QuoteJacksonville could be in line for a boost in tourism dollars once an agreement with popular online accommodations company Airbnb comes to fruition.
The company serves as a "community marketplace" for people to list rooms, homes and even castles for rent. It has hundreds in Jacksonville.
Those bookings, though, don't collect Duval County's 6 percent bed tax that is applied to traditional lodging like hotels.
Tax Collector Michael Corrigan was contacted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is working with Airbnb, seeking an agreement for the lodging company to begin collecting and remitting the tax.
Jacksonville's bed tax is equally divided three ways, with portions going toward the Duval County Tourist Development Council for marketing; paying off construction of EverBank Field; and overall improvements to the Sports Complex.
Visit Jacksonville CEO Paul Astleford calls the Airbnb development a promising way to grow the needed bed tax. The local tourism marketing arm is funded through such dollars.
He said Airbnb has been willing to work with communities in an organized approach. It's a positive step, given how popular the model has become.
"In short order, Airbnb will be the largest hotel company in the world," said Astleford. "We've known they are growing."
It's what customers want, he said. Jacksonville needs to be able to provide that service, Astleford said. Otherwise, travelers might end up looking elsewhere.
"If you don't heed the customer, you can watch your destination dwindle," he said.
But it also means playing by the same set of rules hotels do, which means paying Duval County's bed tax.
Christopher Nulty, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based company, in a statement said Airbnb is eager to work with officials in Duval County and across the state to collect and remit taxes. The business already has done so for nearly two dozen Florida counties, he said.
Listings in Florida show a host of taxes, like the 6 percent Florida Transient Rental Tax, state discretionary sales tax and occupancy taxes the state administers in 22 counties. Duval is not among them.
The deal for the 22 counties went into effect in December but those not part of that group are beginning to reach agreements.
This month, Brevard County Tax Collector Lisa Cullen and the company struck a deal to collect the taxes, which could mean $240,000 to $600,000 annually, according to Florida Today.
It's still too early to determine how much Duval County could stand to benefit from any agreement.
A meeting Monday began looking further into such a deal locally. That meeting included Astleford; Corrigan; Kerri Stewart, Mayor Lenny Curry's chief of staff; and city attorneys.
As Astleford described it, the meeting served as a starting point for what the "rules of engagement" will be.
The rules, though, aren't yet set and the city's legal team is reviewing the situation and paperwork provided to Corrigan by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
According to that draft, taxes would be collected and sent from a date moving forward, not covering years past.
Furthermore, the tax collector is able to audit Airbnb on an anonymous numbered account basis, which would protect the identifications of users.
dchapman@jaxdailyrecord.com
@writerchapman
(904) 356-2466
Quotehttp://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547280
Welcome to the Neighborhood!
More regulations for the AirBnBs in Riverside.
http://cityclts.coj.net/coj/COJBillList.asp?Bill=2019-0238
According to Council Member Love, the purpose of Bill 2019-238 is to provide reasonable rules, regulations and standards necessary to protect the general safety and welfare of its citizens and visitors. It also regulates short-term vacation rental use to ensure that such use will not unreasonably or negatively interfere, disrupt, or impact the use and enjoyment of other property owners – primarily residential - adjacent to, or near the structure hosting the short term vacation rental.
The Bill will: 1) in residential or CRO zoning districts require the property owner, or an agent of the owner to live onsite; 2) limit the number of bedrooms that can be rented at any one short-term vacation rental location to three; 3) limit the number of adults in each bedroom to a maximum of two; 4) require parking by all short-term vacation rental tenants to be onsite; 5) require the owner of the short-term vacation rental property to attend a landlord training program; and, 6) require registration and payment of appropriate fees and taxes.
Registration requirements include insurance coverage, inspection by the City's Fire Prevention Division, notification of the Property Appraiser's Office for notation on the property's property record card, and issuance of a Certificate of Use for operation of a STVR and requires STVRs to comply with all applicable building, zoning, property safety and fire codes.
Legislation 2019-238 may be found by using the following link at the City of Jacksonville website: http://cityclts.coj.net/coj/COJBillList.asp?Bill=2019-0238
It also requires the property owner (or agent) to remain in the property when rooms are rented out.
