[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6658567,"mediaKeyId","3868966-eadcc23288a7894522d1056be53ac184","parentId",3868966,"title","Bay County trims short-term rental managing-agent fee to $35 after public complaints about inspection delays","audioSeconds",1856,"startMs",974000,"endMs",2830000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3868966-eadcc23288a7894522d1056be53ac184&start=974&end=2830","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3868966-eadcc23288a7894522d1056be53ac184/thumbnail_974000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6658567/Bay-County/Florida/Bay-County-trims-short-term-rental-managing-agent-fee-to-35-after-public-complaints-about-inspection-delays","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6658567-6f77d64061c917ab72434b16ee9d1a03/orig.mp4?Expires=1770515417&Signature=Mn3g2VX~zKVNgo3cCI60RcjW1cb4Aq9I68OuPxKVJifxegavf12fHvpOTJq3CpLOKxAo76nQC9LG3b2DtcBdJknGZHZPgbhs1WdPduwGHsU3mJ5~iJXS2hFqEMkxTp9XcQQpQGpM-EDzugYwaRt2ujlSGcdVJCu5HLeir5~D4aHhrOcBmDqpZdOlzBlEP4BJSGKzymLWAYbJWikP0gjs3h4ypbISUb9I~bEqjZOnOmTqHMWyqN-hPfcSVa2u9BNbNX4Munt4wgkqsJb~QHy4AsqmGChFvA9t5GvOkv85ZB2vtJa27jDfkq5MSMxNPKCDk9oWdCLL6deXGnOkU7HgvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Bay County","date","2025-06-17T00:00:00Z","article","Bay County commissioners on Monday approved an amendment to the county’s FY2025 fees and fines schedule that lowers a proposed registration modification fee for short-term rental managing agents from $100 to $35 while leaving the rest of the schedule unchanged.

The action followed public comment from short-term rental owners who said they tried to comply but received no follow-up from county staff. Patrice Couch of Lynn Haven told the commission she submitted a complete application in January 2024 but “no one followed up either to my email or followed up to schedule an inspection.” She asked the commission to consider tabling the fee item or reducing what she called an administrative charge for owners who manage properties themselves.

County staff explained the larger package of changes before commissioners, saying the amendments include new beach-bonfire permits, penalties for short-term rental noncompliance and clarifications to resident parking guidelines. Staff asked for more time on the $100 modification fee but sought approval of the remaining fees at the meeting.

Fire and emergency-services staff defended fines as targeted at repeat “bad actors” who are preventing required life-safety inspections. “When there’s been an honest, good faith attempt to try to come in compliance, we’re not talking about, these fees applying to those individuals,” Emergency Services staff said. The department described cases in which properties were kept rented continuously so inspectors could not access units.

The county also described administrative and technology costs behind the fee proposal: a new permit tracking system, program staffing and reprinting of materials. Staff said the program has collected roughly $70,000 to date while costing the county “over half a million dollars” to operate, creating a substantial funding gap.

Commissioners discussed alternatives including a sliding scale by unit size or bedroom count and the possibility of lowering the fee for owners who promptly register and schedule inspections. Commissioner remarks favored passing the package while reducing the modification fee to avoid unduly penalizing owners who make simple administrative changes.

A motion that the board accept the fee schedule amendments with the single change lowering the registration modification managing-agent fee to $35 passed on a roll call vote: Commissioners Peace, Carroll, Crosby, Raffield and Chairman Moore recorded “yes.”

The board and staff also discussed implementation details: the county’s new Community Connect portal will be the channel for permits and notifications; applicants must pay before scheduling an inspection; and staff recently reorganized personnel to address previously missed applications. The county said anyone who made a good-faith compliance attempt and whose application was not processed would not be penalized.

Public-safety and operational questions were raised about inspections that cannot be completed while a unit is occupied and about how the county would verify changes in an emergency-contact or managing-agent name. Staff said the $35 change is intended to cover the county’s global administrative costs rather than the marginal time to record a single name change.

Votes and next steps: The fee-schedule amendment was approved with the $35 modification fee; staff said they will continue refining program procedures, pursue outreach (including public service announcements), and monitor revenue and compliance to adjust fees later if needed.

Minutes of the meeting show commissioners also asked staff to consider notifying property owners at sale or through local offices (property appraiser/tax collector) and to expand public outreach so new owners understand registration and bed-tax obligations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Bay County - Board of County Commissioners - Jun 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Bay County commissioners on Monday approved an amendment to the FY2025 fees and fines schedule that reduces a proposed $100 registration modification fee for short-term rental managing agents to $35 after residents reported missed inspections and payment-portal problems.","taxTitle","Bay County, Florida","taxId",4833,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6658561,"Bay County commissioners approve consent agenda, multiple zoning changes and contract awards",2313,627000,2940000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3868966-eadcc23288a7894522d1056be53ac184&start=627&end=2940","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3868966-eadcc23288a7894522d1056be53ac184/thumbnail_627000.jpg","/articles/6658561/Bay-County/Florida/Bay-County-commissioners-approve-consent-agenda-multiple-zoning-changes-and-contract-awards","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6658561-0a57351eaab83c16a1de4abcba2ff982/orig.mp4?Expires=1770515417&Signature=TUs3IFljTi0Nk5sLpA-DJAEB6HuhTRTXS~g4zg~DwWGsZR7ZSJiycVvmpmrd~1eYDxmQ1KwJk7S5gMIh1a0VrXDVtgNqZmNhjCb8II3Hx6~8zfzFZRjaLkGIlSgXkIGvzOXbTX5J4QbrhamFnnMSTSSGmq~vaSfw8R4iFBVgscikNVcxq3CTZM5NqO8VvN40pW66bIJzstrioxrR0gJyNx4AzTpD-cRkNne-10HJtdzoqebaulO3IHC9WOVMGVyaqhUcyteGKFJctipDPgfvtnWT8AwpOu8v5kIxvLM~Re6fftGqPR6U~MjPg2DhNlFMOBANBGlmzGxDTXI-F7lqHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bay County commissioners on June 17 approved a broad consent agenda, multiple small-scale land-use and zoning changes, and several contract actions summarized below.

