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MARCO ISLAND — A debate about whether an ordinance to govern short-term rentals in residential areas will hurt Marco’s economy is slowing its progress toward passage.
“The economy of this community is somewhat dependent on these types of rentals,” said Planning Board Chairman Marv Needles during a planning meeting Friday.
The Planning Board and a citizens short-term rental committee have worked for more than one year on creating an ordinance to help control the problems associated with a high turnover of renters, who party, violate noise, trash and parking ordinances and leave the Island before they can be held accountable. If they are held accountable, a new group of renters comes into the residential area and does the same thing, making it a perpetual problem.
Community Development Director Steve Olmsted said while it may be open to interpretation, he believes that short-term rentals are not permissible in residential neighborhoods because they can be construed as businesses and may alter the make-up of the single family residential zone.
Thus far, the majority of the planning board and the citizens’ committee disagreed with Olmsted’s interpretation. However the board agreed Friday that bed and breakfasts are not suitable in residential neighborhoods.
“No one wants to live next door to one,” Planning Board member Vince Magee said.
Planning Board member James Riviere and City Councilman Chuck Kiester recommended a 30-day minimum on rentals to minimize the problems.
“The majority of the rentals are not 30 days on these dwellings. It will have a devastating affect on businesses such as restaurants,” Needles countered.
He said he believes when two out of the four towers at South Seas condominiums limited rentals to 30 days or more, he witnessed a direct impact with businesses leaving the Island the same year.
About 2,500 condo units went from allowing weekly rentals to requiring a 30-day minimum rental, he said.
Riviere agreed to some extent but questioned whether all effects would be negative.
“That’s what depressed the prices on the sales. The income potential. I’m having a difficulty reconciling the need for tranquility in the neighborhood. I really question if there would be a severe economic impact,” he said.
“It might even be a boom to the condos if we did enact this. But that’s not my objective.”
Needles said a possible outcome of limiting residential home rentals to 30 days or more might increase hotel occupancies as well.
“We’re here doing this to protect the single family, but I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water,” Needles said.
Barbara Johnson, a Realtor with Prudential, said an ordinance governing short-term rentals would hurt an already ailing real estate market and said owners need the rent to pay ever-escalating costs for insurance, taxes and maintenance.
So far, the Planning Board has made no plans, other than to limit rentals in residential neighborhoods to no more than one in a week.
“We have to allow them to make that income. We have more houses on the market now than I ever remember. We are seeing economic stress all over,” Johnson said.
“Don’t cut the speed limit down because one guy goes too fast,” she pleaded.
Johnson also argued that the current 12-page draft ordinance is cumbersome.
The ordinance after Friday’s review, limits rental occupancy to two people per bedroom plus two more people, requires annual registration with a fee not yet set, requires rental agent or owner availability at all times, allows renters and owners to be fined, allows permits to be suspended after three violations occur within two years and requires meeting state fire code guidelines, including proper windows other than the common Deltona windows.
“When I looked at this document I almost gagged. I have to be able to explain this to buyers,” Johnson said.
Resident Jan Sawitoski agreed. “There are enough foreclosures here as it is.”
Planning Board member Monte Lazarus said he agreed with a common assertion that the ordinance is solving the problems of just a few by potentially hurting a lot of people.
“I think it’s using a sledge hammer to kill a flea,” he said.
Resident Karen Salvi attends almost every meeting on the issue and describes her neighboring resort rental as a “hotel from hell next door.”
Other residents, though they say they can’t attend every meeting, have voiced similar concerns.
Resident Dawn Hollowsky said the resort rental neighboring her home is a regular disruption as she and her children get up early to prepare for school.
“I try to put up with it as much as I can. These people are here to party. It’s 2, 3 a.m., I have to get up in a couple of hours,” she said.
There have been 47 different short-term rental property violations in less than one year, reported Planning Board member Irv Povlow.
Lazarus says if the same logic was used against long-term residents, it would pose a problem because three times the number of similar code violations were reported from full-time residential properties in the same time frame.
