Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersOctober 9, 2018

The vacation rental-home marketing company Airbnb is opening its ‘Open Homes’ program Tuesday, encouraging its property hosts in Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Central Florida to take in Panhandle evacuees from Hurricane Michael at no charge. The program, which Airbnb has run in past hurricanes including Harvey, Irma, and Maria last year, provides the vacation rental homes […]

Scott PowersSeptember 24, 2018

Vacation rental home business is surging even in Florida’s rural counties, according to a new report from the vacation rental-home marketing firm Airbnb, which showed its business growth had more than doubled in the past year in small counties across the state. Released Monday morning, the report states that Airbnb’s business in the Sunshine State’s […]

Scott PowersAugust 15, 2018

The city of Orlando was once one of the biggest holes in the international vacation rental home sharing market: one of the world’s great tourist destinations, where vacation rental homes were against the law. That came to an end in July when a new city ordinance took effect essentially legalizing vacation rentals in the City […]

Scott PowersApril 26, 2018

There is a rising alternative to working as a Walmart greeter: Airbnb contends nearly half of its Florida vacation-rental and home-sharing hosts are seniors, adding $150 million to their incomes in 2017. In a new report released Thursday morning, the vacation rental home marketing giant shows 45 percent of its 40,000 hosts in Florida are […]

Scott PowersApril 10, 2018

The vacation rental home marketing giant Airbnb announced Tuesday it has signed a tax agreement with Charlotte County, giving the company tax pacts in 40 Florida counties. The new agreement, effective May 1, will have Airbnb collecting and remitting bed taxes in Charlotte for its client vacation rental home owners. The agreement gives Airbnb tourist […]

Scott PowersFebruary 12, 2018

Orlando city officials took one of the biggest steps of any Florida city in recent years to ease laws that restrict vacation rentals, approving an ordinance Monday to allow owner-occupied rentals in single-family residential zones. The move, approved 6-1, takes effect July 1, ending what has effectively been a 26-year ban on vacation rental homes […]

Scott PowersFebruary 8, 2018

A bill to once again roll back local regulation of vacation rental homes got approval Thursday from the Florida Senate Committee on Regulated Industries, its second committee success. The bill, a committee substitute that combined Senate Bills 1400 and 1640 introduced by Republican state Sens. Greg Steube and David Simmons, drew a long list of […]

Scott PowersFebruary 7, 2018

Most Floridians want the right to rent out a bedroom, or their whole home, or their rental property, as short-term lodging for vacationers. A new survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy and released Tuesday finds that 73 percent of Floridians believe they and their neighbors should have the right to rent out their primary […]

Scott PowersJanuary 30, 2018

Airbnb is heading back to the airwaves this week to remind people that someone considers Haiti, El Salvador and all of Africa to be a bunch of “shithole countries” but that the vacation rental marketing company knows some people who’d like to show otherwise. “Let’s open doors not build walls,” declares a new TV commercial […]

Scott PowersJanuary 30, 2018

In a battle over how far to roll back local control and regulation of vacation rental homes, state Sen. Greg Steube won a key victory Tuesday. The Senate Committee on Community Affairs approved the Sarasota Republican’s bill, advancing a comprehensive preemption of local laws regulating services provided by companies like Airbnb. That ended a legislative […]

Tag: vacation rental homes

Airbnb activates ‘open homes’ program to assist hurricane evacuees

Airbnb report: Vacation rental home activity surges in rural Florida

With vacation rentals now legal in Orlando, city offers amnesty period to rogue listers

Airbnb as retirement supplement? Company says 45 percent of hosts are seniors

Airbnb announces 40th county tax agreement in Charlotte

Orlando City Council votes to allow home sharing vacation rentals

Vacation rentals bill approved by Senate Regulated Industries Committee

Survey finds Floridians want right to rent out their homes to vacationers

Airbnb seeking equal time for the beauty of its ‘sh*thole countries’ destinations

Senate committee forwards bill preempting local control of vacation rentals