SB 512: Vacation Rentals – Introduced this legislative session
It’s that time of year again. The time when new bills start being introduced this legislative session. One of the first to come up on our radar is SB 512, which is a resurfacing of a failed bill from last year, the crux of it’s impact on our population would be that it would require a “Vacation Rental” to be registered as a Temporary Residence, but then defines that vacation rental as a place where a person “lodges for 24 hours or more”!
There was once a time when you can take a 14 day vacation and not have to register. Then it became 5 days. Then it became 3, and now, if this bill passes, we’re down to 24 hours.
We’ve seen similar vacation rental bills come and fail over the past few years, so we hope this one will see the same fate, still, while it’s hanging out there it’s a concern.
This bill was introduced a couple days ago and can be tracked here: https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/512/?Tab=BillHistory.
Thanks to Jerry from our Legislative Committee for being our eyes and ears.
I think this Bill is really about the REGULATION OF THE AIRBNB’s etc!…SO THE STATE GETS THEIR TAX MONIES, PERMIT MONIES, ETC!
Of course, ‘THEY’ will attach nasty stuff to create more havoc for ‘Persons Forced to Register’….It is actually called ‘Pork Barrel Legislation’ where ‘THEY’ add more FAT!….Should be called ‘Legislative Sausage Making’!
Oh no the state might enact a law levying taxes & fees, are they even allowed to do that
Does FAC have any data on how many crimes were committed by registrants on vacation in Florida for any year? I only ask because I know Senator Danny Burgess has no idea. This is, as they all are, another bill that solves a problem that doesn’t exist just so Senator Burgess can pat himself on the back at reelection time.
Every law that reduces the rights of citizens should require peer reviewed data to support the law being proposed. If that existed, most SORNA laws would not exist.
ALAN
And not that they care but, each new law, regulation etc they add to us is another layer of shoots and ladders traps for us to unknowingly fall into. Pretty soon we will have to carry a back pack of rules just to be able to leave the house. We will have to hire personal advisors 24/7 to follow us around and make sure we do not step on a landmine of violations.
Most sex crimes take place in environments familiar to the victim, not vacation rentals.
How are the judges not seeing these evils as punishment? Banning people who have done their time from vacation with their families is ludicrous (Not to be confused with the Rapper, which should not be confused with a wrapper).
And yes we would be banned and here is why. Even if we agreed to the 24 hours stay registration, once the owner of the place finds that out, our registration suddenly disappears like a relative that owes you money.
I quickly scanned the legislation and didn’t see a reference to sex offenders. Perhaps I missed it. How will this legislation directly affect PFRs? The danger I see is the legislation leaves the field open to pass local ordinances. Aren’t registrants visiting Florida required to register within something like 48 hours anyway?
If a registrant visits Florida will his vacation address be shown on the public website as a result of the “temporary residence” designation? If so, that is totally absurd even under Florida standards of irrationality.
Veritas.
FAC I can’t see where it redefines vacation rental as “anyplace where a person lodges for 24 hours or more,” nor otherwise requires registration of all places where one lodges for >24 hours.
Instead it appears to retain the existing statutory definition of vacation rental and say that THOSE require registration if >24 hours. Which is still not good, but narrower than including, say, hotels, relatives’ guest rooms, etc. Registration of those would NOT be affected by this bill. Essentially the same vacation rental provision that we fought last season.
Correct?
Before we express our concerns to the Senate, we just need to be sure we are reading it properly and agree on what it does. Otherwise the bill’s sponsor can easily shoot down our concerns in committee, as Sen Book tried (and failed) to do in defending her “two or more days” bill last season.
Consider p. 21 of this bill, which amends the existing Temporary Residence definition to read, “The term [Temporary Residence] also includes a vacation rental, as defined in s. 509.242(1)(c), where a person lodges for 24 hours or more.” Note it does NOT change the def of vacation rental at all, just subjects vacation rentals (and only vacation rentals, as defined) to a narrower (24 hour) standard for registration.
Correct. This proposed statute does not decrease the temporary residence definition from 3 days to 24 hours. It merely states that staying in a vacation rental (which is not the same thing as a hotel) for 24 hours or more qualifies as a temporary residence. That is very clear in the text of the proposed statute. Yes, it’s bad for those who are interested in staying in vacation rentals, but it does not reduce the temporary residence definition from 3 days to 24 hours in general.
Helpful clarification from RM. We will still oppose, but in doing so will have a better concept of what we’re talking about. FAC, the above is what you meant, right?
I am absolutely fed up with all these politicians dictating what I can do in my life. I did my time, I did 10 years of counseling, 5 years of victims counseling, 9 years of 10 on probation and was let off early. I was not required to register at all. That was not part of my sentence. I am so sick of all the bs that these people put us through. I have been absolutely trouble free since I plead out in March of 1996. I did face a failure to register charge in 2009 but beat it. Enough is enough. The registry is a joke. May God have mercy on their souls. (Or maybe not) I hope we get results soon from the challenges that are in court.
TWMJ
I do not think any one person is more pissed at the registry than anyone else. As a collective we are treated lesser than caged animals at the zoo. It does seem if you have a measly $50 grand to pay lawyers, the courts are more willing to let “ONE” person off the registry than the entire population.
Having said that, not only do the majority of us not have that, we shouldn’t have to anyway. This was placed on us after many of us entered plea deals and the registry was NOT part of any deal. So who are the real criminals in this situation?
My charges are from 1991. There was no registry active in Florida at that time and I hadn’t even heard of a registry until just before I was released from prison. The next day after getting released I had to report to the probation office and then call and make an appointment with the Sheriffs office to register.
I tried to get my lawyer to go back and withdraw my plea but said there was nothing he could do as too much time had passed. But the Government seems to have no time restrictions? I guess they can create any law they want. Heck let’s make eating Campbells soup on a Wednesday illegal. And before we ask how these people sleep at night with how they treat us, most of them live in luxury homes in gated communities where they are shielded from the World. And who wants their hands dirty from the scurge of the Earth Sex offenders. We wouldn’t want to give them cooties now would we?
Exactly. There are no legitimate reasons to treat the Oppression Lists (OLs) as acceptable. They are an immoral act of war.
These criminal regimes say that I’m a problem. I have an obligation to be as big of a problem as I possible can. America is hateful and divided. I will continue to help that. Never assume that the OLs aren’t driving plenty of it. If the criminal regimes are going to conduct wars on their own citizens, and plenty of anti-Americans are going to support them, there must be consequences.
Note that there are a lot of different provisions in this bill. Many of them, I assume, are fine, and we probably take no position on them.
It’s just the provision about sex offender registration. If getting them to strike or modify that provision is easier than killing this bill’s momentum, that would be fine I think.