By Angela and David Bailus
We all know the definition of “Home.” As the American heritage Dictionary defines it, it’s a place where one lives; a residence, a house or apartment, a household.
Here’s the definition of “Commercial”: “Occupied with or engaged in commerce or work intended for commerce.” And “Business”: “A usually commercial or mercantile activity engaged in as a means of livelihood.” Flagler County, where we live, defines “vacation rental” as “commercial business” by code. Vacation rentals could be among the examples listed under dictionaries’ “commercial” or “business” entries.
Yet many counties and cities around Florida, including Flagler, are allowing businesses to set up in single family residential zones. Originally, this was to help people in the wake of the Great Recession who were about to lose their homes. This is no longer the case.
Enter multibillion dollar corporate goliaths like AirBnB and Vrbo, rapidly taking over single family residential neighborhoods with global advertising and conducting these businesses without the approval of the neighbors by these commercial enterprises.
Before we built an addition to our home, we went before the zoning board, twice, and paid the county to notify all neighbors of our plans within a 500-foot radius of the job site. We posted a sign for two weeks, stating what our intentions were and when these plans were going to be presented before the board, allowing neighbors to speak their concerns. There is no such requirement for the new business next door. I never got notification that AirBnB was to operate in our neighborhood. These corporate goliaths are indifferently steamrolling the Davids in their neighborhoods.
Let me use the house next to us here in the Hammock as an example. It was once a residential home like all others. It’s now a business. The owner is not using this building as a safety net to prevent losing property, but purely as a commercially-advertised business, running 24/7. There are at least four more like it on our short street.
Flagler County has informed me that there are no restrictions as to how many days per year these businesses can rent to transients, nor how many of these businesses can be located in our neighborhood. This means we could be surrounded by innumerable commercial business units, depleting residential housing stock, affecting rents and sales, increasing traffic, killing privacy. These businesses operate by their own rules, depriving us of neighbors and community.
The corporations claim short-term rentals will bring in tourists and revenue, framing it as if these tourists are deprived of the local amenities, which is a false narrative. We have hotels, motels, restaurants, shopping, boat ramps, beaches and parks already available to the public, within the proper zoning. We also have a very large resort on the beach in the Hammock, zoned for commercial businesses. Such commercial businesses should not be allowed in single-family residential zones.
These corporate goliaths claim they will bring us additional taxes, but the reality is, now that Travis Hutson’s bill passed, they will be able to sue the local government (meaning us taxpayers) for any regulatory changes that may cause a business to lose 15 percent or more.
These corporate goliaths claim vacation rentals will bring jobs to the area. Actually, the “host” next door to us is not the owner, does not live in our county, and brags online that she also manages properties in other parts of the country like Stowe, Vermont. The owner, the host and the handyman do not live in Flagler County. The “guests,” unlike permanent residents, are transient: day for day, the residence will be occupied fewer days of the year than a permanently occupied home, so day for day, that dwelling will be the source of less, not more, purchasing power.
Other cities around the country are trying to retain or restore the sanctity and quality of life. San Diego’s AB 1731, which was authored by a San Diego area assemblywoman, will cap the number of entire homes that would be converted to short term rentals at 1 percent of residential housing stock, and reduce by a third AirBnB-type rentals that occupy only a portion of a home would still be permitted.
Oahu, Hawaii, is pushing a bill that would also scale back short-term rentals. Numerous other cities and counties are also restricting vacation rentals to 30, 90 and 180 days a year, often requiring the owner to live on the premises. Many are fearful of the long-term effects–pushing out young, long-term renters and home buyers and limiting affordable housing, with investors again having a disproportionate role in driving the housing market.
Year after year in Florida the vacation-rental industry has attempted to scrap what little local regulation there is on rentals, with millions in advertising and lobbying. Those bills failed yet again this year. They will be back next year. Meanwhile the state is not addressing the fundamental shift that vacation rentals have caused in our neighborhoods.
We need to take back our homes, our zoning, our real local businesses, our privacy, our density, our neighborhoods, our streets, our neighbors, our communities and our sanctuaries. We have the right to peace, serenity and quality of life in our own homes, in our own residential neighborhoods. Whether neighbors are best friends or barely tolerate each other, there is security in knowing one’s neighbors for who they are. A steady stream of strangers undermines that security.
