Citrus County commissioners keep short‑term rental ordinance on agenda, ask staff for more work

The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners held an advertised public hearing Aug. 11 to consider a proposed ordinance regulating short‑term vacation rentals (Chapter 79). Dozens of residents, property managers and real estate professionals testified for and against aspects of the draft.

Property manager Vicki Tashton told the board she supports regulation but urged adding noise ordinance decibel standards and limiting occupancy. "You had nothing about noise ordinance and decibels. You had nothing about the timeframe that is quiet time," she said. Local real‑estate broker Rob Tessmer Jr. opposed broad registry and enforcement costs and warned about legal risks other Florida counties have faced when ordinances overreach; "Adding a costly annual registry layer won't stop a late night disturbance — enforcing the existing laws will," he told the board.

County staff briefed commissioners on software used to identify listings and on counts of current rentals: the software showed 629 active rentals and about 1,800 listings across platforms. County administrators noted the ordinance also aims to improve local tax collection from short‑term rental activity.

Commissioners broadly agreed the draft ordinance requires refinement. Areas flagged for revision included a very low 150 square‑foot per occupant metric (several commissioners described that number as “obscenely low”), clearer maximum‑occupancy rules tied to bedroom counts or plumbing capacity, variance/grandfathering for pre‑existing homes, explicit noise/decibel standards and sensible rules for boat trailers and parking. Commissioners asked staff to study approaches other counties use and to return with options and legal review to reduce risk of successful challenges. The board did not vote on final language; the ordinance will be revised and returned for further consideration.