“We have plenty of places to stay on this Island that are not in single family areas,” Povlow said.
“You guys are thinking about the economy. I don’t think there’s any proof here that it will affect the economy.”
The Planning Board voted to kill an earlier draft of the ordinance, which gave permits based on a conditional use, allowing Olmsted, or the current community development director, and neighbors, discretion when it came to approval.
Riviere, Olmsted and Kiester said they would like the earlier draft to stay on the table.
Planning Board member Bill Sneddon said some guidance might be helpful as he was embarrassed that it was taking so long.
“The combinations of intellects and personalities is refreshing. If you’d been charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence, we’d all have British accents,” joked City Council Vice Chairman Frank Recker.
Council advised working with the city attorney to draft something that would require licensing that steered away from choosing between conditional use and permitted use at their meeting Monday.
A second public meeting on the draft ordinance will be held by the Planning Board 9 a.m., May 29 in the Community Room, 51 Bald Eagle Drive.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 55
jaguar writes:
In 2003 my wife and I decided to buy a property on Marco and to help finance the expense we decided to rent the property out.So what did we do we enabled a local builder to have a business to employ electricians,plumbers,kitchen fitters etc.We bought all of our furniture,appliances,televisions etc locally.Okay so then we rented our property out through a local agency and have a local homewatch company to keep an eye on things.When our renters come to stay they buy food at Marco,s shops they buy clothes at Marco,s shops eat at Marco,s restaurants and put money into the local economy.All this so that one day just maybe my wife and I in future years could possibly spend our retirement living here.In all those years I am not aware of any issues or complaints with regard to our renters.And feel we our responsible owners.We have a guest book at the house that all the renters write their comments in.The majority thank us for allowing the average American family to enjoy a little piece of our dream for a week or two.But now it would seem by a very small minority of people on the island that dream could be shattered.Whilst I understand the need for some kind of policing for the irresponsible owners but please do not Tar us all with the same brush.If my renters stop coming then my dream will not happen it is as simple as that, especially now when we are all fighting for our exsistance in this economic crisis.Surely instead of making it more difficult for people to visit this paradise we should feel privileged that people wish to share it with us.Remember normal people cannot afford to holiday for 30 days minimum.So please think about this one.I do not wish to be another forclosure or statistic.
gkpritchard writes:
You can ditto me on everything jaguar has said. How many people are you going to kill economically with this ordinance? Mr. Riviere and Mr. Keister, a 30-day minimum will kill Marco Island as a vacation destination and increase foreclosures on the island. Sure, a few people will benefit from a 30-day minimum rental, but a lot of people are going to get slaughtered. This is my home; I pay lots of taxes and fees, and I should be able to rent it if I choose to without a lot of intervention from local government. Neither my guests nor I disturb our neighbors. In fact, my neighbors want to rent my home so their friends and family can visit without having to stay at an expensive hotel and eat all their meals out at restaurants. What do you think the hotels will do if this ordinance passes? Most likely, they will raise room rates because there is less competition, and Marco Island becomes an even less desirable vacation destination. This committee needs to put together an ordinance that allows authorities to go after problem rentals, and leave everyone else alone. We are looking at an ordinance that will become an administrative and economical disaster for Marco Island.
Northerner writes:
We first heard about MI through friends up north who have family in Naples. My husband and I decided to give it a try back in 04. Tired of staying in hotels we googled "homes for rent" and were very pleased with what we found. Needless to say we rented a house for a week with our own pool, dock, dolphins and manatee right out back. It truly is paradise and we are so greatful for people like "Jaguar" who rent out their homes on a weekly basis. We will never stay in a hotel again! We started out by going 1 wk a yr and now for the last 3yrs have been coming 2 x a yr for a week at a time because of work schedules. There is no need for us to leave the island when we visit...it has everything we need. We dine out every day, rent boats, go on fishing charters and shop, just to mention a few things.Oh and did I mention we got married on the beach using a local florist, pastor, photographer etc.. Right now we are looking to buy our own house on Marco to retire to someday. Moral of the story is: look what spending 1 week on Marco Island can turn into. The handful of bad owners needs to be held accountable. Why punish everyone.
rob51 writes:
A lifelong dream of a quiet and relaxing home near the beach. what a treat it will be to live in a neighborhood where folks care about each other and look out for one another.
