HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Short-term rentals are coming under new scrutiny in Hillsborough County as commissioners consider regulations that would give the county more oversight of vacation rental properties.
County commissioners are scheduled to hold a public hearing Wednesday on proposed rules that would require short-term rental owners to register their properties and have someone available around the clock to respond to problems.
The county is not proposing a ban on short-term rentals.
Instead, the proposed regulations would require owners to register their properties and designate a local contact who can respond to issues involving the rental.
The county is also proposing a $200 annual registration fee per unit, along with additional fees related to inspections.
The issue has become particularly contentious in some neighborhoods where residents say the number of short-term rentals has grown rapidly.
In the Bay Crest Park neighborhood in Town ‘N Country, residents say there are now 126 short-term rentals among roughly 900 homes.
Residents say the number of vacation rentals increased significantly after hurricanes Helene and Milton, which caused severe flooding and damage in the neighborhood.
Samantha Freeland, a Bay Crest Park homeowner, said many residents sold their homes after the storms, while some new owners converted the properties into short-term rentals.
Freeland said the change has disrupted what had been a quiet residential neighborhood.
Residents have reported parties, increased traffic, and other disturbances associated with short-term rental guests.
“We’re essentially having businesses that are operating within single-family zoned residential neighborhoods,” Freeland said. “That the county has zoned us as single-families zoned residential areas and they’re allowing businesses to operate right next to families with no ordinances or life safety inspections.”
Still, short-term rentals represent a relatively small percentage of homes in Hillsborough County.
There are currently about 3,000 short-term rentals in unincorporated Hillsborough County, according to county information. The city of Tampa has about 9,000 additional short-term rentals.
By comparison, Pinellas County has more than 24,000 short-term rentals across the county.
Hillsborough County commissioners have been working on the proposed regulations for months as residents and officials debate how much oversight should be placed on vacation rentals.
The public hearing on the proposed ordinance is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.