§ 15-272. Registration required.

(a)

It is unlawful for any person to allow another person to occupy any residential property that is a single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit as a vacation rental within the city, or offer such property for rent as a vacation rental within the city, unless the owner of the property in fee simple title or his or her authorized representative has registered the property as a vacation rental property with the city and the vacation rental property has been issued a certificate of compliance in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(b)

An application for registration as a vacation rental is deemed pending when the application has been filed, all applicable fees have been paid to the city pursuant to section 15-274, of this Code, a certificate of compliance has not been issued for the property and the application has not been rejected. A registration application rejected as incomplete is not pending. Notwithstanding subsection (a) above, a person may allow another person to occupy residential property, for which a certificate of compliance has not been issued, as a vacation rental, when an application is pending if:

(1)

The residential property has an effective and valid license as a vacation rental classification of public lodging establishment issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations prior to August 18, 2015; and

(2)

The residential property is not in violation of any section of this Code; and

(3)

An application for registration of the residential property as a vacation rental has been filed pursuant to section 15-273 and all applicable fees have been paid; and

(4)

That said occupancy of the vacation rental was scheduled prior to August 18, 2015, as evidenced by a written and validly executed rental agreement or contract provided to the city manager no later than November 2, 2015.

(c)

A vacation rental shall be registered annually on or before the thirtieth (30th) day of September.

(d)

The advertising or advertisement for the rental of a single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit for periods of time less than thirty (30) days or one (1) calendar month is direct evidence of offering a property for rent as a vacation rental in violation of subsection 15-272(a) and the advertising or advertisement is admissible in any enforcement proceeding. The advertising or advertisement evidence raises rebuttable presumption that the residential property named in the notice of violation or any other report or as identified in the advertising or advertisement was used in violation of subsection 15-272(a).

( Ord. No. C-15-29, § 1, 8-18-2015 ; Ord. No. C-16-25 , § 1, 12-6-16)