My David and I purchased a home a dozen years ago and modified it into our dream retirement home. The Matanzas river was the main reason for us settling here. Now, at age 70, we are busy purchasing and planting shrubs with the hope of salvaging some of our privacy, which in turn will block our north view of the river. It appears that AirBnB’s mission statement “To live in the world where one day you can feel like you’re home anywhere & not in a home, but truly home, where you belong,” only applies to transients with credit cards, who only “belong” for a night or two.
We belong, too. Or so we thought. In the eyes of the law, of local zoning, of tourism’s supremacy, our sense of home appears irrelevant.
Angela and David Bailus are residents of Hernandez Avenue in the Hammock.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Alexander says
When I was living in another state a neighbor set up his commercial business in my residential neighborhood with commercial trucks going up and down our one lane road constantly, I took photo’s and documented dates and times and reported it to the town officials. It went before a judge and the judge slapped the commercial business with heavy fines and ordered seized and desists immediately.
I noticed this about Flagler County and the City of PC don’t seem to have concrete residential zoning laws.
Jim in Hammock says
The Hammock is an unincorporated section of Flagler county, we have freedom, we are allowed to park a boat in our driveway if we want and we can rent our property as a vacation rental if we choose to. WE DO NOT WANT PROPERTY RULES & REGULATIONS HERE! If you want strict rules and regulations and to be told what to do the Hammock has plenty of gated HOA communities that won’t let you do anything. I have been renting out one of my Hammock properties to visitors for a few years now and every guest has been great! 90% have been just an older couple visiting the area, the other 10% nice families visiting for a week in the summer. The party crowds go to Ormond and Daytona not here. I earn extra income while helping our local businesses, help nice people experience our beautiful area and I get to know some great people that return as my guests every year. My neighbors do not mind and actually enjoy meeting visitors. I live in the Hammock on a different street than my rental and have a few neighbors that offer rentals and it does not bother me, I have met a lot of them when they walk always very friendly happy visitors.
Rue Simon says
Amen local people are pushed out of their state by people who move here and position themselves in city offices to change our city to fit what they moved from. Garbage on the streets and someone different every week. They also tell you that you don’t own the beach, even if you pay personal property taxes on a lot. Welcome to Democracy.
Just Saying says
You own the beach to the “high water line”, or the dry sand portion.
Nobody can come plop their chair or towel on the frontage of your lot. But when the tide is out, anyone is allowed to walk, sit, swim on that part of the property beyond the dry sand portion.
https://library.municode.com/fl/flagler_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=FLCOCOOR_CH7BOBEWA
DaleL says
You do NOT pay personal property taxes. You pay REAL property taxes. Real property is immovable. It is the land and anything rooted (trees) or built on the land (houses). Personal property includes the contents of a house, vehicles, clothing, etc. https://propertyappraisers.us/real-property-vs-personal-property/
Steve says
When somebody owns a piece of property they shouldn’t be told what they can or can not do with it – provided their use is within the limits of the law.
Using a single family house as rental property is within those limits – assuming the area is zoned for such and there are no HOA rules against it.
The owners of said property have no obligation to inform you of their intentions. The reason you had to inform neighbors of your intentions was probably because your proposed addition was not in accordance with setback limitations, height restrictions or something to that effect. In which case your neighbors could object and you would have had to seek a zoning variance. There is a world of difference between what you do inside your home and what you propose to do with the actual structure itself.
You speak of a commercial strip as though you have a Home Depot, a McDonalds and a bunch of neon signs on your street. Don’t look now but your privilege is showing.
Angela says
Privilege? Okay, explain “privilege.” We both worked hard all our lives for this “privilege.” I worked solidly from age 16 to age 60, waiting tables, bar tending, sales, dying shoes, working as a paste up artist, receptionist, planning assistant, civil engineering and CAD operator. My husband has a similar resume. We literally built a large portion of this house with our own hands, I drew the design in CAD and we acted as our own contractor. We stained, painted, plastered, caulked, sanded and patched this house. When you say “Don’t look now but your privilege is showing,” you clearly do not know of what you speak.
