Anti-STR Registration Group Meets in Closed Session

A less than positive chapter in the Short Term Rental Registration (STR) may well have begun to be written with a closed meeting held on Monday, March 27th, that allowed only a select group of people to attend, eliminating an open and transparent appearance regarding the intent of the group.

The problem wasn’t that they sought to have a private meeting amongst themselves but that it also involved city staff and officials; Fire Chief Chris Byrne, Police Chief Tracy Frazzano, City Vacation Rental Supervisor Jim Kornas and Assistant City Manager Casey Lucius. Sitting City Councilor Becky Irwin was invited and in attendance. Yet another sitting Councilor, Joe Rola, who was aware of the meeting and wished to attend, was barred. Coastal Breeze News was also turned away at the door.

Prior to the ordinance being passed, numerous public hearings were held where suggestions for amendments to the proposed verbiage and requirements could be offered before the referendum was put on the ballot and voted on.

The opposition was steadfast during those two council hearings, instead taking the issue to the ballot box by spending $115,727 to defeat the proposal. Untold other dollars were pumped into that effort by statewide groups joining the opposition to the citizen-sponsored referendum.

Those on both sides of the issue felt the negative advertising used to potentially defeat the issue may well have assisted those who supported the referendum. Support for the STR registration ordinance, which passed with a majority of 4,204 in favor and 3,264 opposed, was overwhelmingly successful despite only spending a fraction of the money spent by those in opposition. The financial reports show those in favor of STR spent $6,295.35 out of $6,960 donations. The remaining $664.65 was donated to Our Daily Bread Food Pantry.

After the vote, the ordinance had two readings before the city council and public hearings before its final adoption at the December 5, 2022, council meeting.

At a recent city council meeting on February 13, Kornas gave a detailed review of the progress the city had made since council finalized the last hearing in December. He reported the city was ahead of schedule and would be going live with the portal sooner than anticipated, and hiring of staff such as fire inspectors was proceeding.

It is unclear where those who still stand steadfast against the ordinance will proceed from here.

Sources who attended and wished not to be identified stated that the meeting was contentious and not what they expected it to be, which was to provide information on how to navigate the Short-Term Rental Registration process.

As of this article’s writing, Florida RealtorsⓇ filed a lawsuit against the City of Marco on March 28, 2023 as part of ongoing litigation against short term rental ordinances throughout the state. Look for more information from Coastal Breeze News on this developing story.