MARK SCHUMANN
In advance of the County’s short-term rental advisory committee’s meeting scheduled for this Thursday, the Indian River Neighborhood Association today issued an appeal to local residents and property owners to attend the meeting.
“This is the committee which was appointed by the County Commissioners to explore the impacts of short-term rentals and make recommendations to the commissioners on how to fix the multitude of problems these rentals cause. They’ve gotten off track in their last few meetings. They seem to be less focused on our quality of life and public safety and more bogged down with procedure and minutia,” read the IRNA’s broadcast email.
“We need dedicated people to turn out to this meeting and help us inject some logic and thought into this process,” the IRNA release continued.
Nearly all of the County Commission’s appointees to the advisory committee would directly or indirectly benefit from relaxed regulations on short-term, so-called “vacation” rentals. These apparent conflicts of interest have opponents of unregulated short-term rentals concerned about the direction the committee is taking.
At a recent meeting of the committee, Glenn Heran, Commissioner Bob Solari’s appointee, proposed tabling discussions about possible regulations on noise, parking, etc., in favor of conducting a study on the economic impact of vacation rentals.
Members of the public concerned about allowing commercial activity in residential neighborhoods urged the committee to focus on its mandate, arguing the issue is not about economics but about preserving quality of life.
The Short Term Vacation Rental Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday at 10 a.m. at the County Administration Complex, Building B, Conference Room B1-501, 1800 27th Street.
Indian River Guardian 