Rental Abuses

Vacation rental abuses are a major issue affecting the residential experience on St. Armands and Lido Keys, as well as in many other parts of the CIty.  There are two primary abuses: 

1. Rentals for less than "more than one week" in violation of City code
2. High-occupancy rentals (a.k.a. "Hotel Houses") in which the large number of guests do not meet the City's requirement for "household living", "family occupancy", and "no more than four unrelated persons". 

These abuses--neither of which are allowed in the City's residential zones--often lead to frequent and extreme nuisances that affect resident quality of life and the character of the neighborhood.  We have documented the Hotel House issue in detail which you can learn more about by reviewing the links below.

Note:  If you are operating a vacation rental in the City of Sarasota (which includes St. Armands Key), you are required to register with the City which you can do here.  There is a maximum rental occupancy limit, and a requirement to have a designated local contact, among others.

Note:  If you are renting out all or part (e.g., just one room) of a home that is homesteaded in Florida, then you may be subject to:

• Loss of all or part of your Homestead Exemption, Save Our Homes Cap, and Save Our Homes Portability Benefit
• Required payment of up to 10 years of back taxes, plus 50% penalty, plus 15% interest

More information can be found in this article.