A popular Florida beach community is weighing tighter rules for its short-term vacation rentals after full-time residents have raised concerns about visitors\u2019 noise, overflowing trash, and parking complications.<\/p>\n
The proposal under consideration for\u00a0Pensacola Beach\u00a0could create a registry for vacation rentals. <\/p>\n
It could require owners to designate someone who can be reached 24\/7 when problems arise, according to reports.<\/p>\n
Rhonda Dorfman, president of Pensacola Beach Advocates and a full-time resident of the island, told Fox News Digital that one concern is giving law enforcement a clear point of contact when complaints are made at rental properties.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sheriff\u2019s deputies have a very difficult time finding out who\u2019s in charge here,\u201d Dorfman said, noting that calls can involve complaints about noise and\u00a0underage drinking.<\/p>\n
She said many problems are tied to\u00a0larger vacation homes\u00a0that can accommodate dozens of guests.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the three- and four-person families that come out to the beach,\u201d Dorfman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, she said, some homes \u201csleep 30 or 40 people \u2014 and that is where we\u2019re getting the problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
A popular Florida beach community is weighing tighter rules for its short-term vacation rentals after full-time residents have raised concerns about visitors. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Large groups can also put pressure on parking and trash collection, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a home that sleeps 30 or 40 people, even if you put five people in a car,\u00a0that\u2019s six cars,\u201d Dorfman said.<\/p>\n
Trash left outside between guest checkouts and scheduled collection days has also become a concern, she indicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat trash sits out there in the heat. It stinks. It\u2019s ugly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Rhonda Dorfman, president of Pensacola Beach Advocates and a full-time resident of the island, said that one concern is giving law enforcement a clear point of contact when complaints are made at rental properties. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Noise can become another issue at night, with Pensacola Beach\u2019s noise ordinance taking effect at 10 p.m., according to Dorfman.<\/p>\n
Still, she noted that vacationers come to Pensacola Beach to enjoy themselves during the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou work 50 weeks out of the year, you save up for your vacation, and you want to have a good time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
People enjoy a day at the beach on July 4, 2005, in Pensacola, Florida. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know you\u2019re here on vacation, and we want you to have a wonderful time, but you are in a residential community,\u201d Dorfman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Online discussions reveal the\u00a0competing perspectives on tourism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some Reddit commenters have pushed back against criticism of visitors, pointing to the economic activity that tourism brings to the Pensacola area.<\/p>\n
Other commenters highlighted the appeal of visiting Pensacola Beach despite its crowds.<\/p>\n
Noise can become another issue at night, with Pensacola Beach\u2019s noise ordinance taking effect at 10 p.m., according to Dorfman. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beaches are beautiful,\u201d another commenter wrote, while advising travelers to \u201cpack your patience\u201d when the area becomes particularly busy.<\/p>\n
Dorfman emphasized that the residents who support additional rules are not seeking to eliminate\u00a0vacation rentals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to get rid of short-term rentals,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want our low-density residential communities to still feel like a community.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said officials are looking at regulations used in other Florida communities, including Gulf Breeze, Anna Maria Island, and Panama City, as they consider what could work for Pensacola Beach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A popular Florida beach community is weighing tighter rules for its short-term vacation rentals after full-time residents have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384384,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6104,28,30,29,555,154001,107],"class_list":["post-384383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-beaches","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-tourists","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384383\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}