ANNA MARIA – The City Commission unanimously established the occupancy-based annual vacation rental registration fees that take effect on April 1 and remain in place through March 31, 2026.
Adopted by the commission on Feb. 13, the annual fee is set forth in Resolution R25-809. The new registration fee is $104.78 per occupant allowed according to the city’s short-term vacation rental ordinance. The current fee for the 2024-25 rental registration period is $93.92 per occupant allowed.
When the new fee takes effect, the owner of a vacation rental allowed four occupants will pay a $419.12 registration fee. The annual fee for an eight-occupant vacation rental is $838.24. The fee for a 16-occupant rental unit is $1,676.48 and the highest fee listed in the resolution is $3,038.62 for a 29-occupant vacation rental.
State law allows the city to cover the estimated annual costs incurred to administer and enforce the city of Anna Maria’s vacation rental ordinance, but the fee is not supposed to generate a profit.
When presenting the resolution, City Attorney Becky Vose said, “We do this every year and a different computation is done each year to comply with the case law of Florida with regards to how these things are computed.”
Commissioner Charlie Salem noted many vacation rentals sustained hurricane damage and asked what happens if a damaged short-term vacation rental no longer meets the city’s safety requirements. Mayor Mark Short said the annual inspections focus on safety issues that include pool fences, pool alarms, smoke detectors, lights, railings and things of that nature. Short said if an inspector finds a safety violation, the property owner or property manager will be given a short time to remedy the violation. If the safety violation is not remedied in a timely manner, the annual vacation rental license will not be issued until the violation is cured.
“We have people that come down that aren’t used to having swimming pools in the backyard or a canal behind them, so safety is of the utmost importance here. We’re not going to be granting licenses to rent if those safety factors are not met to our satisfaction,” Short said.
Salem noted the annual inspection period begins on April 1, during peak tourist season. He asked if the start date could be moved to a less busy time of the year. Short said the commission could at some point discuss pushing that start date and annual registration cycle back to a later date. City Clerk/ Treasurer LeAnne Addy said the annual start date is set forth in a city ordinance and that ordinance would have to be amended to accommodate a later start date.
In a related matter, the commission unanimously authorized the mayor to sign a new contract with West Florida Home Inspections, the firm that conducts the city’s annual short-term rental inspections. Short said as of Dec. 31, 759 vacation rental units were registered in Anna Maria, making the contract’s total value approximately $95,000.
