COMMENTARY
“In this case the main thing is not regulating short term rentals in residential neighborhoods, the main thing is short term rentals should not exist in residential neighborhoods.”
MILT THOMAS
When is a problem not a problem? County Commission Chairman Bob Solari, speaking on the Bob Soos radio show, recently insisted short term rentals are not a problem, merely a blip that is already 85-90 percent solved and he has a committee working on solving the other 10-15 percent “bit.” Solari is essentially promising “peace in our time” (Neville Chamberlain’s quote) over the short term rental issue.
Then why was the committee meeting charged with solving that insignificant 10-15 percent almost like an Italian Parliament fracas? The committee majority includes short term rental and anti-regulation advocates, in spite of Chairman Glenn Powell’s protestations to the contrary. Even the audience featured pro-rental business people. The three lone dissenters to this kangaroo court were subjected to frequent attempts to shut down their objections as well as laughing and groans of disapproval from the pro-rental peanut gallery. Referee Deputy County Attorney Bill Debraal even shouted to stop the heated comments between committee chair Powell and the three dissenters. Some may view the three dissenters as the problem in this case, but they were attempting to state the views of thousands in the community who believe short term rentals should not be allowed in residential neighborhoods at all.
The committee can’t be blamed for the near-fracas either. They were all appointed by members of the county commission and given the task of recommending regulations on short term rentals. No one was appointed to the committee representing the 99 percent of people (a number brought up at the last meeting) who do not want transient rentals in their quiet neighborhoods. Chairman Powell has certainly been the most vocal committee member, often invoking his own personal experience as a rental landlord to illustrate points. Powell is in reality an honest man given a dishonest task. That is also true of Stan Boling and the county staff. Staff must do the bidding of the commission and the committee established by the commission.
The basic problem is not the existence of short term rentals — the basic problem is that they exist in residential neighborhoods. The fact that many of these transient rental landlords ignore the laws in existence to regulate them (like paying taxes and obtaining permits) is also an issue, but as they say, “the main thing is the main thing.” In this case the main thing is not regulating short term rentals in residential neighborhoods, the main thing is short term rentals should not exist in residential neighborhoods.
The City of Vero Beach regulates short term rentals and they have problems, but those problems come from the very people making money from short term rentals in residential neighborhoods. Those property owners/investors complain that the regulations prevent them from exercising their private property rights to do whatever they want with their investment homes, even if it negatively affects the common good. It is an entirely selfish point of view.
Our free enterprise system is the world’s best and making money is its goal. But the ability to make money comes with certain responsibilities – it must be done in a legal, moral and ethical way or there are consequences. If democracy is strictly about making money regardless of the consequences to those around you, it is not democracy. People who buy homes in residential neighborhoods do that to enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with it. We have 55 and older communities where it is understood that anyone like the Duggars and their herds of children are not welcome. We also have communities where transient rentals are not welcome. Residents want to know that their neighbors are here for the long term, that they respect the neighborhood because they have a vested interest in maintaining its nature, appearance and the need for peace and quiet.
The concept of residential neighborhoods as stable, peaceful havens for homeowners to sequester themselves and their families from the hustle and bustle of daily life is under siege. The culprits are not organized gangs or drug dealers terrorizing the neighborhood, but they are otherwise normal, law abiding citizens who view a residential neighborhood as a way to make a buck and in many cases do so by avoiding to obtain the required permits and pay taxes, which is less than law abiding. They are backed in their view by Solari and his fellow county commissioners who believe real estate investors have the right to make a buck with their property regardless of the impact on those who live there as long as they get permits and pay the necessary taxes. Ultimately, they are backed by our very own state legislature, that saw fit to allow them entry into any neighborhood and do whatever they want with their property.
So, if you happen to watch the video of last Thursday’s Short Term Rental Committee proceedings, you will see three citizens carrying the weight of all Indian River County neighborhoods as they try to defend the right of quiet enjoyment against those who want to make money in residential neighborhoods. If you watch it with the assumption this committee is following the instructions given them by the Solari-led county commission, they are merely trying to come up with some recommended regulations on short term rentals in residential neighborhoods, that, according to Solari, is only a “blip” of a problem. But if you watch it with the assumption every homeowner in every quiet neighborhood in Indian River County (outside of Vero Beach) can expect transient rental establishments next door to them, be afraid; be very afraid.
Indian River Guardian 
Solari must get $ contributed from rental agents.
Brad Marshall
We have zoning laws for good reason. Perhaps Mr. Solari needs a few short-term rentals near him so he can understand the situation better.
Mr. Thomas, your commentary deserves a grade of A- for balance and hitting the nail on the head. Your only error is believing Mr. Glen Powell is an honest person doing a dishonest job. He proves every time he opens his mouth he is a dishonest person doing a dishonest job, poorly. He is not the only one, the County lawyer is also biased shouting at those who want strong regs and then becomes a church mouse when the renter peanut gallery hurl personal insults at those who disagree with them.
This is definetly a kangeroo court, with a dishonest renter Chairman and a biased lawyer. Renters and lawyers, what a future awaits Indian River County.
