COMMENTARY
“As residents of the city, south barrier islanders would also receive better garbage pick up service, and would almost surely benefit from improved emergency response times from the police department. The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is doing what it can with limited resources, but the Vero Beach Police Department, already patrolling the central barrier island, could almost surely respond more quickly to emergencies.”
MARK SCHUMANN
Acting with a profound lack of foresight, and at the urging of Commissioner Bob Solari, the Indian River County Commission in 2012 surrendered the county’s right to regulate commercial transient boarding, otherwise known as short term, or vacation rentals.
By some estimates, as many as 700 homes in Indian River County are now advertised as available for rent for less than 30 days, often for periods of as short as one weekend. As of May, though, only 32 licenses to operate such commercial rentals had been sought and obtained by homeowners and investors. Quite simply, they are now taking advantage of the vacuum in regulation caused by the County Commission’s 2012 action. The crime, congestion and nuisance caused by the proliferation of vacation rentals within the county are problems not likely to be affectively addressed any time soon.
As presidential candidate Donald Trump unabashedly explained during last night’s debate, money buys influence in what has become a broken political system. This is as true in Tallahassee and in the county commission chambers as it is in Washington D.C. Beholden to developers, real estate interests and the vacation rental industry, the Florida Legislature and the Indian River County Commission cannot be counted on to pass legislation to regulate short term rentals of private residences.
Commissioners are talking a good game about how they might right their past mistake, but rather than taking action, they are employing the classic delaying tactic of forming a committee to study the problem. I am reminded of a paraphrase of a biblical verse. “For God so loved the world that he did not send a committee.”
The forming of this committee, of course, was done at Solari’s request. Solari, the darling of big development interests, is simply seeking political cover to see him through the next election.
At least for concerned property owners on the unincorporated south barrier island, there may be a solution. Become a part of the City of Vero Beach.
Unlike the County Commission, Vero Beach’s City Council has wisely retained its right to protect and preserve the special character and tranquility of the city’s neighborhoods. Unlike the County Commission, the Vero Beach City Council is aggressively prosecuting property owners who intentionally and persistently violate the city’s ban on commercial transient rentals.
Whatever nominal increase in taxes south barrier islanders would pay as city residents would almost surely be made up for in preserved property values. Further, as residents of the city, south barrier islanders would have a voice AND a vote in the operation and management of their utilities.
As residents of the city, south barrier islanders would also receive better garbage pick up service, and would almost surely benefit from improved emergency response times from the police department. The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is doing what it can with limited resources, but the Vero Beach Police Department, already patrolling the central barrier island, could almost surely respond more quickly to emergencies.
Ironically, incorporation into the city would also qualify south barrier islanders for better water and sewer rates. In accordance with a deal upon which Solari insisted, the city recently began charging its south barrier island customers county water and sewer rates. Over the course of the first year, the city expects the special billing arrangement to bring in an additional $170,000 to $200,000.
Those who argue the move would amount to surrendering some future opportunity the south barrier island might otherwise have to be served by Florida Power & Light are drinking too much of the bitter Kool-Aid Solari and his utility activist friends, Glen Heran and Steven Faherty have been serving.
The Florida Supreme Court is not going to overturn the Public Service Commission, and neither the Supreme Court nor the Circuit Court is going to set aside the 1974 Grid Bill just so the Town of Indian River Shores can have its way. Though it may be all but impossible for the members of the Shores Town Council to accept, there are, in fact, larger considerations, such as maintaining an economical and reliable statewide power grid, that transcend the parochial interests of the Town of Indian River Shores.
Perhaps it is time for the residents of the south barrier island to have a serious conversation amongst themselves about whether they would benefit from becoming a part of the City of Vero Beach.
Indian River Guardian 
It is difficult to identify any advantage that the south barrier island residents have received by having Bob Solai represent them on the County Commission. This is also true of Debbie Mayfield. The situation with a lack of representation has occurred because of the fact that a substantial portion of the south barrier island residents rely on the enforcement of their own bylaws which regulate such things as “short term rentals” noise, and traffic within the many gated commuinities.
At a time when everyone is looking to lower their tax burden, there is no real advantage to be gained by being a part of the City of Vero Beach.
Dear Pat Lavins:
Please take a tour of Anglers Cove and Reef Road in the Moorings. It is quite clear you are out of touch as to a “substantial portion”. Many communities have NO such protection and those that do can have them overturned by various majorities of so called investors buying into these communities. Your position is both self serving and supercilious – just wait until you have one of these hostels operate next to you and you will quickly change your tune.
As Mark has pointed out in the past certain decisions are the evil of two lessers as in this case.
I would rather be affronted by my utility bill once a month than every day by a drunken, vomiting, bellowing hostel occupant every night.
The the biggest prize annexing into the City would be to rid ourselves of that obscenity of a human being, Solari, evil personified !
Ms. Lavin seems to miss the point entirely (sort of like Rand Paul did at last night’s debate). Mark underscored that the decline in property value of beachside residents from introducing or expanding this disruptive activity known as short term transient guest house (aka vacation home rental) is occurring. Dr. Miles Conway’s approx. $6 mill oceanfront estate has been reappraised by the County Tax Collector at a reduction of value of over $1 mill, merely from having a vacation home ‘transient guest house’ operating next door. So Mark’s suggestion that So. Beach property owners seek ‘shelter’ in the COVB, whose statutes prohibit this property value declining short term rental activity, would help keep Oceanside values from dropping. Certainly paying a bit higher tax for this ‘benefit’ would be worth it? Just look at beachside Ft. Lauderdale, where the houses and apartments are transient guest houses, full of drug addicts and winos. We stayed there and were afraid to go out at night. Is that what you want to see happen to So. Beach? By the way, Ft. Lauderdale is now trying to pass tighter restrictions on these type of rentals, from all the complaints received from local residents.
The South Beach property owners should give careful consideration to any proposal that can get them out from under the likes of Bob Solari. Bob is probably the best double talker in Indian River County. Remember the run- around he is engaged in with regard to the Oslo Boat Ramp.
Is it true that the barrier Island A1A east side of Indian river county is allowed to have chickens on their in Wyn Cove ?