Wait, here come the rentals! I thought I was in a residential neighborhood. How can they rent out by the night, 3 days or a week? Staying up late, loud music, overcrowding 12 people in a 3 bedroom and cars everywhere. What about all that trash and who takes in the cans after the trash is emptied?? Want to see a real toll on neighborhoods then proceed with your short term rentals. They are businesses who do alot of marketing and promotion with the internet, yard signs,etc. What about the peace and quiet I purchased in my quiet neighborhood? The owner probably lives at least 100 miles away and is not disturbed by the noise but "just wants help in paying the expenses for their vacation getaway" so they can enjoy it for a month or two each year while you will have to put up with all of their tenants bs for the other 10 months of the year. It isn't fair to neighborhoods and is very detremental to quality of life in a city.
You will hear the arguement that they will eat in local restaurants? No, they rent these places so they can cook and save money. They will frequent grocery stores instead.
Been to Anna Maria? Rental signs everywhere! Does anybody live here I had to wonder? I went to many restaurants while staying at a nice B & B and asked that question and the answer was "not really, mostly rentals so we don't see people we know here". Go down the streets at night and see the dark houses with no lights and the gravel lawns so they don't have to mow "while there away". It is not a community but a business district. Think about this matter carefully, I would highly recommend against it!
gkpritchard writes:
rob51, this is Marco Island not Anna Maria. Your blog is not representative of the issue here on Marco. Good people who are good neighbors with their rental properties don't deserve to be "tarred" with an Anna Maria brush.
sharkfloss writes:
The main reason that someone rents a house is so they do not have the same restrictions as they would if they rented a room in a hotel. Hotels have hotel security that responds quickly to problems of noise etc. Does a hotel owner have greater rights than a neighbor who must wait and have the police show up?
As mentioned in an earlier post many of these house renters are not a single family sitution. Many times it is a group of friends out to have a good time. (Who will actually check the credentials of the renters?) Yes this good time helps the owner of the property but negatively effects the neighbors in quiet enjoyment of their property and possibly value when they may have to sell their house when a prospective buyer checks out the neighborhood prior to making an offer. Who is thinking about them?
To blame not being able to rent houses for a week at a time causes a diminished economy does not take into account the quality of life caused by a renter who has no vested interest in the neighborhood or Marco Island for that matter.
The question I would like to ask is how many of the owners who want this weekly rental situation to be allowed would purchase a house next door to a rental situation. How many real estate agents would offer this to a family member?
I am not against free enterprise but when it disrupts the quality of life of ones neighbors to such a degree I think the City Council should look hard and thoroughly at this decision.
jaguar writes:
Okay Shark and Rob.You are trying to make it sound as though the rental properties you live next door to are rented out 365 days a year,this I find hard to believe.My house has never been rented for less than a week.In 2008 my property was rented out for a total of 18 weeks and this was my best year.As we all know there are 52 weeks in a year.Now my next door neighbour who is able to contact me easily never once did so during that time regarding any problems.But it would seem that every renter who moves in next door to you parties every night.What a dreadful life you must have living next door to a house that has parties every day of the year.I think not.Lets just start being more sensible and realistic with our arguments.Some peoples lives are on the line here.
sharkfloss writes:
Jaguar,
I understand your problem quite well. It is very difficult for many of us in times such as we are all facing. Would it be any different if times were economically good and you did not need the rental income from weekly rentals? Should rental regulations change with needs of the times? These are questions I am not able to answer.
As I mentioned above our City Council has to look into a solution to this problem that is fair both to you and protective of your neighbor's rights.
