VCC Could Vote On STR Ordinance At May 18 Meeting

DeLand, FL – The debate on whether or not to allow Short Term Rentals (STR) in Volusia County is on again, now that the Florida legislature failed to pass a measure that would preempt local authority on the issue. During today’s (May 4) regularly scheduled meeting, a number of residents of Bethune Beach and Silver Beach were on hand to express their opinion on why the ban against STR’s should stay in place. One matter discussed was the creation of an ad hoc Short Term Rental Advisory Committee. At-Large Councilmember Ben Johnson said that since the state didn’t pass any legislation about STR’s, there’s no need for a committee. "We were banking on what the state did when we talked about this committee. At the time, we had some thoughts that there might be some wiggle room that a committee might help us work our way through it." Since the committee has already been created, VCC asked staff to come back with an ordinance to remove it and a recommendation on how to move forward with the STR ordinance at the next meeting. Assistant County Attorney Heather Wallace clarified the issue. "If the direction of Council is to change the ordinance with regard to Short Term Rentals, that will need to go through the regular process. If the direction is to keep the ordinance that you currently have then that would not require additional process."