Why it matters: The meeting cleared a package of routine and project-specific items that affect county contracts, infrastructure projects and the county’s land-use map. Several planning approvals convert existing or historically commercial uses into conforming county zoning or extend commercial designations into adjacent parcels.

Key approvals and votes (at-a-glance):

- Consent agenda: Board acknowledged financial reports, approved inventory deletions, and approved numerous contracts and budget actions including:
- Sheriff expenditures from the special law enforcement trust fund (item 2).
- A FY2025 budget amendment and related resolutions (item 3).
- Bus procurement modification to change planned acquisitions from one 30-foot to four transit buses under 30 feet (item 4).
- Release of deed restrictions on the Girls Incorporated parcel at 1100 Fountain Avenue (item 5).
- Ratification of FEMA project worksheet PW1605 and an FDEM letter on FEMA project 83,475 (item 6).
- Lease agreement with Stryker for EMS equipment (item 7).
- Justice Assistance Grant countywide FY24 administration letter (item 8).
- First amendment to janitorial services contract 25-11 with J and H Janitorial Company LLC (item 9).
- Contract award for insurance and employee benefits consultant services to Gallagher Benefit Services (item 11 in human resources portion).
- Award of contract 25-29 for rate and evaluation consulting to Raftelus Financial Consultants Inc. (utility services item 19).
- Military Point Advanced Water Treatment Facility, Senate Bill 64, Phase 2: award to Dewberry Engineers, Inc. for recharge well design and facility upgrades in the amount of $1,395,590 (item 20).

The board voted to approve the consent agenda by roll call.

- Planning and zoning approvals (quasi-judicial items):
- 15315 Memorial Circle: small-scale FLUM amendment and zoning change to Public Institutional (PI) for approximately 1.2 acres in West Bay (planning staff recommended approval; planning commission found proposal consistent). Applicant Roger Kranz, pastor at West Bay Baptist, said the parcel would be used for a cemetery and potentially a Sunday school building; the planning commission and board approved the amendment on roll call.
- 3320 Bradenton Avenue (Lynn Haven area): approximately 6.6 acres redesignated General Commercial and rezoned to C3A to reflect an existing commercial use; owner Jeff Gregory testified the property has operated as an office and laydown yard for more than 20 years; board approved on roll call.
- 18725 Highway 231 (Fountain area): approximately 9 acres from Agriculture (AG1) to General Commercial (C3); staff said the eastern portion already carried commercial designations and the change would extend that use west; board approved on roll call.
- 8910 Front Beach Road: 0.7 acres rezoned from Public Institutional to C3 General Commercial (parcel already carried a general commercial land-use designation); staff recommended approval and the board approved on roll call.
- Joan Avenue corridor (2016, 2018 and 2110 Joan Avenue): approximately 2.8 acres from Residential to Neighborhood Commercial (C1) to align with adjacent C1 designations; staff recommended approval and the board approved, with at least one commissioner noting concerns about potential gas-station uses and discussing the option of placing use restrictions at the time of approval.

- Code and ordinance revisions:
- County Attorney presented revisions to Chapter 5 of the Bay County Code of Ordinances to clarify beach bonfire permit requirements and to give the fire department code-enforcement authority to issue citations for ordinance violations. The change removes a previous strict requirement for written permission from the property owner in all cases, reflecting practical limitations for vacation rental guests who cannot readily contact an owner. The board held a public hearing and the ordinance was approved (roll call recorded affirmative votes in the transcript).
- Revisions to Chapter 7 (code enforcement) were presented as technical cleanups tied to earlier structural changes in the county’s enforcement process; staff described those as non-policy, technical amendments and the board approved them on roll call.

What applicants and staff said: Planning staff said the requested land-use and zoning amendments met relevant Land Development Regulation (LDR) tables and bulk standards and that the planning commission had recommended approval for each item. Applicants and owners who spoke described historical uses (Bradenton Avenue property) and community needs (a new cemetery to serve West Bay residents).

What was not changed: The board generally declined to delay or table the consent and planning items; where concerns were raised (for example, potential future uses on Joan Avenue), commissioners discussed conditional use restrictions as an available tool.

Next steps and implementation: Approved contracts and zoning changes will proceed to the administrative and permitting steps required by county code; planning approvals will be followed by development orders and any required site plans and buffer installations. The Military Point design contract authorizes Dewberry Engineers to proceed with design work under the terms authorized by the board.

Votes: Each item passed on motions and subsequent roll calls recorded on the June 17 meeting record; where roll-call transcript lines are explicit, those votes are reported in article provenance and actions below.","Bay County commissioners on June 17 approved a package of consent-agenda contracts, multiple small-scale land-use and zoning changes and ordinance revisions affecting county infrastructure and development rules.","actionData","errors"]

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Bay County trims short-term rental managing-agent fee to $35 after public complaints about inspection delays

Bay County commissioners approve consent agenda, multiple zoning changes and contract awards