As you mentioned, you seemed to have good renters and I hope that continues in the future both for you and your neighbors.
gkpritchard writes:
I, too, rent my home. Our best year was 2008 and we rented for less than 5 months for the year. There is something very distorted about this short term rental issue on Marco. All the facts are not on the table and a lot of disinformation is going around. Shark, you couldn't be more wrong with your statements in your blog. My rental property on Marco Island is going to be my home. I do check who my guests are, and they are single families. They don't party all night long, because when I'm on Marco I ask my neighbors if they have ever bothered by noise from my guests. I do this because I care about my neighbors. These are going to be my full-time neighbors soon, and they deserve my respect. By the way, I haven't received a single complaint about any of my guests in over 6 years. All of my neighbors have my home phone number, and I have instructed them to call me directly if there is ever a problem with any guest in my home. No one has ever called. Shark, your blog rings hollow.
Fossil writes:
The solution to this problem is simple. Accountability. That is another word for personal responsibility for those that have difficulty with it. Owners, renters and realators must be held accountable. It is not necessary to place limits on these business transactions. All that is required is to give authority to the police to impose on the spot citations to the offenders when they breach the peace. Each rental property must be registered with the county and taxes must be paid on all business transactions. Give the police and code enforcement offers a hammer; two citations issued on any short term property and the owner receives a hefty fine. Three (you are out), shut down the business. This is the responsible way to regulate and control this problem. We are civilized people and we all have a right to make a living and should be able to make money off of our personal property. We do not have the right to infringe on the rights of our neighbors or to chose if we want to pay our fair share of taxes. Do the right thing, force realators to inform owners of their obligation to register the property with the county, and enforce the peace or shut them down.
MrBreeze writes:
Sorry to say the short term "landlords" are wrong on this one. When we purchased our home in '02 we were approached by a agent to rent it out. I declined for the reasons I bought a home not a "flophouse". The people that are complaining are looking for the income stream off the rentals to pay for the home. Granted, if your people are decent and respectful you are luckey,but face it, you are not there to see how they act. Down our street there was a rental and they parked on the grass, yelled and made noise at night, parked in my drive until the cops came, and ran the house down. The market went soft the house was sold. The new owners live there and life is quiet. The people who bought houses and want to rent sorry, I bought and worked harder and longer to pay for it not to expect someone else to with rental income. I like the way "realtors" are always crying the blues on these issues where they stand to lose income. This is a residential community not a "flophouse" community. Sorry to say, its costly to own a second home in this economey but you have to respect your neighbors also.
gkpritchard writes:
Sorry, Fossil, that's not a solution at all. This is a solution; first, define the problem. The problem is nuisance short-term rentals. Mr. Pavlow has a list with 47 violations over the past year. That's good; someone is keeping track of violators. The ordinance the city needs is one where the city sends a letter to these owners informing them they are a repeat offender and a rental nuisance requiring them to register with the city. If they don't register, they get fined. Once they register (and pay a registration fee) they are now subject to the limits and inspections discussed by the rental committee. Either the nuisance rental cleans up its act or it goes under. This solution allows the city to focus on nuisance short-term rentals and not every short-term rental on the island, which the city will never be able to do. People like myself who own a short-term rental that never disrupt the fabric of the community should never be "forced" into doing anything. Go after the people who are causing the problem, and leave everyone else alone!
gkpritchard writes:
MrBreeze, you lived next to a nuisance rental, and that was unfortunate. But you tar every short-term rental owner with your comments, and your comments certainly do not apply to me or my property. People who live next to nuisance rentals need relief, but the city needs to do the right thing. Punishing everyone for the problems caused by the few is not the way to go. Go after the people who are causing the problem and leave everyone else alone.
