Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Scott PowersSeptember 14, 2017

Airbnb, the nation’s largest vacation rental home marketing business, said Thursday it has 230 host homes mostly in northern Florida offering free stays to Hurricane Irma evacuees and relief workers and now is activating its disaster relief program through more of Florida. Airbnb also is seeking new hosts in Central Florida, South Florida, North Florida, […]

Scott PowersSeptember 10, 2017

Airbnb, the vacation rental home marketing company, announced it has expanded a disaster response program to provide free housing to Hurricane Irma evacuees and relief workers. The company is asking its vacation rental hosts to participate, including those in parts of Alabama and North Carolina, northwest and southeast South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia to help […]

Scott PowersJuly 20, 2017

A watchdog group called the Checks & Balances Project is charging that the leading hotel industry association may be paying Florida International University to produce research for the industry’s lobbying against Airbnb and other home-sharing marketing companies. “The hotel industry’s hotel industry’s lobbying arm, the American Hotel & Lobbying Association, has an aggressive pay-to-play academic […]

Scott PowersJune 8, 2017

Lodging alternative marketing service Airbnb released figures Thursday that shows families and friends of college graduates piled into vacation rental homes from Pensacola to Miami Guests booking rooms in Airbnb-marketed vacation rental homes more than doubled in Gainesville and Tallahassee during the University of Florida and Florida A&M University commencement weeks in April. Tallahassee also […]

Scott PowersApril 28, 2017

Local governments that went too far in trying to crack down on or drive out vacation rental homes now face the prospect that they may not be able to do anything to specifically regulate such properties. The Florida House of Representatives approved House Bill 425 Friday 63-56, essentially re-instituting a 2011 ban on cities or counties imposing […]

Scott PowersApril 20, 2017

Vacation rental home marketing giant Airbnb and five of its Miami hosts have won a preliminary victory in Miami that temporarily blocks that city’s ban on such operations in residential neighborhoods. In a suit that Airbnb and five vacation rental homeowners filed last week, Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko issued a temporary restraining order late Wednesday […]

Scott PowersApril 14, 2017

Airbnb and five of its clients filed suit against the city of Miami Friday over a controversial move the city made last month to ban vacation rental homes in residential districts. At issue is whether and how cities can regulate vacation rental homes, a rapidly increasing part of the lodging industry in which homeowners turn […]

Tag: vacation rental homes

Airbnb takes to Tallahassee TV to promote vacation rentals

Senate panel hears values of vacation rentals, mulls regulations

Airbnb extends disaster response for Hurricanes Irma, Maria

Airbnb expands call for hosts to house evacuees, relief workers

Airbnb expands Irma response to Alabama, NC, SC

Watchdog group claims hotel industry, FIU, teaming for anti-Airbnb research

College graduates’ families, friends pump up Airbnb bookings

House votes to strip away local regulations of vacation rental homes

Airbnb wins stay against Miami anti-vacation rental home rules

Showdown in Miami: Airbnb sues over vacation rental home ban