All Forum Posts by: Caleb Richardson

I would definitely trade for some Alabama gulf oysters any day, particularly Dauphin Island or Murder Points!

@Brandon Dubisky which state on the gulf coast? Does it matter to you?

@Brandon Richardson Thank you, and well done!

@Dustin Gale Thank you for this Dustin, there are so many that I have trouble sifting through them, and I'm a little too A.D.D. to listen and focus on them while I work. I usually burn through them at 2x speed, but I'll back up and slow them down for something that sounds particularly enlightening.

@Brandon Richardson This is a delightfully informational post, thank you so much for the details. Care to do an update on your numbers for 2018?

Here is a link to the Bert Harris Jr. Act

Here is a link to a local article about the ordinance

I can't seem to find the proposed ordinance online. It would cap the total occupancy of any property at 24, with a limit of 2 per bedroom plus 4 to the final total. So a 4 bedroom house would have a limit of 12. Some properties currently sleep up to 40, so up to a 35% decrease in what these owners are allowed to advertise. The city only plans on enforcing the owners and management companies advertisements of these properties, because there's not much they can do if the guests decide to bring more than is allowed into the home without a warrant.

The city of Destin is in the process of passing an occupancy limit for short term rental homes in residential zoned areas. This will obviously devalue many rental homes within the city limits, some more than others. At the city council meeting last night, there was a lot of talk about the Bert Harris Act/Private Property Rights Protection Act, and the number of lawsuits that would follow in the wake of this ordinance if it passes. There is a 5-year grandfather clause in the ordinance that may allow some properties to continue to be occupied at their current limit (if there is one) to apparently limit the amount of Bert Harris Act claims. The language in the grandfather clause was vague, which was concerning to those who were against the ordinance and had homes that would be affected.

I have no legal background, which is why I have come here (obviously). 

My questions are for those who have any experience with the Bert Harris Act. 

What is the settlement process like for Bert Harris Act claims? 

How much could it potentially cost the city?

There are several hundred STR homes in Destin, so I'm sure some figures could help, so I can gather some if requested.

Has this happened in other cities in Florida? How did it play out?

Thank you in advance for any input.

@Luke Carl @William Leahy Just for some perspective, what price range were you looking at while running your numbers?

@Dev Paul

I have heard from property managers along Destin/30A that long-term rentals are getting hard to come by, and some of the larger STR homes still standing just west of the major damage are being rented by contractors/workers/adjusters for months at a time without even a request for a lighter rate for their extended booking. I have never been this close to a major natural disaster like Hurricane Michael, so I'm not sure how long those effects will be felt. Our next door neighbor in Destin is only a part-time resident and has rented his home to a family from Panama City.

@Luke Carl thanks for the profile input too haha. I just did a quick copy/paste from our website. I'm going to tweak it later, it's on the to-do list.