Fossil writes:
gkpritchard, my understanding of the the law is that ALL who rent their property in Collier County are conducting a business and MUST register that property. If you rent for less than six months, you MUST have a resort license It is also my understanding that you must collect the tourist tax and sales tax. I beleive you must also declare that business's Tangible Personal Property used in the rental property. If I am wrong, I apologize. If you are in violation of the law then YOU need to not admit it in a public forum like this. Please pay your taxes so I don't have to eventually have my taxes increased to make up for it.
gkpritchard writes:
I will gladly open my books to anybody at anytime. I do everything I can "by the book". Believe me, Fossil, I pay my taxes. Would you like the telephone number of my accountant? But taxes is not the issue here; the issue is nuisance short-term rentals and what to do about them. This heavy-handed ordinance is going kill people who are tax-paying short-term rental property owners who run top-notch rentals that this island should be proud of. People like me and my wife. What do you think, I do this professionally? This is how I can get my dream home. I read comments about how every owner who rents their property is some kind of dirt-bag, and these comments are incorrect and irresponsible, but they are succeeding in inflaming public opinion against all short-term rentals. This ordinance as it stands will fail, and as it goes down the drain it is going to take a lot of people with it. You need an ordinance that goes after nuisance rentals. What would you rather have, and ordinance that cleans up nuisance rentals, or an ordinance that drives up the number of home foreclosures? Think about it.
MrBreeze writes:
gkpritchard, sir you are just wrong. Your analogy of paying for your dream home is not good for the island and myself included. Under your analogy, if I needed to pay for my home than what would be the limit, use my house as a strip club, poker house, cycle house, hookah bar,drug rehab clinic, ect... In your mind and I am not saying you or your renters are bad people but I cannot agree with your way of paying for a house you cannot afford to own. My wife and I went with out alot to own our "SMALL" home that was "affordable" to keep empty. It is not our fault you bought big with big plans to fund it without any of your outlay, How about if I would say your tennents are using my island ammenties paying for your home while mine is empty and I am still paying full boat. It is not fair and you know it. If you believe its fair to the neighbors to see this going on you are wrong. For you to say my experiene was "unfortunate" shows your greed and lack of respect to your fellow island neighbor. Sorry to say, I would rather you be forclosed on then to have your mindset next to my home that was paid for by busting our butts. You should be ashamed of yourself. Sell your home and buy a timeshare you can rent out, but do not stock the neighborhoods with non-residents for your personall gains.
MrBreeze writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
gkpritchard writes:
Gee, MrBreeze, you certainly are a breath of fresh air! What an amazing dissertation; have you thought about setting it to music? The issue is nuisance short-term rentals, not personal attacks on gkpritchard. Try not to stray too far from the subject at hand. Oh, and one more thing; next time you want to submit a comment, think about using a spell-checker.
playballonK writes:
5 or 6 whiners hold the whole island hostage?
Only on Marco.
You think the economy stinks on the island now, wait till you get rid of one of the only businesses keeping it afloat.
I wonder if the hotels are behind the efforts of these troublemakers?
jaguar writes:
playballonk,re your comment regarding hotels being behind all this.When it all started I wrote in this column that I felt they had an iron in the fire somewhere along the line.Oh Mr Breeze these blogs are views not a reason to start world war 3,just calm down,take several deep breaths of air,oh by the way would you like the name of my accountant as well you can then see that I pay all my taxes and declare all,you see I am an honest and upright citizen not a back street dealer.And without the taxes I pay just maybe yours and others on the island might infact go up.
MsLadyDoe writes:
As someone who will be buying property on Marco Island in the next few months, I can certainly understand both sides of this situation. Since I will be a year round resident I would prefer not to live next door to a home that's constantly being rented. But this is Florida...it's expected...so many people have homes here that they rent in order to help pay for their dream home when they are ready to move or retire. Others rent it out just for the income and never plan on ever living in it. I have also rented a home and it was for 3 days because that's all the time I could take off and I was grateful for the opportunity. Maybe they ought to look at the renters with more scrutiny. Maybe a clamp down on the renters is what's required here. They could start by making it mandatory to do background checks and to have references. This could potentially scare off the party animals to the hotels. I feel that there are many owners that probably do this already and I don't feel owners should be penalized. I just don't feel that the island's economy would benefit by having rentals with a 30 day minimum stay. Who gets that much time off anyways? Just my two cents from a New Englander soon to be Floridian.