QuoteFrom the Bill Summary
. If the STVR is in a residential zoning district, in a Commercial Residential and Office (CRO) zoning district, in the CRO-Springfield district, in a Residential Office (RO) zoning district or a PUD zoning district with primarily residential uses, the property owner or an agent of the property owner must reside in and occupy the STVR property during the entire rental period.
This would seem to prohibit leasing out (part of or all of) your house while you go on vacation.
Curious about a provision in the proposed ordinance. In 656.1702c, it requires the applicant to submit the Planning Department permit to the Property Appraiser. Why can't the PD just send them over? Eliminates a step that an owner my forget.
This is a terrible bill!
QuoteThis is a terrible bill!
Agreed, one last piece of legislation from one of the worst city councilmen many can remember in the district.
This would neuter Airbnb in Riverside, Avondale, Springfield and other areas where homes and apartments were built with no dedicated parking.
Agreed! The parking requirement is unattainable in those areas. I'm curious as to who has complained to bring this bill forward.
Also, it requires $1 million in insurance. I guess the people living
on the river in Avondale are the only ones who can afford that.
This is pure horse manure.
From what I have learned from one of my friends, who has been managing an Air BnB for 3-4 years in San Marco, this entire stink was raised by one or two families in Avondale who did not like people having Air BnB's in Avondale. The Air BnB people better get a good lawyer and challenge this by any means possible or they are going to be screwed. My friend has a gorgeous duplex in San Marco (where she does not live) and has the nicest property on the street. It used to make her $22,000 a year, but with Air Bnb she was able to get the gross income well over $50,000. She ( a rare instance) has always paid all of the taxes, primarily because it was a smart decision.
Air BnB owners often have more attractive properties than their neighbors. They have to in order to be competitive. Our city council man should devote his time to cracking down on slum lords, the real problem in the Historic neighborhoods. But since they have year long leases they are left alone. It's so God Damn ridiculous. Or how about cracking down on the speculative property owners who are allowing structures to fall apart right before our very eyes.
A city with so much potential and then this crap happens, what a sad joke.
I can't help but think that a good attorney could challenge this. A person has the right to quiet enjoyment of their home, but not the right to dictate what others can do with their home. As long as the Air BnB is not interfering with 'quiet enjoyment' , and I don't think they have proved in any case where it IS interfering with that, they should mind their own damn business.
How will this impact the VRBO business? Lots of beachfront props where owners do not live on site. Guess they will be screwed too?
For the record there are nearly 12,000 Air BnB hosts in Duval, all being screwed by 3 or 4 home owners .......
Can't wait to see how they enforce all the rules on 12,000 properties.
RAP hosting a Community Meeting to discuss this on this coming Monday May 6 at 6 pm.
Riverside Presbyterian Church, 849 Park Street. Bittinger Hall
Don't like it? Show up.
Quote from: MusicMan on May 02, 2019, 08:51:08 AM
RAP hosting a Community Meeting to discuss this on this coming Monday May 6 at 6 pm.
Riverside Presbyterian Church, 849 Park Street. Bittinger Hall
Don't like it? Show up.
Interesting. Lets see which side RAP ends up on with this issue.
Well, I haven't fully processed this yet. It's a little scary and I hope it doesn't happen. But perhaps if it passes with a few tweaks the direct effects to me would be minimal. I definitely can see both sides to this, but as my interests are rather vested in STR in Jax I obviously hope for it to not pass. Especially if have to assume more and more legislation could come down the road. Can someone explain whether this would also apply to Murray Hill and Brooklyn? Reading the comments here I see the historic districts mentioned some, but in the summary it seems like it would apply to all residential zones, and many others too, right?
Quote from: Kiva on May 01, 2019, 08:48:50 PM
Also, it requires $1 million in insurance. I guess the people living
on the river in Avondale are the only ones who can afford that.
If this refers to liability insurance then that's actually pretty standard. Our STR policies cover $1M in damages/liability and our standard umbrella policies are higher.
Quote from: MusicMan on May 02, 2019, 08:33:41 AM
It used to make her $22,000 a year, but with Air Bnb she was able to get the gross income well over $50,000. She ( a rare instance) has always paid all of the taxes, primarily because it was a smart decision.
