COMMISSION DISCUSSES
TRANSIENT RENTALS
02 APRIL 2024
MEETING SPECIFICS
On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the City of Cedar Key Commission met at 5 pm, at City Hall, in a workshop session to discuss Transient Rentals. Mayor Sue Colson, Vice-Mayor Nancy Sera, and Commissioner Jim Wortham were in attendance.
Incoming commissioners Jolie Davis and Jeff Webb were in attendance. They sat at the dais and participated in the discussion. They will be sworn in at the next meeting commission meeting on April 16.
Staff in attendance included: City of Cedar Key Attorney Norm Fugate, Police Department Chief Edwin Jenkins, Fire Chief / Emergency Operations Director Robert Robinson, Public Works Supervisor Jamie McCain, City Clerk / Building Clerk Jennifer Sylvester, Deputy City Clerk Telicia Winfield, Clerk Heather Lang, and Legal Assistant to Norm Fugate Lee LeeAnne E. Rohrer.
The meeting was Zoomed.
Among those in the approximately sixty person audience were: Anne Miller, Jeri Treat, Jan Hendrix, Claudette Nelson, Janice Fugate, Mendy Allen, Caryn Stephenson, Lisa Custer, Vanessa Edmonds, Jennifer Webb, Darrell McCormick, Mike and Peggy Day, Hal and Barbara Reid, Joe Hand, Doug Lindhout, Sherry Sicking, Tammie Garstecki, and Mandy and Frank Offerle.
VACATION RENTALS / TRANSIENT RENTALS WORKSHOP
SENATE BILL 280
Commissioner Jim Wortham introduced the workshop subject with the definition of vacation rentals / transient rentals, according to the Florida Legislature’s Senate Bill 280, which follows:
“…any unit, group of units, dwelling, building, or group of buildings, within a single set of buildings which is rented to guests for more than three times within one calendar year for periods of less than 30 days, or one calendar month, whichever is less, for which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests.”
The bill addresses: registration and fees, annual renewal, property inspections, maximum occupancy, responsible person information details, fines and suspensions, and web-based platforms.
Senate Bill 280 passed its way through the legislative process in Tallahassee and is now, as of April 2, on the governor’s desk.
WORKSHOP GOAL
Wortham explained that, as his evening’s gathering was a “workshop,” and not a “meeting,” thus, no decisions could be legally made tonight. The workshop’s purpose is twofold: to provide information to the commissioners and the community, and to have the
commissioners decide if they wished to pursue the matter now, later, or not at all.
No one had an accurate number of vacation rentals in Cedar Key. The number of units has been estimated to be between 200 to 400.