PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County is looking to make what residents say are major changes to the county’s short-term rental ordinance.
Under the revised ordinance that will be discussed by Pinellas County Commissioners Tuesday, the occupancy cap of 10 people per short-term rental would be removed. Instead, the updated ordinance states the maximum capacity for a short-term rental is two people per bedroom plus two people in the common area, not including children under 12.
Another major change would be the county would now require mandatory certificates of use for short-term rentals and inspections every two years to demonstrate that the rental meets minimum safety standards.
Commissioners will also discuss removing the listed 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. quiet hours from the ordinance.
In a presentation from county staff, it states these changes are being proposed in order to bring greater accountability to short-term rental owners and increase compliance with Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code.
Hillary Simpson plans to address commissioners Tuesday about her frustrations with the proposed changes. Simpson and her husband bought their home in Seminole in 2019 but started to have issues with a neighboring short-term rental after the property was sold in 2023.
Since November 2023, Simpson says she will hear screaming at all hours of the night, loud music, illicit activities and watch people jump over her fence.
Many of the instances have been caught on her home’s security cameras.
“They’ve been outside and there’s a bachelor party going on to the point where we left our home because we didn’t feel it was safe for our kids to be outside or around that environment,” she said. “There were people passed out in the middle of the day.”
Simpson says if the ordinance is approved, that would mean that 16 adults could stay her in neighbor’s converted seven-bedroom rental home along with multiple children.
She’s now having a game room built on her property using concrete blocks in an effort to block out some of the noise.
“It makes you feel like a guest in someone’s vacation when I want to be able to let my kids run outside,” she said.
A public hearing on the proposed ordinance changes is set for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Pinellas County Commission chambers located at 333 Chestnut St. in Clearwater.
The county meeting begins at 2 p.m.
An Airbnb listing of Simpson's neighbor shows the seven-bedroom home complete with a pool and basketball court (Airbnb).