She always pays her taxes primarily because airbnb collects and remits the sales taxes for us. We never see that money, it goes straight from the guest to airbnb to the city. They do this for the entire state of FL. https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2301/occupancy-tax-collection-and-remittance-by-airbnb-in-florida?fbclid=IwAR30-qHXKqBYFWwP2_JAYyZ3j-NxeP6dcP-9OERKMNeW2cfmV-WIgGcECG0
Quote from: MusicMan on May 02, 2019, 08:33:41 AM
Air BnB owners often have more attractive properties than their neighbors. They have to in order to be competitive. Our city council man should devote his time to cracking down on slum lords, the real problem in the Historic neighborhoods. But since they have year long leases they are left alone. It's so God Damn ridiculous. Or how about cracking down on the speculative property owners who are allowing structures to fall apart right before our very eyes.
A city with so much potential and then this crap happens, what a sad joke.
I can't help but think that a good attorney could challenge this. A person has the right to quiet enjoyment of their home, but not the right to dictate what others can do with their home. As long as the Air BnB is not interfering with 'quiet enjoyment' , and I don't think they have proved in any case where it IS interfering with that, they should mind their own damn business.
Regarding Airbnb fighting this legislation, I think they absolutely should and they probably will. However they haven't won every fight they've been in and there is certainly cause for a city to put up restrictions like this. I am obviously pro-STR since much of my business comes from it, but I acknowledge there can be downsides to having tourists running rampant in a residential neighborhood. Miami, Miami Beach, New Orleans, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, NYC, etc off the top of my head are just a few of the "successful" cities that have restrictions on the operations of STR. Countless others, especially in other parts of the world. Canada and Europe particularly have seen rents increase significantly for regular citizens after airbnb became mainstream. Of course, for those residents that use airbnb to rent out their home it is generally a net positive for them financially. Altogether it's a thorny issue.
Quote from: MusicMan on May 02, 2019, 08:33:41 AM
How will this impact the VRBO business? Lots of beachfront props where owners do not live on site. Guess they will be screwed too?
For the record there are nearly 12,000 Air BnB hosts in Duval, all being screwed by 3 or 4 home owners .......
Can't wait to see how they enforce all the rules on 12,000 properties.
This should affect VRBO the same way it affects airbnb, and any of the other STR sites. However I'm not sure that this legislation applies to the beaches? Does it?
Quote from: MusicMan on May 02, 2019, 08:51:08 AM
RAP hosting a Community Meeting to discuss this on this coming Monday May 6 at 6 pm.
Riverside Presbyterian Church, 849 Park Street. Bittinger Hall
Don't like it? Show up.
I almost would drive up to Jax just for this but alas I cannot.
There are existing laws on the books allowing owners to set up a bed and breakfast. I don't understand how booking with an app makes it somehow different than a regular hotel or B&B.
It is right there in the name - AirB&B.
I am not arguing for or against this particular piece of legislation - I am saying that we might want to consider what we as a city think the rules should be before letting a multi-national company come in and do it for us.
How long will it take the Fire Chief to inspect all 12,000+ units?
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on May 02, 2019, 02:12:14 PM
Quote from: MusicMan on May 02, 2019, 08:33:41 AM
It used to make her $22,000 a year, but with Air Bnb she was able to get the gross income well over $50,000. She ( a rare instance) has always paid all of the taxes, primarily because it was a smart decision.
She always pays her taxes primarily because airbnb collects and remits the sales taxes for us. We never see that money, it goes straight from the guest to airbnb to the city. They do this for the entire state of FL. https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2301/occupancy-tax-collection-and-remittance-by-airbnb-in-florida?fbclid=IwAR30-qHXKqBYFWwP2_JAYyZ3j-NxeP6dcP-9OERKMNeW2cfmV-WIgGcECG0
Actually Airbnb collects the state tax, but at the moment does not collect the city bed tax. They have offered to do this, but so far the wonderful Jax city council has refused. Why? Who knows. But if you look at the link from ProjectMaximus you can see that Duval county is not listed.
I would expect it would also apply to the Beaches (and Baldwin), unless the legislation specifically excludes them. The Jacksonville City Council acts like a County Commission, enacting laws for all of Duval County. Some laws exempt the other 4 communities, most (I believe) do not.
I understand. My friend has actually been paying the bed tax too. She knows her stuff, has a top performing Air BnB. She says to closely follow State Bill 987 which impacts STR. I'm not as well informed but I listen to her cause her income is relying on it.