No, I do not believe people can do whatever they want wherever they want. A single family residence is just that. That’s what we bought into. If you want to live next to a business, that’s your choice. Ours was to move next to single family residences.
I betcha you don’t have this going on, all of a sudden, next door to you. Yeah.
Mark1 says
Seems likebyour having trouble excepting change. When people no longer like the situation they are in they can stay in it and be miserable, or move away from it and be happy. Sometimes you have to love away from problem.
Reality check says
Easy to say when it isn’t happening to you. I bet you wouldn’t be so unfeeling if you had 20 cars parked in front of your house, loud pool parties at all hours and drunken people wandering down your street.
open your eyes says
Literally everything that you just listed can and does happen with owner occupied single family homes as well. People actually have real issues and problems t worry about.
Pat says
I totally get it. We even went so far as to make sure our neighborhood wasn’t zoned for duplex when we bought our lot before building. We don’t like the constant changing of neighbors. We all live in a town that limits the color you can paint your house, what vehicles you can or cannot park in your own driveway and how many trees you have to have in your yard. The house next door to us was recently sold and the new out of state owners turned it into a VRBO. The people that rent it are normally not too loud, but it is winter and no one is using the pool People party on vacation, that is a fact. Last week there were 2 full size pick up truck, 2 large trailers, 2 SUV’s and 6 motorcycles at the house. Not appreciated much by this neighbor. Palm Coast has ALOT of rules with what you can or cannot do with your residence. I am very disappointed there are no rules to protect us from nightly, or weekly rentals.
Beachbuddy says
It there are in some parts you should look into buying a home with a HOA that way you can enjoy all the peace and quiet you can stomach
Steve says
The privilege I speak of is your “not in my backyard” mentality. You seem to think that your rights as a homeowner are more important than those of the homeowner next door.
Congratulations on your many accomplishments – and kudos to you for the herculean task of doing so much work on your house – but those things do not grant you sovereignty over anything outside of your property line.
You’re crying about what other people do with their property as if they should bend to your desires…THAT is an attitude of privilege.
PC Dave says
Well said! I get so tired of the “I was here first” blather you hear, especially from retirees in the Hammock.
guBeerguy says
Have you reached out to your neighbors? There’s always two sides to a story…Anyway seems like you have a nice house, have you seen how much money you can make selling? lol what a news story! keep up the good work!
Doctorkarma says
The fact that you felt the need to so throughly justify yourself by stating your professional story and thinking you deserve something because of it is the definition of privilege. Many people, myself included; have a similar professional profile and find it perfectly acceptable. My neighbors an airb&b and they dont bother me at all. I appreciate the money it brings into the area.
Chris says
None of what you said had anything to do with what he said at all. You seem to believe that you have some kind of right over your neighbor and their property. Your rights end at your property line. Get over it and put your eyes back where they go on your own things. I happen to live on a road down the street from popular liberal arts college that has an Airbnb that is quite successful right across the street from me and I’ve been working hard on my house to outdo an outshine their Airbnb and basically steal their business we’re at the very least add to the business on the street, but that would be MY business to do with MY house. In all honesty I cannot believe the misguided complaint of this entire article. How in the hell are they not complaining about the literal bull crap they had to go through to build an addition onto something they already own on their own property but instead complaining about what somebody else is doing with their own property???? It’s literally none of your business what anybody else on this planet does with anything at all on there own property. I might move down there and open a pig farm next to you just because….
FlaglerLive says
Pig farms are not allowed in the Hammock.
Neighbor says
Exactly!! Well said.
Chris Goodfellow says
Great points.
We are all
Sick of it.
The dude says
First world problems.