jaguar writes:
MsLD,what happens if the house next door to you is occupied by a noisy family,remember not all neighbours are quite,you might then have to put up with it 365days a year.And when you say constantly rented out, as I said earlier in 2008 which was a good year for my rentals,in total it amounted to 18weeks not 52.
marcoislandres writes:
I own two rental homes and have never had a problem and the reason for that is my lease, it states that if the police are called 2 times for a disturbance the lease will be terminated and they will be asked to leave the property and forfeit all rental money. I have lost a few rentals because of my lease but I'm sure these are people who wanted to party and would have caused problems for my neighbors.
If all the vacation rentals on the island used a strong lease like mine I think it would solve the noise problem with renters.
gkpritchard writes:
MsLadyDoe, jaguar's best year was 2008 with 18 weeks rented. My best year was 2008 with 21 weeks rented. In both cases, our homes were vacant for a minimum of 7 months, but we still have to maintain our properties those 7 months they're vacant. This means our homes are well maintained and there is no noise, no traffic, no people, no nothing for those seven months. This has to make jaguar and me the best neighbors anywhere for those seven months! Since we never have any problems with our guests, when you do see them they are loving life because they are vacationing on Marco Island while staying in a beautiful vacation property. Vacation rentals are not a problem when they are run properly. The issue the city has is how to handle the nuisance short-term rentals without kicking over the apple cart. Good luck with your new home.
SusanJane writes:
Weekly rentals do not belong in ANY residential community. If this were anyplace in the US other than Marco Island it wouldn't even be up for discussion...it would be illegal. Why shouldn't basic COMMON SENSE apply to Marco just because we happen to have an ocean in the backyard !!! Renting for only 17 weeks out of the year is hardly going to become a hardship if the people aren't allowed continue renting. These same people will undoubtedly be complaining in a few years when the quality of life of their "dream island" if diminished because it is a tourist town...a new Myrtle Beach South!!
happy6 writes:
i just called the cops on a home across the canal from me that is full of young people playing loud music and loud noise...it's 10:45 pm....so far the cops have not shown up...this is the problem...the noise can be stopped if the public servants will leave the 7-11 and address the situation...renter have to obey the law like everyone else...we just need the troops to enforce the laws.
gkpritchard writes:
SusanJane, if you were to go to a vacation website like HomeAway you would see that there are over 76,000 weekly rentals available in the good old USA, and that is only one website; saying "anyplace in the US...it would be illegal" to have a weekly rental doesn't really hold water, does it? Also, it is not up to you to determine what is a hardship for anyone else, just like it is not up to me to determine what is a hardship for you. The problem is nuisance short-term rentals. The city needs to come up with an ordinance to handle nuisance short-term rentals and they need to leave everyone else alone.
jaguar writes:
Shadow the property across the street,is it a rental or are mum & dad out of town for a few days and their children taking full advantage of the freedom? Susan Jane now you have me totally confused I honestly thought that Marco Island was a holiday destination, after all I see it advertised as that in all the brochures across the world.Never as a Waterside or venetian bay up market shopping centre or an Island with top notch restaurants I mean you can hardly call Porky,s or Snooks gourmet eating.You would,nt come for industry because there is none,so in my books the only reason is because its a Major holiday destination and always will be.However we all seem to be united in the fact that something is needed to sort this matter out.The only people who have anything to fear by an ordinance are the very people that are causing the problem in my opinion.
tiki writes:
My husband and I have saved for a future retirement home with our hard earned cash. we finally found a place we absolutely loved and set our sites on the future in what we thought was a lovely high end home on the south end. we went there on our vacation and were kept awake all night by a "renter" who kept us up all night and even tried our door when he wrrived from the airport at 2 am in the morning since he was so drunk. i am heart broken that our paradise is wrecked by selfish people who rent to anyone for the money and have no respect for others
MrBreeze writes:
gkpritchard, talk about attacks. People like you who are exposed by the truth usually run to insult for protection. I can see you are desperate. But the truth is you are not going to ruin my investment and quality of life with your "flophouse" rental. Be honest with everyone and disclose HOW MUCH INCOME was collected last year. I know you will never tell that. Oh, by the way I do not use spell check that is for stupid people who are trying to pass for smart. So go ahead and attack me sir, all I know it is you crying the blues of loss to forclosure my home is payed off free and clear........
