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8. Short Term Vacation Rentals Background: Section 509.013, Florida Statutes, defines a transient public lodging establishment (aka short-term vacation rental) as a property that is rented more than three times a year for less than 30 days at a time. Local governments were preempted from regulating vacation rentals in 2011. This legislation included a provision that "grandfathered" any ordinance regulating vacation rentals prior to June 1, 2011. The language was amended in 2014 to allow local governments to regulate short-term rentals through life safety and building codes, as well as other codes specific to vacation rentals. However, local governments are still prohibited from regulating the du- ration and frequency of these rentals. In 2015, Indian River County formed a committee which included a vacation rental owner and a real estate agent to discuss short-term vacation rentals and the impact they have on our community. Based upon the committee's recommendations, the Board of County Commissioners approved an ordinance that requires short-term vacation rentals to register with the County, show proof of registration with the DBPR and pass a simple inspection per- formed by a code enforcement officer to verify that the vacation rental has working smoke alarms (carbon mon- oxide detector also if they have gas appliances), a charged fire extinguisher and an emergency light if the power goes out. The vacation rental is inspected to make sure it has the basic "good neighbor" information such as days of the week for trash collection and recycling, parking restrictions and owner/agent contact information. Parking is restricted to the existing garages and driveways, just as with an ordinary residence. Enforcement, including noise complaints, is carried out through the County's code enforcement process, just like complaints from an ordinary residence. Last year, a bill was introduced at the Florida Legislature which would have preempted all local ordinances as they relate to short-term vacation rentals. While the bill was unsuccessful, it will likely be reintroduced in the 2019 legislative session. Position: Indian River County BCC OPPOSES policies that would preempt a local government's ability to have local ordinances related to vacation rentals. Proposed Legislation preempting local government's ordinances related to vacation rentals failed. 88 9