Lookie Here says
Are you sure it’s not tourist trying to find TV personality Ty Pennington’s house?
https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a35620968/ty-pennington-florida-home-tour/
hawkeye says
Agree with this 1000%, although I live over near Cedar Key now, my son and family live in my house on fleetwood dr. He has had numerous problems with the airbnb house next door, since last july. He has called the cops many times and complained to code enforcement as well about trash ,palm fronds etc,the bnb house has turned into a dump and a party house.Code enforcement had the gall to tell him there was no problem as far as trash ,my son sent my wife a photo from his phone and it was a mess ,I told him send the picture to code enforcement next time so there is a record. It just so happened that I am visiting for a few days and last night was another wild party night at the airbnb house. I called the cops and met the officer outside to make sure he heard what we were hearing, because my son told me sometimes the cops dont even get out of their vehicle and call him and say theres no problem. This officer last night did his job well ,heard the loud noise and went and made them quiet down.One of the problems is the girl who owns this house lives in massachusets and dont give a shit what the renters do as far as disturbing the neighborhood as long as she gets her $300 a night.We would like to know what idiot decided it was o-k to have a sleazy hotel in the middle of a neighborhood so we can vote against them. I think its very bad that people can vacation in a residential neighborhood and act like there on the strip somewhere.
tim says
BOO HOO. you bought property knowing people vacation in the area and town and now wanna cry. Put shrubs up? so it matters that the person doesn’t own the home to see them or for them to see you.? your 70 years old enjoy life instead of bitching about it. it wont change a thing anyway
jOE sTOLFI says
Quote from ALM . ” Unless enough people get involved and go to meetings and write letters, INSTEAD of social media, nothing will change. It is a constant fight to keep the developers and business interests away from our natural treasures. ”
And mine:
The way to solve the “problem”
is taking it up with Local or County government .
Demand a change .. Start a petition
There is a Strength in Numbers
All the Social Media comments / complaints
will NEVER change anything .. MY .02
DaleL says
So far, the Florida legislature has not prevented Home Owner Associations (HOAs) from banning short term rentals. David and Angela did not mention the increased traffic and parking issues that are also inflicted upon neighboring homes by the guests of short term rentals.
Florida has a lot of gated subdivisions for the very reason that those subdivisions, because of their HOAs, don’t allow short term rentals.
Alternatively, an HOA, with its associated rules & fees, is what some people wish to avoid. They have more freedom. They can park a boat or camper in their driveway. However, so can their neighbors. There is an idiom that: High fences make good neighbors.
Bryan says
Bamboo makes an even better neighbor!
Resident says
As WWIII approaches it seems silly to consider this a “problem.” Your street may not even be there a year from now.
The dude says
We looked at a couple places on Hernandez, it’s charming back in there for the most part, but some of the long time residents in there are as problematic as the AirBNB’s.
And JT’s can get pretty loud at night too.
Trudy Kay says
Us long-term residents don’t find you charming so the feeling is mutual.
Doctorkarma says
Those people lobbing criticisims about maintaining sanctity of the community are the same people who destroy those very communities with over regulation. They are the type of neighbors to call the cops on a childs lemonade stand. Shameful for this day and age.
John says
I’ve lived on Hernandez for 10 years, now it is cleaner than ever, whatever rental properties you are talking about do not affect values nearly as much as many of the hardly, but somehow inhabitable residences along the street that have been neglected for decades.
Angela says
John: You knew what you were buying into, as did we. We were good with it, these single family residences that were, and still are, a bit of the Wild West.
We have neighbors who watch out for us. They actually came across the street and confronted some of our workers, during construction, for the sole reason to protect us. We have kept our eyes open for them. Now, with strangers coming and going, new vehicles coming and going, the neighbors have expressed frustration of not knowing what’s what. One neighbor told us “I know who is there anymore.”
When the house next door was sold, we were in mode of being helpful. Should the neighbor be on vacation, we would question unknown people, we would be happy to return a garbage can back to the house, and we would be there in an emergency. Now, with AirBnB people coming and going as well, all that is history.
This is the breakdown of the neighborhood.
Angela says
The neighbor told us “I don’t know who is there anymore.”
Freida says
Really!!
I was THAT neighbor and this is the MOST untrue statement of all times !
Tami Moran says
Great article. When I came upon your article I was actually attempting to find a group that was against growth and clear cutting Palm Coast. I am very much wanting to preserve this area. My husband and I will retore in a couple years and feel the same as you. Ours is a townhouse in Marina Cove and has privacy, however, the town is my concern and what the new developments will be with just a few added.
