Cocoa Beach staff to draft 30-day grace period for expanded short-term rental registration

Cocoa Beach officials directed staff to draft a resolution that would give short-term rental owners a limited voluntary compliance period as the city moves to expand vacation-rental registration and fees.

The action follows a lengthy discussion at a City Commission meeting about how to bring unregistered short-term rentals into compliance and how to avoid overwhelming staff. Development services director Dave Dickey said the city will send a mass mailing to known short-term rental operators identified through the Rentalscape monitoring service and described a planned “grace period” to encourage voluntary compliance.

The issue matters because commissioners and staff said many rental units in Cocoa Beach operate without the city’s vacation-rental registration. Dickey told the commission the Rentalscape list includes “approximately, between 8 and 900” listings active today and that a larger cumulative list of past and present listings approaches 1,500–1,600. He said the city will use that list to do a mail merge and notify owners directly.

City attorney Becky Vos clarified how existing requirements apply now: condo units are required to obtain a business tax receipt where applicable, but, she said, “there is no registration yet” for some condominium units under the vacation-rental registration the commission is considering. Vos also noted that the expanded registration under discussion would take effect only after the ordinance completes the city’s second-reading process.

Commissioners discussed a specific compliance window and staff capacity. The commission signaled a consensus for a 30-day voluntary compliance window and asked staff to prepare a resolution reflecting that timeline. Dickey told the commission that 30 days is manageable for staff: “30 days would be sufficient,” he said. The resolution would not change the ordinance language; it would be a staff-set timetable and fee approach for voluntary compliance if the commission adopts expansion.

Officials discussed enforcement and outreach details. Dickey said the city will follow the mailing with targeted code-enforcement work and noted the commission recently approved adding a code-enforcement officer to help identify unregistered operators. He also said the mass mailing will be aimed at those advertising as short-term rentals and that some operators go on and off the market, which complicates counts.

Commissioners and members of the public suggested payment options and lower fees for voluntary compliance. At the meeting some commissioners proposed a lower, one-time compliance fee for owners who come forward during the grace period; specific fee amounts were discussed but not finalized and will be set in the forthcoming resolution. Finance and development staff said online application and date-of-application processing would help manage any short-term surge in filings.

Staff said they will send the mailer, prepare the proposed resolution for the commission to review Thursday, and set up online application processes so owners outside the area can apply without appearing in person. The commission also asked staff to include clear instructions and the city’s nonemergency contact information in outreach materials so residents can report suspected unregistered rentals.

Questions and public comment at the meeting focused on whether condominium owners and associations would be surprised by new registration requirements and urged the city to provide direct notice to condo associations and established rental operators. Several public speakers warned that including condos without advance notice could prompt strong opposition.

The city attorney and staff said they will prepare language and a resolution for the commission’s next meeting and circulate relevant details in advance of that meeting so owners and residents can review the proposed compliance window and fee structure.

Ending

If the commission adopts the proposed resolution and the second-reading ordinance follows, the city will implement the new registration requirements with the planned voluntary compliance window and an outreach mailer to known listings; final fee amounts and exact dates will be set in the forthcoming resolution and publicized in advance.