2.7 million use Airbnb in Florida
Florida Airbnb announced its rental homes brought in 2.7 million guests in 2017 and generated $450 million for their hosts.
“There are now nearly 40,000 Floridians who share their homes or vacation rentals through Airbnb, with each host typically earning about $6,700 annually,” the company said Thursday in a news release.
Among Florida’s counties, Orange ranked No. 4 in having the most guests using Airbnb rentals, the company said.
About 229,500 people stayed in Orange County rental properties, which generated $25 million for the hosts.
Osceola County was No. 2, behind Miami-Dade, with 358,400 visitors that raised $39.6 million for the hosts. Miami-Dade had 667,200 visitors who brought in $134.6 million of income for hosts.
“Vacation rentals provide a tremendous impact for the local tourism industry and Florida’s overall economy,” said state Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, in a news release.
In Osceola County, Airbnb and a Miami developer are creating what they call a unique apartment complex where tenants can rent out their places for up to half of any year. The apartments, which will cost between $1,300 and $2,000 in monthly rent, are expected to open in early 2018, officials said in October.
Some communities have been grappling how to regulate the popular Airbnb.
In December, the city of Orlando approved a change that lets homeowners rent out space for short-term stays, but only if the owner is living on the property at the time, which the city calls a “hosted rental.”
Property owners who rent their homes for short stays but don’t live on-site would remain in violation of city code.
There has been pushback from those in the hotel industry who voiced concerns about short-term rentals becoming party houses and neighbors unable to take much action.
“While Florida had long welcomed vacation rentals into the mix of accommodations options for tourists, there exists a divergent, growing problem of bad actors exploiting online platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway to operate what amount to illegal hotels across the state,” said Carol Dover, president of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said in a statement to the Sentinel in October.
Steube, in Thursday’s release, argued, “We must protect private property rights so that Florida homeowners can continue to participate in the sharing economy and provide additional options for travelers to our state.”
Boyce Avenue, the group of Florida brothers who became well-known for their covers of pop artists, will perform this month at Universal Studios Orlando, the theme park announced.
“The three brothers — Alejandro, Fabian, and Daniel Manzano — will play their originals and popular covers to to put everyone in a festive mood. A live DJ will also play top hits that the whole family can dance to,” Universal said on its parks blog.
The performance during the Florida Cup Fan Fest is 8 p.m., Jan. 13 at the Music Plaza Stage. A regular theme-park ticket includes the concert admission.
Boyce Avenue has become known for acoustic covers of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella.”
“We did it in a backward way,” Fabian Manzano told the Sarasota HeraldTribune, his hometown newspaper, in 2010. “Most bands hit the pavement and tour and tour and play lots of gigs and build a following. They’ll go play a small dive bar in Tampa to 30 people, then three months later they come back and maybe 35 people show up. But we did that online; we posted our videos on YouTube, and that’s how it spread quickly.”
The theme park’s festivities continue Jan. 14 with the Brazilian country duo Fernando and Sorocaba, along with the Chris Weaver Band from Nashville, Tenn., the blog post said.
Starting today, SeaWorld Orlando kicks off its Three Kings celebration.
“Families are invited to help commemorate the arrival of the Three Wise Men with authentic festive cuisine and celebratory experiences held in honor of the cherished tradition of Latin cultures,” according to a news release.
The festivities run Monday through Saturday and are included in regular ticket admission.