I came from Bend Oregon and saw the devestation a urban sprawl devestate what once was a town you lived in for privacy, space and afforable living.
Pass on any information you can that may direct me to involvement into preservation.
Regards, Tami Moran
Angela says
Tami: I don’t know who to contact in Palm Coast. In the Hammock, there is the Hammock Community Association. They have done a lot of good work towards preserving the Hammock and may possibly have knowledge of contacts for Palm Coast (the Hammock is not in Palm Coast). They continue to be very involved. Check out http://www.thehammock.org. Someone may be able to direct you.
cgm says
welcome to the NJ shore! hahahahahahaha
Wow says
Hutson’s bill – another example of GOP “limited government”?
Ron says
Welcome to the party. First order of business. Get a republican that will support our cause. Protecting our single family neighborhoods. We need to that person to run against Senator Hutson in the primary! Next stop voting for real estate attorneys and vacation rental owners and managers. We have Commissioner Joe Mullins in Flagler County. He owns vacation rentals.
Stay informed with HomeruleFL.com and AIRBNBWATCH. Write to Representatives and Senators. Write to the Governor.
This has been going on since 2011. When Senate bill 883 was written by Lori Killinger from the Florida Vacation Management Association. This bill should be repeal in its entirety. This is the only solution.
Neighbor says
Drive down Hernandez Ave. and see this eclectic, unincorporated area for yourself. Hernandez Ave. is a dirt road with a few million dollar homes located next to single wide..trashed up, junked up trailers.
The article writer is unhappy about a vacation rental next door but not unhappy about 10 people that reside in a tiny 1 bd/1ba home, across the street from them, or homeless people have lived in some of the vacant lots, or about the condition of trashed up neighborhood properties.
The article writer needs to move into a HOA or within the city limits of Palm Coast.
Local says
Fun fact me and my family have lived on hernandez ave for over 40 years. Guess what 20 years ago there wasn’t any million dollar homes it was all habit for humanity homes and so called junked up trailers. It was a peaceful place everyone looked out for one another. But now you have these million dollars homes and the residents are supposed to receive pitty for having a run down trailer next door. Nope don’t think so you don’t buy a lot know what is next door build your highly Over compensated home then bitch about your neighbors. Just remember don’t shit where you eat.
Joe says
Amen the hammock will never be the same
Trudy Kay says
Local –
Your comment was well said. I have been Blessed to be born and raised on Hernandez avenue in the Hammock in one of those trailers. If you were born and raised in the hammock for the last 45 years you’d understand is not about what you lived in but yet the atmosphere and the beauty of it.
I will say that it is changed a lot and it’s filled with a lot of stuffy snobby people who want to change everything.
G A says
The answer is amazingly simple. Stop electing republicans, who don’t give a rats a$$ about anyone or anything but their own pockets. – no matter WHAT they tell you during election time. Fill all the city and county seats with Democrats and watch how fast things will turn around! Democrats are and always have been, for the PEOPLE. Republicans? to line their pockets. For their own image in the mirror. Never ever for anyone else but themselves.
joe says
Amen! The answer to a host of problems – some of them long-standing -is to stop voting for Republicans. They’ve been running their “common man” scheme for years….all the while serving the wealthy and powerful above all.
Democrats are not perfect, but at least they attempt to care for the general welfare..
marlee says
Angela
I know how you feel.
I just want out of Floriduh. There is a different mentality here because of no income tax and weather (don’t count hurricanes) and majority of retired people. (I can say that because I am retired).
There is non-stop development. Now Marineland is facing possible development.
Everyone can say …”just go back where you came from.”
I’m trying to…. or elsewhere.
Angela says
Marlee: My husband and I were born and grew up in South Florida, are we love Florida dearly. We came here to get away from the uncontrolled growth, but the developers and real estate professionals are at it here too. This was a forgotten area for decades. Again, paradise lost. There hasn’t been a time in my life where Florida wasn’t under construction.
Sherry says
Angela, If you haven’t seen this take a look:
https://yardblogger.com/how-to-shut-down-your-neighbors-airbnb/
There are other articles as well. . . just ask “Uncle Google”! Good Luck!
