As Florida moves to deregulate vacation rentals, Arizona has a warning
By Arek Sarkissian
As Florida lawmakers push to preempt local oversight of short-term rentals, Arizona lawmaker John Kavanagh has a warning.
After Arizona adopted a similar preemption bill in 2016, lawmakers there are now scrambling to re-tighten controls, said Kavanagh, a Republican whose state House district includes retirement communities north of Phoenix that saw an influx of short-term rental party houses after the law passed.
“We dug ourselves into a grave and we’re trying to dig ourselves out,” Kavanagh said. “The advice I would give to Florida or any other state is an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.”
This week, the Florida House is expected to vote on a bill that would move licensing and inspections of short-term rentals to the understaffed state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, overriding local ordinances that apply to vacation rentals.