Did a Winter Park candidate’s Airbnb rentals violate city rules?
The statement
Spring is in the air, which means it’s the time of year when Winter Park candidates go for the throat. This year only one of the two open seats is contested. Incumbent Pete Weldon, first elected in 2016, is facing challengers Todd Weaver and Barbara Chandler in the nonpartisan race. Voters go to the polls on March 12.
Weldon has accused Weaver of violating city rules for short-term rentals. We’re looking at this statement, which was part of a longer email from Weldon to supporters: “Todd has been running an AirBNB out of his home since at least 2016 and stopped last May when he decided to run for city commission. He has attained status as an ‘AirBNB Super Host,’ renting his place for many short term stays in violation of our laws for years.”
The facts
Was Weldon right about Todd Weaver violating the city’s rules by renting his home?
Winter Park is wellknown for its attractive, wealthy neighborhoods, and the city’s code prohibits renting a residence for less than one month. In January, the city received an anonymous email complaint about residents violating the city’s rules on shortterm rentals. The email included a link to several Winter Park homes listed on the website of Airbnb, a company that allows people to list homes and other accommodations for rent. The complaint didn’t name Weaver but did specify his street as one of the locations of the rental offerings.
While Weaver’s property is no longer listed on Airbnb, Weldon provided screenshots of the listing before it was removed. They show a number of reviews from renters who stayed in a cottage on Weaver’s property. Some of those comments indicate the rentals were for less than a month, as the city requires. The ad also indicates Weaver was a “superhost,” a status Airbnb awards to hosts who provide “extraordinary experiences for their guests.”
Weaver acknowledges that he had been renting the cottage next to his main
home since 2016, and that guests often did not stay the minimum length of time required by the city. But Weaver says he was unaware of that rule and, once he learned of it, changed the ad to indicate a minimum 30-day stay was needed. That language is shown on the screen shot of an ad provided by Weldon. Weaver said he has since removed the ad from Airbnb’s site and isn’t renting the cottage. The city did not cite Weaver for a violation, and officials said his property is now complying with the rules.
“It was an innocent mistake,” Weaver said, adding that he had been donating proceeds from the rentals to various charities.
It’s worth noting that a number of other Winter Park properties are listed with Airbnb and none of them appear to explicitly note that the city’s rules require a minimum one-month stay.
The bottom line
Winter Park City Commissioner Pete Weldon said one of his challengers, Todd Weaver, has been renting his home in violation of city rules. Weldon’s statement is not technically accurate because Weaver was renting a cottage on the property, not the home where he lives. However, his main point, that the rentals on Weaver’s property violated city rules on short-term rentals, is correct. We rate Weldon’s statement Mostly Fact.