Committee advances S1162 after hours of divided testimony over short-term rental rules

The Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 1162 to the fourteenth order for possible amendment after more than an hour of testimony that sharply divided resort-city officials and local law-enforcement and industry witnesses.

Senator Brian Lenny (R-District 13) introduced S1162 as a property-rights measure aimed at clarifying a 2017 law that classifies short-term rentals as residential land use and forbids local ordinances that would effectively ban them. "We've seen cities basically imposing things like mandatory home remodeling, new egress installs, sprinkler systems, excessive licensing fees," Lenny said. He framed the bill as responding to what backers described as unclear local regulations and costly litigation.

Representative Jordan Redmond (R-District 3) presented the bill and described its main provisions: a three-strikes enforcement rule for problem rentals, an allowance (but not a mandate) for local licensing and licensing fees, preservation of tourism-related taxes, and a requirement that owners disclose whether certain safety items—working smoke alarms in every rented room, a working fire extinguisher on every floor, minimum egress window sizes for below-grade rooms, and a first-aid kit—are present before renting. "It clarifies that all STR properties are subject to all other city and county…