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Magistrate reduces short‑term rental penalties after Jacobson testimony; $500 fine per rental assessed
Summary
A St. Pete Beach magistrate found seven short‑term rentals at a property and assessed $500 per rental (reduced from the usual $1,000), plus administrative and recording costs, citing hurricane damage relief as a mitigating factor.
A special magistrate for the City of Saint Pete Beach found a property in violation of the city's land‑use code after evidence showed multiple short‑term rentals and assessed civil penalties reduced for hurricane‑related hardship.
The magistrate found seven short‑term rentals at the Jacobson property and described the violation as “irreparable, irreversible.” The magistrate said she would assess $500 for each of the seven rentals and impose the $330 administrative fee and any applicable recording fees. “I am going to assess a fine of $500 per each of the rentals, and that is an equitable remedy specifically due to the sustaining of damage due to the hurricanes,” the magistrate said.
City counsel presented Airbnb listings, reviews and an affidavit of posting as evidence. Steve Rivera, appearing on behalf of the city, summarized the inspection and said the property was in violation of section 20.03 of the City of Saint Pete Beach Land Development Code and recommended $1,000 per review for 10 reviews, totaling $10,000 plus administrative costs.
Richard J. Jacobson, the property owner, testified that he bought the house about three years earlier and had rented it to help cover large mortgage and repair costs after hurricanes. Jacobson said some reviews were posted by family members to help market the property and that payments may not have exchanged hands for all stays; he told the hearing, “We just assumed that it was fine.”
The magistrate credited parts of Jacobson's testimony, including the possibility that some stays did not involve payment, and cited the recent hurricane damage as a mitigating circumstance in reducing the per‑rental penalty. The magistrate also instructed staff to prepare a written order reflecting the ruling.
City staff and the magistrate discussed recording fees for liens if fines are unpaid; staff estimated recording costs “between $18 and $22” per recording. The magistrate said she would include the administrative charge and any recording fee in the final order.
The magistrate ordered the fines and said an order would be mailed to the respondent; the record shows the city will pursue collection or lien recording if fines are not paid within the statutory time frames.