MrBreeze writes:
Tiki, as gkpritchard and jaguar would put it. "It was unfotunate that you had that experience but our rentals never have that happen" so when the drunk would enter your home what next? These rentals are like pimps and johns. Its all about the money. I like the way they all refer to the "accountant" who by the way has to be paid through "flophouse" rental income also. gkpritchard wanted it set to music. How about Andrea Bocelli "Time to say goodbye".
westernny writes:
wow...my family has been renting privately owned homes on MI since 1993. Rented from the same owner for most of those years and now have rented from another for several years. We have spent a small fortune on MI at restaurants, stores, grocery stores, bars, etc. We are not in a position to purchase a home at this time although we'd love to. We treat each home as if it were our own. We purchase things for the homeowners and future guests to enjoy.
If you go with a minimum 30-day rental, we will not return. Can't do it. Not sure how many families can commit to 30 days. Too bad for all involved.
gkpritchard writes:
MrBreeze, it's a free country and you are most certainly entitled to post your opinion on this site. However, your opinions do not deserve a response from anyone. Therefore, there will be none coming from me. Farewell, MrBreeze.
gkpritchard writes:
Thank you, westernny, for your comments. Not only do all short-term rental owners getting unfairly tarred with the nuisance rental brush, but regular families who rent vacation homes on Marco Island are viewed as part of the "party animal" problem. It's simply not true. The city needs to distinguish fact from fiction, and focus on the problem of handling nuisance rentals.
gkpritchard writes:
Tiki, I don't need anyone to speak for me; you have experienced the problem that the city needs to address and find a remedy for. Do not be misled by the comments of others into believing I do not want to see this problem fixed; I do. I am going to be living on Marco Island, and I don't want to live next to this kind of problem. But the solution needs to be the correct one, not one where innocent parties get hurt. I hope you contacted the police; it appears they collecting a list of where these problem rentals are.
playballonK writes:
Its 12:18 in the afternoon and I just called the police.
The people renting the canal house across from us just got home with about $200 worth of groceries from Publix and they're laughing and making a ton of noise!
They keep yapping about which boat capt' they're going to hire to take them all out fishing tommorow morning, that should be fun hearing them up at the crack of dawn.
The other night they all came in from some Marco restaurant and were so loud, I can hardly take it anymore!
The only time I get any piece and quiet is when they're gone lookng at properties with their realtor.
Can someone PLEASE get rid of these unneccassary short-term rentals!
jaguar writes:
Oh please get a life playbk and Mr b.You two must sit on the fence just waiting for something to happen no matter what it is.I bet you even phone the police when the helicopter flies across killing the bugs.So much hatred from in your blogs .You should seek professional advice.So now its only renters that get drunk and only renters that make noise oh and now they are burgulars as well,come on.
SusanJane writes:
Hmmm...two of the above posts called the police within 24 hours. Seems like it might be more than 4 or 5 properties that are contributing to the problem. What happened with the police? Did they come? Did the noise stop? That should help some people decide whether or not the system is working!
capt1black writes:
Some people may want to look up sarcasm in the dictionary.
gkpritchard writes:
SusanJane, don't assume anything. Call the Marco Island police and find out for yourself what is going on. Get the facts. Peak rental season is over on Marco; the nice people have gone home and the not-so-nice people are the only ones you hear about. After all, they are the issue here, aren't they?
