Cape rental regulations topic of COW meeting
Many residents in Cape Coral aren’t thrilled about having vacation rentals in their neighborhood, but a new ordinance being considered might change that.
Today, the Cape Coral City Council will hold a Committee of the Whole meeting starting at (note the time) 5:30 p.m. to consider an ordinance that would affect not only vacation rentals, but all rentals in the city.
Florida statutes prevent local government from prohibiting vacation rentals or from regulating the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals. The prohibition does not apply to any local law, ordinance or regulation adopted on or before June 1, 2011. Otherwise, the city may adopt other reasonable regulations for vacation rentals.
So, to stay within current laws, the city will propose a city-wide rental registration ordinance for all rentals.
According to a presentation by city staff, the intent is to establish a registration process to address the amount of residential rental property within the city and to establish a mechanism to protect neighborhoods from becoming blighted due to neglect or inadequate maintenance of residential rental properties.
Neighbors have complained over the years about vacation rentals regarding illegal activity, operating a business there, noise from loud music and parties, trash and parking issues.
The Cape Coral Police Dept. has responded to nuisance calls, but it’s been difficult to identify and locate. The city Code Department has investigated 44 cases since the start of the year.
A new practice will have the code division take all confirmed violations to the magistrate and if found guilty, future violations will be deemed a repeat violation and may be fined immediately. This practice is intended to deter any future violations.
All rental properties are to be registered for a one-time fee of $62 either at City Hall or online. The owner will notify the city of any contact information changes, and any ownership change will require a new registration by the owner. No inspection is required, and penalties will follow code enforcement provisions and procedures.
In other business, the council will also get an update on the North 2 Utilities Expansion Project and on the design of North 1 and future areas.
They are coming on the home stretch in North 2 for the $269 million project, while the design phase is just getting started on a project expected to cost $200 million over 79 miles of roadway.
Design is expected continue through next year, with construction to be completed by 2024.
The timelines for the rest of North Cape is to be determined.
The assessment for North 2 on residents was $12,632, which is about average to similar city projects. North 1 is to be determined.
The council will also get a presentation on the Southwest Florida Regional Resiliency Compact, an agreement between Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties on ways for the areas to be more resilient in the wake of natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Cape Coral City Hall is at 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com