized real estate are heard.

The city claims this regulation is necessary to clamp down on nuisance properties, and RASM’s position has been consistent throughout: the city already has mechanisms and ordinances on the books that they can utilize to address almost all issues these so-called “nuisance” properties cause. The city claims this is necessary to stop raucous parties, but there are noise and open party laws they could use to regulate that. The city claims vacation rentals cause parking issues, but they already have ordinances and laws that address parking. The city claims vacation rentals cause trash and littering issues, but Sarasota has codes that regulate trash pickup. If the city can’t enforce current laws and ordinances on the books, what would give anyone the confidence that adding more rules and regulations will be the magic solution that will fix their obvious enforcement issues?

We fear the handful of new regulations, penalties, and fees that the city is proposing is going to hurt the market. Making second home and investment property purchases less viable and pushing out the mom-and-pop vacation rental operators in the market. We believe the city can address the issues they perceive with vacation rentals without hurting property owners’ legitimate business practices.

If you or your clients will be negatively impacted by city-wide vacation rental regulations, please reach out to the Sarasota City Commissioners, Commissioners@SarasotaFl.gov.

RPAC “I PLEDGE” CAMPAIGN & MAJOR INVESTOR PLEDGE PARTY

RASM has recently kicked off RPAC’s “I Pledge” campaign for Major Investors. RASM will be hosting an exclusive Major Investor Pledge party on Monday, October 2 at Sarasota Waterworks (1005 N Orange Ave, Sarasota) with special guest Tim Weisheyer.

Mr. Weisheyer is the 2025 Florida REALTORS® President, an RPAC Major Investor, and a leader in the Realtor® world. Make sure to pledge today here and secure your spot in this event! RASM’s RPAC Major Investors are an elite and passionate group of REALTORS® whose investments shape the political future of the real estate industry. By becoming a Major Investor, you are investing a minimum of $1,000 into RPAC. Pledge to invest in your profession!