FlaglerLive | May 6, 2019
When lawmakers hit the road Saturday after ending the 2019 legislative session, they left behind hundreds of bills and issues that did not pass. But there’s always the 2020 session, which will start in eight short months.
FlaglerLive | April 1, 2019
The House bill approved today would eliminate local control and all grandfather clauses in vacation-rental rules, including those in Flagler and Flagler Beach, but Flagler officials say they’ll prevail in the end.
FlaglerLive | March 6, 2018
Flagler County government had staunchly opposed lawmakers’ attempts to eliminate local regulation of short-term vacation rentals, regulations crafted in 2014 largely at Flagler’s behest.
FlaglerLive | February 9, 2018
The Vacation Rental Pros office on Palm Coast’s Utility Drive was ransacked and keys to units stolen apparently by a tenant who used his unit possibly to print counterfeit currency.
FlaglerLive | February 8, 2018
Sen. Travis Hutson voted with the 9-1 majority of his Senate committee today to advance a bill that would strip local governments of regulatory authority of vacation-rental homes.
FlaglerLive | February 7, 2018
In an open plea to residents circulated by letter, Flagler Beach Commission Chair Jane Mealy warns of vacation-rental proposals that could change the make-up of the city, eliminating distinctions between residential and commercial zones.
FlaglerLive | January 30, 2018
A Senate committee approved a bill that would nearly eliminate local government regulation of vacation rentals and enable a single licensee to have hundreds of rentals across the state.
FlaglerLive | January 4, 2018
One proposed bill would eliminate local regulation of vacation rentals and make it difficult for home-owner associations and towns like Flagler Beach to prevent short-term rentals anywhere.
FlaglerLive | November 20, 2017
Flagler’s own lawmakers are cautioning that the law will likely change, diminishing Flagler’s ability to regulate its own vacation-rental properties. In response, property owners’ opinions are divided.
FlaglerLive | October 22, 2017
Paul C. Pershes, president of the 1,100-home Ocean Hammock Property Owners Association, addresses members of a key senate committee that will be hearing proposed regulations of short-term rentals.
FlaglerLive | October 10, 2017
Willing to deal and compromise, County Administrator Craig Coffey and County Attorney Al Hadeed addressed a Senate committee workshop today in Tallahassee, ahead of what’s expected to be another fierce battle over vacation-rental regulations.
FlaglerLive | May 9, 2017
The Legislature’s attempt to roll back local governments’ regulatory authority of vacation rentals barely fell short, so the fight is not over for counties at the forefront of the issue like Flagler.
FlaglerLive | April 24, 2017
A bill that would end Flagler County’s authority to regulate short-term rentals cleared its last House committee and appears headed for a clash with its Senate version, which is very different. If differences aren’t resolved, the bills die.
FlaglerLive | April 17, 2017
Flagler County’s vacation-rental regulations currently in place would be preserved according to a new version of a Senate bill the county had been fighting before. And a House bill may be dead.
FlaglerLive | April 3, 2017
Sen. Tom Lee, the seasoned chairman of the Community Affairs Committee, didn’t ant the bill rushed through debate, as had been the case on a previous occasion before Sen. Travis Hutson.
FlaglerLive | March 28, 2017
Flagler County government had staked its chances on killing the bill in this particular committee because Rep. Paul Renner, who represents Flagler, sits on the panel and had pledged to do what he could to halt the bill’s momentum.
FlaglerLive | March 26, 2017
A standing-room-only crowd at Saturday’s Hammock Town Hall urged Rep. Paul Renner to battle a legislative attempt to scale back local regulatory control of vacation rentals won through a 2014 law.
FlaglerLive | March 23, 2017
Rep. Paul Renner and County Commissioner Greg Hansen are organizing a town hall meeting in the Hammock Saturday, hoping to rally support against a proposed legislative retreat on vacation-rental regulations.
FlaglerLive | March 21, 2017
Flagler County government’s attempt to protect its vacation-rental regulations took another turn for the worse as a Senate committee today voted to advance a bill that would wipe out those regulations.
FlaglerLive | March 16, 2017
Sen. Travis Hutson had supported the 2014 law enabling Flagler County to regulate vacation rentals. His amendment, which he calls a “compromise,” would scale that back even though he sees no problems with local regulations or short-term rentals.
FlaglerLive | March 14, 2017
A divided House Agriculture and Property Rights Subcommittee was not swayed by a presentation from Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed as it voted to scrap county authority to regulate short-term, vacation rentals. The bill has several additional hurdles to clear.
FlaglerLive | March 13, 2017
After a three-year battle, Flagler County government regained the right to regulate short-term rentals in the Hammock, which had become disruptive to local residents. Now the state is poised to take that authority away–again.
FlaglerLive | June 1, 2015
Judge Orfinger denied an attempt by short-term vacation-rental owners and managers to stop county regulations from taking effect, though on one count he ruled that the ordinance may not apply to contracts signed before mid-February, when the ordinance was passed.
FlaglerLive | March 6, 2015
Steven Milo, head of Vacation Rental Pros, sued the Flagler County Commission, an eight-count action that alleges property, privacy and equal protection rights violations.
FlaglerLive | November 3, 2014
Some Hammock property owners applauded the Flagler County Commission’s proposed rules for short-term rental properties, others excoriated them for being too draconian. The commission will consider a revised proposal in late November or December.
FlaglerLive | May 1, 2014
The Flagler County Commission has been leading the fight to overturn a 2011 state law prohibiting the regulation of short-term rentals. Thursday morning, the Florida Senate voted 37-2 to give back some home-rule authority to local governments. The House approved the measure 90-27 on Wednesday, sealing a major victory for Flagler County.
FlaglerLive | February 5, 2014
The proposed reform of a law that would return control of short-term rental regulations to counties and cities gained additional support at the Legislature Tuesday as it cleared a second Senate committee and its first House committee with solid backing.
FlaglerLive | October 24, 2013
The expedited Attorney General’s opinion cited Flagler County’s own absence of regulation of vacation rentals before 2011 as one reason the county’s hands are tied in controlling what has become a center of conflict for permanent residents of the Hammock. Since 2011, a state law prevents local governments from imposing new regulations.
FlaglerLive | October 16, 2013
Sen. John Thrasher and Rep. Travis Hutson made their pledge to repeal the vacation-rental law during the annual legislative delegation meeting in Flagler Wednesday, which drew more than a full house because of that controversial issue. But repeal is unlikely as the 2011 law, which makes it easier to operate a house as a mini-hotel, passed the Senate unanimously, and the House overwhelmingly.
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