PALM COAST, Fla. – There are currently 275 short-term rentals in Palm Coast, and the city council is looking to add new rules for the owners.
The city council just passed its first reading this week of an ordinance that would tighten who short-term rentals can rent to and what their guests can bring. It comes after months of debate from both rental owners defending their business and neighbors calling with noise complaints.
If the new rules pass city council’s second reading, a few of the big changes that would go into effect would be:
- Only 10 guests max allowed, regardless of the number of beds and bedrooms in the rental.
- Limiting the number of guests’ cars to the number of parking spaces — no more parking in the streets.
- No parking boats or boat trailers in front of the home.
- The city will start requiring an annual licensing fee to cover enforcement costs.
“We were having a lot of problems with excessive noise, excessive garbage, excessive parking,” said Eric Josten.
Josten is part of the Canal Community Coalition, a group of residents who have pushed for the rules.
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“I expect guidance from local government as far as what they expect for me to operate my business and owners of short-term rentals deserve the same thing,” he said. “Operating a business in a residential neighborhood, we’ve got to have a handle on it and some control over what’s happening and how many people are coming.”
News 6 also spoke with short-term rental owners after the first reading of the ordinance passed.
“People complain all of the time and think it’s all of these Airbnbs in town that are causing these issues, when no, it’s really just a select few. It’s the out-of-state owners and property managers who aren’t paying attention,” said Jenifer Davisson.
Davisson and Josten agreed on one thing: there needs to be rules and accountability when a short-term rental owner breaks the city code and ordinances.
Where they disagreed was over a new blanket ordinance for all owners.
Davisson said she believes the city code as already written should be followed by owners and those breaking it should face fines instead of making rules like limiting the number of guests and slapping on a hefty annual fee, which could be upwards of almost $400 a year.
“That’s a lot of money so that’ll affect us smaller properties where we already have a five percent Airbnb tourist tax that we pay to the city,” she said. “To make all of these rules that affect us who are in town who pay attention to properties it’s just really unfair.”
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