STR Rules, Regulations and loopholes in St Petersburg, FL

[Joe Noone]

I live in St Petersburg, FL and trying to understand the rules, regulations and loopholes with AirBnb properties. I heard that STR's are banned in St Petersburg but you can only have 2 reservations per year under 30 days and the rest have to be over 30 days which is considered MTR. However, I see hundreds of properties listed on Airbnb that do not follow the rules. I believe both St Pete and Pinellas county have their own rules for Airbnb but not sure of the differences. Trying to understand the risks and implications of running an Airbnb here and if there are any loopholes to the policies. Any feedback or discussion is appreciated!

[Andrew Steffens]

Quote from @Joe Noone:

I live in St Petersburg, FL and trying to understand the rules, regulations and loopholes with AirBnb properties. I heard that STR's are banned in St Petersburg but you can only have 2 reservations per year under 30 days and the rest have to be over 30 days which is considered MTR. However, I see hundreds of properties listed on Airbnb that do not follow the rules. I believe both St Pete and Pinellas county have their own rules for Airbnb but not sure of the differences. Trying to understand the risks and implications of running an Airbnb here and if there are any loopholes to the policies. Any feedback or discussion is appreciated!

Hey Joe I own Vacation Rentals of Florida, a local STR PM Company. We are Headquartered in Tampa but the majority of our properties are in Saint Pete. We never advise breaking local regulations but we have managed some that were not zoned for STR, and did not have a problem until recently. One went 3 years with no issue and the owner just got shut down. It was not a big deal for him as he already owned it as an LTR previously and furnished it in hopes of using it as a second home when he lived in CA. He has since moved to Fort Myers and the house served its purpose for him. There are no loopholes and if you operate outside the rules you will be shut down, it is only a matter of time.

You are correct, unincorporated Pinellas County versus Saint Pete have different rules.  In Unincorporated Pinellas County it is legal.  It is typically closer to the beach, but further from DTSP.

Let me know if you have any other questions!