St. Pete Short-Term Rental Violators Could See $10,000 ‘Super Fines’

For years there have been calls to find some sort of solution for the St. Pete Short-term rental problems plaguing the area. We’ve got people swooping in from across the country, buying property in bulk, and leaving locals to deal with the aftermath. But now, city officials are looking to impose ‘super fines’ on St. Pete Short-term rental violators of up to $10,000.

With the skyrocketing growth of the Tampa Bay area over the last few years, many residents believe there hasn’t been much done to combat the issue of short-term rentals. The current St. Pete ordinance on STRs allows homeowners to rent out homes for less than 30 days only three times per year.

This city ordinance has been around since 2001. But there’s always been ways to find a way around receiving a fine.

There are a few tactics St. Pete Short-Term Rental owners are using to dodge the city ordinance. They are getting creative with it.

Many of them have resorted to concealing their listing by not including photos of the outside of the house in the listing. Owners have also asked that customers refrain from leaving reviews because it would show that they are renting the property out more often than the city ordinance allows. 

Joe Waugh, the code compliance assistance director said, “At the click of a button, their listing goes from a five-day minimum to a 30-day minimum. We’ve actually had individuals at our hearings who have sat in the audience and changed their listing right then and there.”

Recently, city council members have been looking for more effective ways to enforce the city ordinance. They’re looking at imposing these hefty “super fines” to weed out the ones dodging the system.

Currently, anyone who violates the city ordinance only faces fines of around $200 per day. But, for many St. Pete Short-Term Rental owners, this is just seen as a cost of doing business and equals less than a one-night stay in the rental property.

According to the State Statute, local governments are allowed to impose these new 'super fines' between $1,000 per day or $10,000 for every violation hearing.

Now that the committee has approved the code compliance changes, it faces a vote with the full city council.

[Source: St.Pete Catalyst & Fox News]

Overall, St Pete is a great place to live or visit. Depending on who you ask, they might say it's even better than across the bridge in Tampa. Even though St. Pete has tons of nightlife, attractions, great restaurants, and breweries, some think it's missing some key elements. We dove down a Reddit thread and found 5 things residents say that are missing from St. Pete.

The Sunshine City was recently named a trending travel destination by Trip Advisor. It ranked #2 in spots to travel for 2024. St. Pete is known to average over 300 days of sunshine, so there's always an opportunity to explore, except it's missing a vital element to allow residents and tourists to move around easily. Public transport is a big issue and wants in the Tampa Bay area. The only options you have in St. Pete are the PSTA busses and Sun Runner.

Like we said, there's lots to love about St. Pete. One of the best things about the city is its easy beach access. Instead of dealing with crowded beaches and tourist nonsense, you can opt for a more local-friendly spot like Pass-a-Grille or Indian Rocks Beach. It's the same gorgeous views, but less hassle. Another thing St. Pete has to offer is an amazing arts scene. Between the Dali Museum, The Fairgrounds, and the endless galleries on Central Ave, there is a lot to immerse yourself in. A lot of people also say that the nightlife scene is better in St. Pete compared to Tampa. In St. Pete, you have more walkable options and a big downtown stretch to bar hop, and most places are open pretty late. Tampa has a bunch of clubs in Ybor and Soho. But if you're looking for a more laid-back vibe, St. Pete is the move.

Much like all the cities surrounding Tampa Bay, the lack of affordable housing is one of the biggest complaints from St. Pete residents. Every month it seems we read about a new luxury condo complex being built. We would like to see more affordable options, especially for those who have lived here their whole lives.

Like we said earlier, we have the PSTA and Sun Runner, but some type of light rail in Downtown St. Pete would be fantastic. Residents seem to agree overall that the city could use more bike lanes with medians, car free walkable spaces and more parks/ greenery in general.

Tampa has Armature Works, so why doesn't St. Pete have a similar concept of a food hall/multipurpose space. Unlike the pier, preferably something indoors would be nice!

We saw someone suggest this on the Reddit thread and loved the idea. There is a dueling piano bar in downtown clearwater, but that's quite the hike when you're spending the evening in St. Pete. With the late night hours in St. Pete, we think a spot like this would do really well.

This totally fits the vibe of St. Pete. We're surprised there's no public outdoor skating rink of any kind. A partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning would get people out there too! If this ever happens, they better make sure it's shaded!

Last but not least on our list is Costco. The closest Costco to the St. Pete area is off Gulf To Bay Blvd in Clearwater. We need one off 4th street or 34th street!