State approves Pinellas County plan to resume short-term vacation rentals

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Pinellas County is now the first in the Bay Area allowed to resume short-term vacation rentals. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation signed off on the county’s safety plan Wednesday.

As part of Florida’s ‘full phase one’ of reopening from the coronavirus lockdowns, Gov. Ron DeSantis invited counties to submit plans on how they would guide property owners who want to resume renting to tourists.

Eight Panhandle counties were approved Tuesday, and by that evening, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota counties had all submitted plans to Tallahassee.

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Pinellas was the first of those to receive approval. Their plan was very similar to plans already approved in other counties, directing property owners on everything from physical distancing to property cleanliness.

The county specifically noted that rentals to tourists from “areas identified by Governor DeSantis as high-risk” – primarily meaning the New York City area – must be for periods longer than the directed quarantine period.

All property owners will receive a copy of the plan, county officials said.

LINK: Read Pinellas County's vacation rental regulations (PDF)