Cocoa Beach Florida Residents and STR Owners!!

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Cocoa Beach Florida Residents and STR Owners!!

Forest Owen
Cocoa Beach Florida · Member since 2022 · 6 posts · 0 votes

Dear Cocoa Beach Residents and STR owners,

The City of Cocoa Beach will be voting on Thursday to enact new restrictions targeting vacation rental owners in our city with new fines, fees, and restrictions ultimately aimed at putting short-term rental owners out of business. Please TAKE ACTION NOW to ask the Commission to vote NO on these mandates!

This proposal targets all short-term rental owners, including the vast majority who responsibly manage their properties and have never had a single complaint from neighbors. The City of Cocoa Beach does not track vacation rental property noise violations, so it would appear the City is considering this proposal not based on data but based on anecdotal evidence, speculation, and the whims of the Commission and Mayor.

Among other provisions, this ordinance would implement a $525 registration and $325 renewal fee, the highest in the state of Florida. (for comparison, Miami-Dade charges $136 and Collier County charges $50).

However, the most extreme provision is a new noise regulation for short-term rentals only. A neighbor reporting "any noise or sound at any time" from a short-term rental can be a violation. Three such violations within a calendar year would result in a property being deemed a "noise nuisance property" with fines up to $500, required hand delivery of the noise ordinance to all guests, and would require the owner to impose a $1,000 deposit on all future guests which would be forfeited if there is a violation. This means a visiting family having a bar-b-que in the backyard of their vacation rental, or two children playing baseball would be in violation should any noise or sound be heard by a neighbor from inside their house.

This is a new noise standard and punishment unlike anything seen in the State of Florida and shows a blatant disregard for property rights. 

The meeting is being held at Cocoa Beach Country Club, at 5000 Tom Warriner Boulevard in Cocoa Beach at 7:00 PM.

Thank you for your support!

*Parts of message have been copied from Space Coast Association of REALTORS®*

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  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    3y

    Hey @Forest Owen

    Medium size PM here from Tampa area.  I am using the app and not able to look up the cases but in 2011 the state of Florida handcuffed all municipalities in allowing any of them to restrict the right of home owners to rent their property for any length of time.  Many municipalities sued and they settled on; if you have a law on the books already you can keep it, but you cannot add one if you do not already have one nor can you amend the current law.  This has been the status quo since.  Indian Rocks Beach had a law but quietly tried to amend it and when they cited a homeowner he sued them and won and now IRB has no law at all.  Hillsborough County made a 7 day minimum but since they have not actively tried to enforce it it is still on the books but the minute they do try to enforce it someone will challenge it and they will lose it too.

    I hope this info helps you push back, please let us know how it goes or if I can help further

    [email protected]813-563-0877
    Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
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  • Forest Owen
    OP
    Cocoa Beach Florida · Member since 2022 · 6 posts · 0 votes
    3y

    Thank you for the reply @Andrew Steffens! All of that is good information and things for us to keep tabs on... we will be attending the meeting and will update on here how it goes. 

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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    3y

    I think STR is a great investment vehicle, but owners need to be realistic about the future. Cities will continue to crack down on these and make it more difficult to operate for profit.

    The DIY Landlord Book4.7248 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
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  • Rob Denis
    Real Estate Investor · Cape Canaveral, FL · Member since 2014 · 9 posts · 2 votes
    3y

    Good morning Forest. While I agree that the City is taking it a bit far, please note that the proposed ordinance only affects STRs in the RS-1 zoning district. This is the city's single family residential area.

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  • Barry Willmott
    Member since 2023 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    3y

    Any updates on where this vote landed? We are under contract for a home in Cocoa Beach and just wanted to do some further due diligence before finalizing the sale.

    So far the Cocoa Beach gov has been very friendly toward us getting our permits and everything for STR. It's a single family home in the RS-1 zoning district. No issues thus far and tons of other airbnbs in the area.

    Numbers look great but the post above is definitely concerning! 

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