MrBreeze writes:
Post #40 gkpritchard. "the nice people have gone home and the not-so-nice people are the only ones you hear about. Give me a break what a line of crap. As said by me,he would not post HOW MUCH INCOME he has made at the "flophouse rental" just shows he has no truth to him. Rembember he is just doing this until he can live there than his opinion of it will change. I would like to buy the house next door and have a full time "flophouse rental" and see how he likes to live there. People like this are the spirial down of this society, the convince themselves that this is ok just until they can achieve their goals. As far as the police go WAKE UP, if the "flophouse" was not allowed in the neighborhood the police would not have to be called therefore not burdening the system further.The "flophouse" rentals just have to go. As the lynard Skynard song goes, "ooh that smell" applies here.
MrBreeze writes:
post #33 Yes, I have every right to my opinions. I have every right to speak out to protect the island I enjoy so much. But I will tell you this, when it comes to peace and quiet and quality of life on the Island this is a big topic. Mr.Breeze is all about the "little guy" not the "fat cat" sitting in his office checking on his portfolio which includes"flophouse" rentals. I have been a landlord for 28 years and you can not judge what people are going to do for a week or so when on vacation. It is not fair to the neighborhood or the Island way of life. I hope others will stand up for this also.
MrBreeze writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
capt1black writes:
A little defensive aren't we Breeze. My comment had nothing to do with you or your posts. I was referring to those that made posts about post 36 which is obviously a sarcastic post and not truth. Your personal attack using "low life" is not necessary. You are on Marco now, learn to relax.
pageport writes:
We bought our house on Marco ten years ago. We rented for three months while we looked for a home to buy. Prior to buying our house, we made sure both our neighbors were non renters. After seven years, one house sold and went on a yearly rental, after it was not able to be resold. Our new neighbors couldn't be better! Three doors down the street there's a home that rents monthly, once again no issues what so ever. In contrast a home on our water way that is a weekly rental is a constant source of problems. Since we don't live next door, parking and loud late night parties are not the issue, what has been is the blatant disregard for our no wake law. Since our children and our neighbors kids like to fish in there canoes, having a boat doing 30 knots on plane was an accident waiting to happen. I have had to personally knock on some doors to slow these people down, only to repeat it again on the next set of renters. Fourtunatly quit a number of my neighbors are aware of this house and we work together to keep the waterway safe. It has been my experience that people who rent for a longer period of time are more considerate of there neighbors. I think it's interesting the number of condos that require a minimum of a thirty day rental. Marco is unique with great schools and a community of residents, not to be found on tourist only Barrier Islands. In my humble opinion thirty day and longer rentals will only encourage a more stable and law abiding community. Lets allow the hotels and those condos with management on site, who are better able to deal with short term rentals, have that business. Our home is generally empty for three to four months a year. It has been our decision not to rent. I'm just posting my experience and if enough Marco residents do the same both pro and con I'm sure consensus will come out of it.
jaguar writes:
I was going to respond to Mr Breezes comments whom I feel has a venomous tongue with a response to match his blogs but after composing myself I then thought why should I lower myself to this sub humans level.It is obvious the man is incapable of normal thoughts and typical of the minority Of people on Marco who are trying to make this a major issue infact their number 1 priority in life, how sad you are.There is an old saying LIVE AND LET LIVE.I think enough has been said now on this subject and it is begining to get out of hand.We have all had our say lets leave it now to the powers to be and pray to god that a sensible compromise is achieved.Enough is enough.
SusanJane writes:
Mr. Pritchard..there are plenty of not so nice renters on Marco in Dec - April!! It seems more and more people are having issues with renters. I hope all the stories come out before a final decision is made.
westernny writes:
I am interested in knowing how many of you or your families were renters on Marco Island before you became residents?
playballonK writes:
Captblack; they're a clueless bunch aren't they?
Marconian writes:
people have had the nerve to insult my intelligence here in the past so,I had to weigh in to enlighten the over their head blog known as post 36.It was sarcasm to the point of he didn't really call the police because someone was enjoying their stay on this island.Not to mention spending money in our communities local stores and aiding in the income of a Captains business...Those of you willing to extinguish tourism should have thought twice before moving to a vacation destination. when I moved here 4 yrs ago I didn't see a rocking chair on the welcome to Paradise sign.