Orlando Sentinel

Osceola vacation rentals are back

Orange officials also apply for opening

- By Marco Santana

Osceola County has received permission to reopen its 30,000 vacation rental homes, and Orange County is seeking the same sign-off from the state.

Gov. Ron Desantis on Wednesday approved Osceola’s request to revive one of its most crucial industries, which came with an 11-point plan for property owners to follow to prevent the spread of coronaviru­s.

On Thursday, Orange County officials submitted their plan, which follows closely with 16 other applicatio­ns that have been approved statewide.

“Your assistance in allowing vacation rentals to reopen to guests, subject to the owners/managers following the attached specific guidelines, will help Orange County’s economy rebound,” County Administra­tor Byron Brooks said in an applicatio­n letter.

The rules for Osceola include more stringent cleaning requiremen­ts, limits on occupancy and a requiremen­t that people from “highly infected” areas book houses for at least 14 days. Such guests would be required to selfquaran­tine for the first two weeks before visiting area attraction­s.

Orange’s applicatio­n in

“I’ve basically lost all of my income. It’s been a bloodbath.”

Ashok Patel, owner of Hayes Vacation Rentals

cludes similar restrictio­ns but also mandates the immediate eviction without refund if a guest exceeds occupancy limits and prohibits renting to anyone from states with more than 700 coronaviru­s cases per 100,000 residents.

That includes states such as Illinois, Wisconsin, New York and Massachuse­tts.

One owner of several rental homes in Osceola welcomed the order but said its full effect will not happen immediatel­y.

“It’s been a long shutdown,” said Ashok Patel, owner of Hayes Vacation Rentals, which rents out 25 homes in Polk and Osceola counties. “I’ve basically lost all of my income. It’s been a bloodbath.”

Patel said he has 10 housekeepi­ng staff on call but it will likely be until July before he sees vacationer­s return to his sites.

“People are still very worried about COVID-19,” said Patel, who took over the company in March 2019.

The approval prompted a warning from the home-share company Airbnb that it would cooperate with Osceola law enforcemen­t to prosecute any guest who violates public health mandates, including limits on gatherings of more than 10 people. The company also will ban anyone who throws a big party.

“Under typical circumstan­ces, Airbnb empowers our hosts to set house rules on events and parties that are appropriat­e for their communitie­s,” a news release read. “However, these are very different times, and public health must come first.”

Airbnb officials said the rules would apply in Orange as well, once its plan is approved.

The return of vacation home rentals could help alleviate the pressure being felt by the industry in Osceola, where entire neighborho­ods of luxury houses can be short-term rentals. Half of the county’s $60 million in annual tourist developmen­t tax revenue come from vacation rental homes.

“It’s a huge impact,” said county Commission­er Viviana Janer. “Not only for the vacation home rental industry but the businesses that support that industry, too. The people who come here go to restaurant­s and other places that are being affected.”

Osceola County submitted its applicatio­n Friday in response to DeSantis’ latest reopening executive order that requested that counties do so.

A letter from Halsey Beshears, secretary of Florida Department of Business and Profession­al Regulation, gave the approval.

As of Thursday, 16 counties, most on the Gulf or Atlantic coasts, had been approved to reopen the vacation rental industry by the state.

Other measures in the Osceola plan include informing guests of local coronaviru­s guidelines, such as curfews and closures, and sharing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s a balancing act,” Janer said. “We are trying to reopen businesses while not doing it too quickly so that we are continuing to spread the virus. We are still in the middle of a pandemic.”

Last week, DeSantis said he wanted counties to pitch to the state their safety plans for vacation rentals before allowing them to reopen.

“If you tell me you’re going to rent them out to people from New York City, I’m probably not going to approve that, okay?” DeSantis said at a news conference. “If you’re saying you’re going to rent it out to people in other parts of Florida or … you have an eye to safety it would be fine.”

 ?? RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA/ORLANDO SENTINEL ?? Mostly vacant vacation rental neighborho­ods in Kissimmee could be humming again soon after Gov. Ron DeSantis gave Osceola County the OK to allow them to reopen.
RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA/ORLANDO SENTINEL Mostly vacant vacation rental neighborho­ods in Kissimmee could be humming again soon after Gov. Ron DeSantis gave Osceola County the OK to allow them to reopen.

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