Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 10, 2018

“[Miami Beach] doesn’t want what [you’re] selling!!!!” Per the Miami Herald in 2017, this was then Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine‘s reaction to AirBnB wanting to do business in the city. Levine went on to tweet that while he loved AirBnB, in Miami Beach they would be “destroying neighborhoods/buildings [with] short term rentals.” He amplified this point on […]

Peter SchorschDecember 28, 2017

Florida and Airbnb are making an excellent pair, as a new report shows users of the global vacation rental website had a significant role in the state’s record-setting tourism year. In 2017, nearly 40,000 Florida Airbnb hosts earned a combined $450 million from approximately 2.7 million guests, according to company figures released Thursday. That is […]

Guest AuthorDecember 15, 2017

Travel and tourism have long served as the backbone of Florida’s economy, which is now the 18th largest in the world. Here in Pensacola, we’re proud that our city has emerged as a driving force of this growth industry. In just the past year, the Pensacola region welcomed 2.7 million visitors who have invested $787 […]

Scott PowersDecember 12, 2017

Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward was the star of a television commercial that began in Tallahassee last week in which he extolled the virtues of vacation rental homes in Pensacola and Airbnb for marketing them – but opponents of that company’s legislative agenda are striking back this week, with a new video starring Hayward. Hayward didn’t […]

Scott PowersDecember 4, 2017

Airbnb is launching a television commercial this week in Tallahassee to convince Florida Legislators of the back-home support for vacation rentals, which again are facing the prospect of legislation over whether and how local governments can regulate them. The new commercial running this week in the Tallahassee market, “Airbnb citizen,” features Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward talking […]

Guest AuthorOctober 26, 2017

Recently it was reported by The New York Times that President Xi of China and the Communist Party, in order “To reduce the flow of outsiders to the capital, Airbnb and similar home-sharing services have been temporarily suspended.” Nothing would make the Florida hotel industry and local governments happier than if they could do the […]

Scott PowersOctober 24, 2017

After hearing a cavalcade of criticisms of short-term vacation rental homes in Florida two weeks ago, the Florida Senate Community Affairs Committee heard many positives Tuesday morning, while deliberating whether there need to be any state regulations. The committee’s workshop on vacation rental homes was extended from its initial hearing of the 2018 Florida Legislative […]

Guest AuthorOctober 18, 2017

As the voice of Florida’s hospitality industry, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association has long championed a uniform, statewide system of compliance for all commercial lodging establishments. As they compete for tourism business, all FRLA lodging members must register with the State, collect taxes, and protect Florida consumers through adequate insurance — rules that prevent […]

Guest AuthorOctober 9, 2017

On behalf of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), I am honored to go before the Senate Community Affairs Committee tomorrow to discuss short-term rentals — an important topic of concern in recent years given the emergence of online rental platforms. While these platforms provide people with a new method to access and advertise short-term rentals, there have also been many unintended side effects. Alarmingly, these platforms are being exploited by commercial operators who run illegal hotels without […]

Scott PowersSeptember 29, 2017

Airbnb, the nation’s largest vacation rental home marketing business, announced Friday it is extending its Disaster Response Program two more weeks in Florida to help with displaced evacuees and relief workers from Hurricane Irma and evacuees from Hurricane Maria. The company and a few of its host properties have agreed to offer rent-free stays for […]

Tag: Airbnb

Noted for opposition to AirBnB, Philip Levine holds Jax event at AirBnB house

Airbnb a key player in record-setting year of Florida tourism

Ashton Hayward: Residents, tourists alike can benefit from sharing economy

Opponents strike back on Ashton Hayward’s Airbnb commercial

Airbnb takes to Tallahassee TV to promote vacation rentals

Greg Steube: Hotels want Florida to be like Communist China

Senate panel hears values of vacation rentals, mulls regulations

Carol Dover: Protect Florida tourists, neighborhoods by stopping illegal hotel operators

Troy Flanagan: Florida lawmakers must protect tourism by addressing illegal rentals

Airbnb extends disaster response for Hurricanes Irma, Maria