Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersMarch 14, 2017

A bill that would roll back all local ordinances and regulations of vacation rental houses to 2011 codes got a split-vote approval Tuesday from the House Agriculture & Property Rights Subcommittee. The issue was fashioned as one pitting property rights — those of people or companies that buy houses and convert them into short-term vacation […]

Scott PowersMarch 9, 2017

A new study released Thursday by a national hotel group that has criticized the growth of app-based home-sharing networks contends the biggest of them, Airbnb, has gotten away from home-sharing and now is promoting illegal hotels. The study, conducted by the CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research and released by The American Hotel & Lodging Association, takes a look at how […]

Staff ReportsMarch 7, 2017

Floridians are showing their love for vacation rentals. A new poll from Mason-Dixon Polling & Research showed 93 percent of Floridians believed travelers should be allowed to rent accommodations other than hotels, like vacation rentals; a sign lawmakers could face opposition if they try to restrict the rights of homeowners to offer vacation rentals. The […]

Scott PowersJanuary 24, 2017

Proposals from state Rep. Mike La Rosa and state Sen. Greg Steube would restrict how local governments may regulate vacation rentals, a move that could help preserve that market for the rapidly-expanding Airbnb phenomenon and similar home-sharing services. On Tuesday La Rosa introduced House Bill 425. Like Steube’s Senate Bill 188, introduced earlier, it would […]

Scott PowersJanuary 12, 2017

Airbnb, the internet-based home-sharing lodging service, announced Thursday it reached a deal with Polk County to collect tourism taxes from host clients. The company said it is seeing rapid growth in Polk County over the past year, ending 2016 with 160 hosts — people who make their houses or apartments available through Airbnb for visitors […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 7, 2017

Airbnb is activating its local Disaster Response Tool to assist travelers impacted by the shooting at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. On Friday, a lone gunman – identified as former Army veteran Esteban Santiago, 26 — pulled a gun from checked baggage after landing, loaded it in a restroom and began shooting, killing five people and injuring eight others. […]

Scott PowersDecember 21, 2016

Airbnb has reached an agreement Wednesday with the Hillsborough County Tax Collector Office, in a deal that could immediately add thousands of dollars in county revenue. Home hosts in Hillsborough will begin paying bed taxes for overnight guests, which is estimated at about one-quarter million dollars a year. Airbnb will collect and remit taxes from 838 […]

Scott PowersDecember 20, 2016

The number of visitors to Florida choosing to stay in private homes through the Airbnb home-sharing app continues to explode and has topped 1.5 million for the 2016 year, the company announced Tuesday. With Florida attracting more than 100 million visitors a year Airbnb still represents a tiny fraction of the market. But it now […]

Scott PowersDecember 14, 2016

A new group calling itself AirbnbWatch Florida has emerged declaring its goal as “to bring attention to illegal hotel operations in residential areas” in the Sunshine State. The group is a state chapter of a national group called AirbnbWATCH, which is a project of the American Family Voices, a non-profit advocacy group that does not disclose its […]

Associated PressNovember 28, 2016

When Randall Baker began renting out a pair of College Park cottages through Airbnb, he says he thought he had done everything right. He had a business license through the state and tax receipts from the city and county. But after a neighbor complained, Orlando code enforcement determined Baker was violating zoning rules. Though he […]

Tag: Airbnb
Pastel colored tropical townhomes

Vacation rentals de-reg bill passes House committee

Study contends Airbnb running ‘illegal hotels’

Poll: 93% of Floridians believe travelers should be allowed to rent accommodations other than hotels

Bills would restrict local regulation of vacation rentals

Airbnb inks tax deal with Polk County

Airbnb reaches out to help travelers affected by Ft. Lauderdale shooting

Airbnb reaches agreement with Hillsborough County over tourist taxes

Airbnb housing in Florida doubles again in 2016, reaches 1.5 million

Anti-Airbnb group arrives in Florida

Orlando grapples with Airbnb, other rental networks