Vince says
Airbnb isn’t the business is your neighborhood goofballs. If a individual home owner renting out his property which he’s a loud to do. We have local codes in place to deal with noise after 10 pm. Most people who rent though airbnb especially in this area are old folks not a college crowd. Palm coast is boring there’s no way young people are here raging. Entitled is what I’m getting after reading the article. Your someone’s daddy just not your neighbors daddy.
Wanda Ghigliotty says
I think Mr and Mrs Bailus had a reasonable expectation of living in a peaceful residential neighborhood without worrying about a revolving door of strangers living nearby for the next few days. We too had a Booking.com next door neighbor for several years. Having transients continuously coming and going is unnerving. The owners lived out of state and their only concern was getting a return on their investment; not the fact that the neighborhood had to deal with unsightly overflowing garbage and noisy parties, or the potential criminal element a few feet away from my family. Our state legislators, current and past governors have sold us out to to these corporations throwing around big money in effect making local government impotent in this matter.
Ann says
Palm Coast has so many rules that don’t make sense.
This is rude and inconsiderate of the neighbors, they know when kind of aggravation is going on with the neighbors and they simply don’t care !!!
Maybe start an HOA .
Sherry says
An excellent article! Dear Angela and David, we really feel for you! This is a “nationwide” problem. With huge McMansions being built everywhere, some VRBOS and Air BNBs could easily be defined as small hotels. . . taking great advantage of loopholes in current regulations.
Any “reasonable” person would realize that there needs to be state/community controlled regulations for such ‘quasi-commercial” enterprises. Zoning, health/safety and taxing regulations need to be implemented/strengthened. Stipulations for such things as residency maximums according to the number of beds/bedrooms, parking regulations, upkeep standards, and of course prompt enforcement of noise ordinances.
Pay no attention to those who call your complaints elitism. They are often the same insecure, resentful people who say that we should let Flagler Beach just erode and let the sea wash away all the homes and businesses of those “elites”. No doubt who they voted for. . .
Keep the faith and try to appeal to the reason of your local governing bodies and law enforcement. Appeal, also, to county, state and even national officials. Your complaints are “reasonable”. . . it is a huge problem!
Happening now says
Hernandez Ave has bad karma.
Celia M Pugliese says
I would like to clarify the following….everyone is blaming AIRBNB ir VRBO and my experience is that these two excellent organizations have very strict standards for rentals and their members background checks whether are hosts or guest and would not allow to improperly maintain or tenants behave while a home occupied in the nuisance manner on which is described by the affected owners in this editorial. My personal experience tells me to the contrary that owners and landlords acting as a long term or short term rentals using agents or not are the one’s bringing the undesirable guest causing havoc next door to you. Before anyone accuses AIRBNB or VRBO of this type of nuisance I will be very careful to find out for sure first in order not to open themselves for a lawsuit. That will be easy to find out calling the tax office, because both organizations report the occupancy to the county TDC tax. If not TDC tax reported in those nuisance homes means then that are not AIRBNB OR VRBO rented. Here in Palm Coast I can attest of the biggest nuisance caused nearby us were long or short term rentals that had nothing to do with AIRBNB or VRBO even before were founded, but landlords renting on their own or using rental agents who’s tenants use to break every single city ordinance making those houses real nuisance to us all. Talking about loud late drinking pool parties and loud bikes in the middle of the night and drunken fights and drugs and prostitution corridors! Oh may!. Then we succesfully fought them, evicted them and those slum landlords sold and now our community is peaceful and beautiful and the few rentals give us “no issues”, This was way before ARBNB and VRBO even founded! I remember driving the Hammock in early ninenites and in disbelief of the nuisance accumulations and unmaintained overgrown lots with an occasional beat up trailer on it and all type of old landscape machinery, discarded tires strewn allover the place next to a newly beautiful built home and was wondering what brought that owner to build there next to such lazy attitude eyesore. I never read of complaints then.,. In Palm Coast at least I know for sure of a home-s that looks like “short term rentals” in our block since sold and “now” are neatly maintained and I never seeing an issue with guest there. Personally I would not ever open myself to a lawsuit referring to a suspected “short term rental” as a nuisance AIRBNB or VRBO maybe unjustified as probably are not, given their strict membership standards but instead nuisances created by slumlords renting their own properties without good background check first. We can resolve nuisances in our blocks by properly documenting incidents, dates and times and calling code enforcement or the sheriff if criminal and I can guarantee you will be resolved. Not overnight, but overtime if the affected neighbor keeps good evidence, proofs and determination. Now the city of Palm Coast can deem a residence with enough unresolved code or law enforcment violations with the new city “Nuisance Abatement Code” passed. http://agendas.palmcoastgov.com/attachments/4f3848dc-5034-4115-8841-e2f2dd1daa4a.pdf. I know Hernandez Avenue and the Hammock is under county jurisdiction I believe, then address them appropriately.
