A new bill concerning vacation rentals, HB 773, sponsored by Rep. Mike La Rosa, R-St. Cloud, is making it’s way through the Florida House of Representatives. (https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=768073.docx&DocumentType=Amendments&BillNumber=0773&Session=2018)
The bill, among other things, would require vacation rental owners to give 24-hour notice to residents who live within 1,000 feet of the properties that sex offenders will be staying at the rentals.
While it does not expressly ban sex offenders from vacation rentals in Florida, its effect would be that it would require vacation rental owners to inquire whether a prospective renter was a sex offender and then they literally have to notify every neighbor within a 1000 foot radius of their presence! Who would rent to a sex offender under those conditions?
Related links:
FAC questions Vacation Rental Bill [2/26/18]
The Florida coasts is an amazing place to vacation. It is so beautiful. It’s good for the soul and I plan to enjoy it with my family once I’m done on paper, sure, we could vacation elsewhere, but it is a sentimental place for me and there really is nothing else like it. It’s my right as a free American, same as any other free American. See you there!!!
So they are not banning us from renting or vacationing, but vacation rental owners have to give notice of a registered citizen staying at a place ?? This is a bit like the IML scheme. They are not banning us from traveling, but it would be at the discretion of the country we’re traveling to when notified to let us in.
What vacation rental owner is going to rent to a RSO once they have to do this ??? I also wonder if this would include hotels too and RSO that visit Florida from out of state ??
Florida is right now at the crux of an assault guns crisis and this is what they come up with ?? These are the same people that do not want to discuss assault weapons, but in the very same day, it declared porn to be dangerous.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/21/florida-house-refuses-to-debate-guns-but-declares-porn-dangerous/?utm_term=.85ff7d686759
I’m just glad this made the Washington Post so many readers can see how wack things are.
Another sly little workaround by scumbag lawmakers. Just like International Megan’s Law does not “ban” you from International travel – you’ll just be declined entry to many countries. (You may travel all you like – you just can’t go anywhere!)
Same thing here: offenders aren’t “banned” from using Florida vacation rentals, the law just makes sure that all hosts will decline your request for vacation stays.
Another clever little workarounds intentionally designed to skirt judicial review. 😠
(Even if hosts were willing to let you stay at their rental property, the neighbor notification requirement would set off a firestorm of public hysteria against all vacation rental units and the industry itself, thereby increasing hosts’ liability insurance costs and greatly impacting a significant source of income for Florida residents.)
Why hasn’t one of these scumbags proposed a “No Go” law to make it illegal for any convicted sex offender to use any public restroom, including on airplanes and buses? 😠
It wouldn’t surprise me if other legislators are competing or trying to compete with Lauren and Ron Book for the attention they usual garner by introducing these types of laws. Lauren introduced the FLA three day registry law recently, then this one followed. A solution looking for a problem to solve.
Also, the Gov is on his way out so he can sign these like Barry O did with IML and suffer no repercussions.
Lastly, you may not be aware, but Lauren helped organize the student bus trips to Tallahassee to rally in the Capitol. She can parlay this into greater view of her own history going forward.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article201671659.html
Make of this as you will.
Let this bill pass! It let’s people see how bad the laws are and will only bring more people to the cause. Since you can’t deny business service to an RSO, this will only inconvenience the property owner.
80,000 + registrants in Florida and their family members won’t be able to vacation. Not to mention also out of state registrants and their families with more new registered citizens added to that list annually. Florida being a popular vacation/tourist state full of vacation options and rentals, would that even be wise for its industry ?
Disturbing article! I don’t live in Florida, but it seems like every time you turn around this State continues to ad stricter laws. As such, it’s a State that is clearly filled with hate and doesn’t believe in rehabilitation. Very disturbing. When people marry, start families, educate themselves and work, you typically see something occur called rehabilitation! Very childish. I don’t even know what to say.
So a mentally ill, heavily armed man mows down 17 kids at a high school, but is FL passing any laws to restrict who can own firearms?
No.
Instead, they’ll harrass law abiding, reformed registrants out of renting a property for vacation.
How do pure scumbags like this get into public service? A person would have to be a moron to follow this bullsh*t law and self-report.
It gets worse….
Amendment added 2/22/18 regarding hotels and motels:
509.1415 Sexual predators in public lodging establishments; duty to inform. The operator of any public lodging establishment shall inquire at check in if any guest of the public lodging establishment is a sexual predator as defined in s. 775.21(4). If any guest of a public lodging establishment is a sexual predator as defined in s. 775.21(4), the operator shall immediately inform all other guests of the public lodging.
Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park, questioned how the law would work noting it would mean he, his wife and children would have to answer the question as they checked into a hotel at Disney World.
Pigman added, “How would this be executed without making Florida become the weirdest state in the world to come to and get a hotel room?”
This is so confusing. It seems there as if this would only apply to Sexual Predators and not Sexual Offenders. Florida has two categories for Registered Citizens. They are either labeled Sexual Predators (775.21) or Sexual Offenders (943.0435). In Florida, you have to be either one or the other. The other amendment of the bill mentions Sexual Offenders(943.0435) and this one mentions only Sexual Predators(775.21). This is just a bad bill, and even that lady rep. Cary Pigman is questioning how it will work. This will confuse Law Enforcement and others in the Justice system as well, just like every other bill that goes into law in FL.
Disney prohibits Registered Citizens from entering their parks in Orlando. I don’t see how they will even let anyone stay at their resort hotels.
That’s right Florida keep screwing around, your cover has been pulled and people are seeing the elected idiots for what they are.
When do they expect this farce of a law to enacted?
Governor Rick Scott and the rest of the Florida legislative body just don’t get it. Florida is a disaster, from the Pulse night club terror attack to Marjory high school mass murder, police running the other way, FBI letting mentally incompetent and dangerous people buy weapons, this state is a sad joke, but they want to add more bogus laws to further log jam the justice system and strap the already debt ridden budget.
The amendments need a closer look also as they are out of control. They seem to expand this law to any vacation rental and even properties not covered by the standard Florida definition. They provide penalties for non compliance and legal protection to exclude offenders from suing for rejection! They require a log book to be kept and links to FDLE on rental listings.
This could effictevly ban any SO from ever going on vacation in Florida outside his own property in my opinion.