Residents press Largo commission for tougher enforcement on short-term rentals

Dozens of residents told the Largo City Commission on April 7 that short-term rental activity is changing neighborhood character and creating safety and nuisance problems, and urged the city to take stronger enforcement action.

Speakers at the meeting's public-comment period described clusters of Airbnb-style rentals in single-family neighborhoods that they say produce excessive parking, traffic and parties. Richard Rodriguez, who said he has lived in Carlton Estate since 1995, said his neighborhood now hosts multiple corporate-owned short-term rentals that advertise high occupancies. "They're running businesses," Rodriguez said, arguing the properties "are incompatible with our quiet, child-dense neighborhood." Craig Murtha and others offered mixed views, with Murtha saying his experience with two local rentals had been positive and noting the economic benefit of bed-tax revenue.

Several speakers listed code violations and enforcement gaps. Linea cited five citations at a single property and alleged unlicensed operations, excessive occupancy, parking violations and failure to post a required 24-hour contact number. Mary Kalos urged a "self-funding enforcement model" including a modest short-term-rental fee to pay dedicated compliance officers and suggested earmarking tourist tax revenue if needed. Kalos referenced Florida Statute 509.0327(b) when noting state limits on banning rentals outright but said the city retains home-rule power to regulate zoning and public-safety matters.

Mayor (presiding officer) and other commissioners acknowledged the complaints and said staff and the commission are working on options within the constraints of state law. The mayor said the commission will hold a work session in May to explore policy and enforcement responses and asked staff to provide contact information and follow up with citizens who submitted email addresses.

What the city did and did not decide

The commission did not adopt new regulations at the meeting. Commissioners said they are constrained by a 2011 state law limiting certain local restrictions on short-term rentals, but they agreed to study enforcement tools, possible local occupancy caps and resource options. The mayor said the commission would look at measures such as a possible cap similar to a neighboring county's policy and at revenue or fee models to fund compliance work.

Why it matters

Residents said the changes affect neighborhood safety, parking and the availability of family housing. Commissioners acknowledged the issue's urgency for neighborhoods such as Carlton Estate and Farlton Estates, and scheduled a May work session to develop staff recommendations and options for enforcement, funding and potential ordinance changes.

Next steps

The commission requested staff to contact citizens who provided emails with a staff point of contact and to return options at the planned May work session. No formal action was taken at the April 7 meeting.