Mr. Solari, to the best of my knowledge, still lives in the posh beachside area of Riomar, inside the City of Vero Beach, so continues to enjoy the strict ‘grandfathered’ zoning protection given by the city, which up to now has successfully prohibited these disruptive short term daily and weekly rental businesses setting up in residential zoned neighborhoods. It is indeed ironic that Solari is enabling these in other areas of the county, while enjoying his ‘peace and quiet’ inside city limits. Perhaps he should move out to the un-zoned county area next to Mr. Glenn Powell, who as Chairman of the Short Term Vacation Rental Advisory Committee, stated publically in one of these meeting that he lives next to a crack house on one side, and a motorcycle gang on the other. These are Mr. Powell’s own words, as recorded in the meetings video. In those run-down crime-ridden areas, Mr. Powell and Mr. Solari’s proposal for opening ‘transient public lodging establishments’ might actually be improving the quality of life—but NOT for the vast majority of IRC neighborhoods, where owners have bought houses for their own families personal sanctuary, and to exercise the right to ‘quiet enjoyment’. Those owners have rights too, and should not have them trampled upon by some like Mr. Powell and Mr. Solari, who seem to claim that ‘property rights’ only to apply to commercial lodging establishment owners (under the subcategory ‘short term vacation home rentals’).
Additional Note: I, along with Dr. Miles Conway and Mr. Carter Taylor, am one of the few that took time to speak in support of the 99% at the last Short Term Vacation Rental Advisory Committee meeting of Feb. 11, where as Mr. Thomas noted, we were harassed by both the Committee Chairman, and by the Deputy County Attorney, while those members of the public who were engaged in short term rentals themselves, were given total liberty to ramble on about how beneficial or non-destructive their activities were. One such rental owner even falsely claimed that she had full support at a meeting last year of the South Beach Property Owners Association (SBPOA) for her activity, when in fact the opposite was true–I and Dr. Conway were at the same meeting and can confirm this. (That same rental owner at that SBPOA meeting did not even have the legally required State license to be engaged in ‘vacation rentals’ and in fact seemed unaware that such a license was needed). In the Feb. 11 county meeting on which Mr. Thomas reports, Mr. Powell admitted that he had ‘misrepresented the facts’ regarding the committee’s claiming it was responsible for drafting and enacting two new County Ordinances (on excessive parking and on special events at vacation rental homes) which were initiated in Feb 2015 and finally ‘adopted’ on Sept 22, 2015, before the first ever meeting of Mr. Powell’s new committee. Even the County’s Community Development Director, Mr. Stan Boling, admitted that his “Memorandum” dated Feb 4, 2016, listing the accomplishments of the new committee, may have misrepresented that it had ‘adopted’ these first tough ordinances controlling vacation rental owner activity, when in fact all the committee had done was ‘review’ the two already-adopted ordinances that had been recently passed. This might be seen as an attempt by the committee or Mr. Powell to falsely lay claim for these accomplishments, to justify that they (and the committee’s creator Mr. Solari?) have already completed their main mission, before they ever held their first meeting. In truth, it looks like the committee was just set up to delay any further regulation—one member even said openly that he had never seen government regulations make things better. So, besides owners of vacation rentals, and rental agents for short term vacation rentals, the committee includes ‘anti regulation’ types who see adding zoning laws as obstructing freedom. This is the other side that the 99% are facing in this lopsided battle to defend the quality of our neighborhoods. In their last meeting, they recommended maximum daily tourist occupancy for a 3 BR house at 11 adults, I guess 6 in the sleeping rooms, and 5 presumably on the living room floor, in the hallway, perhaps in the garage? Anything that will make the owners of these residential ‘mini-motels’ rich, right?
For anyone to live next to a crack house and do nothing about it is living dangerously and should report the situation to the police. Mr Solari, plays a game of duplicity in most instances and the short term rental problem is just one of them. He reeks of arrogance and is the most pompous politician in the county..
This so called committee is a sham since no one from the the public sits on the committee. To cut concerned citizens off in mid sentence is un-democratic. To have only one point of view represented does not speak well for the members of the committee and the county politicians who selected this kangaroo court. All five should be held accountable at election time. A shame and a sham all rolled into one. ,
…and now comes a vicious, coordinated smear campaign directed against Inside Vero, Dr. Miles Conway, and other detractors of the Short Term Vacation Rental Advisory Committee, and its Chairman, Mr. Powell.
This campaign was foreshadowed by comments made Commissioner Solari on the February 10, 2016 Bob Soos radio show where he blamed Dr. Conway (by reference not by name), as the main culprit in the Short Term Vacation Rentals problem for not “getting along” with his neighbor who is operating a raucous short term rental .
While several officials in the county have had occasion to review the videotape, the relevant footage is not available to the public or to the media. We are forced to accept the Official Interpretation of what happened.
There were perhaps a dozen people conversing, in two’s and threes, at the end of the committee meeting. Nothing noteworthy happened. I had a pleasant parting conversation with Mr. Powell and Commissioner O’Bryan. We joked about the disadvantages of sparring (not literally–online,and in writing) with the Bloggers, with Mr. O’Bryan dispensing avuncular advice to Mr. Powell.
No less than five days pass, after which Mr. Powell levels allegations in a letter to the County Commissioners that he was “assaulted” by Dr. Conway in the presence of Mr. Thomas, and presumably in plain view of the remnants of the meeting, none of whom noted anything unusual.
To those who would like to be cleared, and for the general public to decide for itself: insist they make the entire videotape public. If the tape does exist, don’t expect it to be around long.
I am convinced that the only “assault” committed was an assault upon the democratic process and the intelligence of those who spoke out against this situation. Hand picked advisory committee members ,some speaking as long as 22 minutes telling adults how wonderful short term rentals are,what they have done for the economy and other ludicrous remarks are an insult to us all. Always omitted by the committee are the bad things that have taken place in the county. Those who speak out against short term rentals should be commended for their work and insight rather than being booed, cajoled and held up to derision. Anything Solari and the committee says must be suspect due to their interests