Angela says
Celia: Clearly you did not read the article. Not once did I mention the things you seem to be upset about, with the exception of vacation rental goliaths overtaking local governing, which they are actively doing. The article was about running a commercial business in a single family residential zone. Yet, here you are warning me to be careful of future lawsuits from these businesses. Another has threatened me with a pig farm (*shish*) and yet another seems to think I might go after some little kids lemonade stand. I’ve been told my concern was trivial, which puzzles me as to why they bothered reading the article, and then commenting. The interesting thing is, those who have disagreed with me, and are pro-vacation rental in SFR neighborhoods, feel the need to be hostile, and in some cases, down right nasty.
You seem to be comfortable insulting my neighbors. They don’t appeal to your aesthetics. Sorry you feel that way. We chose our neighborhood, you are free to chose yours.
Celia M Pugliese says
Angela this next line was written by you above not me: ” I never got notification that AirBnB was to operate in our neighborhood”. This is something I will never risk to print…I was giving you some realistic advise not that I am for or against “short term rentals” I never intended it to be any futher than advise never a threat. Frurthermore I never intended to insult anyone with the descriptive reality obvious to the eye that does not seem to bother you at all. Thank God for you. When you have the nuisances described call code enforcement (good luck with the county) or sheriff if criminal so the slumlord that think is okay to disrupot the peace in your block can be stopped. You just try to hit the wrong target.
Eleanor Sesto says
Just stumbled on this discussion. It’s sad that people are so cruel. Good luck in your community. It’s true , you can’t fight city hall. Too bad you have to spend your retirement being so stressed.
I live in Broward County in an HOA. We complain about them all the time but after
reading all this I king of appreciate them. Good luck.
Be Careful what you wish for! says
Our area needs lodging. Shut down vacation rentals and watch how fast the high rise hotels go up! Resort developers are standing by, they already own large pieces of land in the Hammock and have others in planning. They’re just looking for an excuse to get their projects approved, which they will. Real facts. Resort guests don’t leave the resorts and neither do their tourist dollars. Vacation rental guests mostly use rentals for sleeping, they are out all day and night enjoying the area and supporting our local business not throwing parties.
This woman is very uneducated about the vacation rental business and is trying to be a hero and create a problem where there definitely is not one. Now we have other people from who knows where chiming in that don’t know anything about our area or vacation rentals. Find a better cause to fight for.
Lynne Hyde says
I live in a beautiful neighborhood on the bay in Davis Harbor in North Miami and have for the last 30 years. It’s changing and I am afraid I will be forced out if any more AirBandB’s move in. I appreciate all the back and forth above and agree with all that say this is destroying our lands. I had a thought this morning as the realtor brought ” the investors” next door to our house and I wonder if you think this would help…I will get signs made that say ” AIR BandB’s are NOT WELCOME in our neighborhood” and I will ask my neighbors if they will put them in their front yards. When the investors drive in and see the large sign in my yard facing the property they want to buy and the street they drive in on lined with the signs could it make a difference? I sure wouldn’t want to invest a large sum of money in a place where I was so clearly unwelcome. Have any of you done this? I would so Apprecaite your opinons! Thank you, Lynne
JENNIFER says
No wonder this place is called heaven’s waiting room~~~~ bunch of old farts griping and complaining all the time instead of doing something positive !!!