Manatee County commissioners consider regulating vacation rentals

Plantation Oaks is normally a quiet District 5 neighborhood until a mariachi band starts playing or a girls flag football team blares what neighbors call “vulgar music.” 

A large house on a sprawling corner lot has been converted into a short-term, vacation rental that sleeps up to 32 guests and offers a game room, movie theater, pool, hot tub, pickleball court, mini golf course and an outdoor kitchen. 

Collectively, a group of surrounding neighbors has had enough of the party atmosphere.

Plantation Oaks is located near Manatee Charter School (4550 30th St. E., Bradenton) off 44th Avenue East. The first homes were built in the mid-1970s. 

Homeowners like Terri Waag are as rooted in the community as the oak trees. She moved into her home 36 years ago and has had the same neighbors for no less than a decade. 

The rental house was bought by an out-of-state LLC in 2024. If not living under the protective umbrella of a homeowners association, it's a scenario that other residents might be facing countywide. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Manatee County commissioners discussed passing an ordinance to regulate vacation rentals at the June 16 meeting.

Manatee County resident Laurie Dills, who doesn't live in Plantation Oaks, said the last four houses sold in her District 3 Bradenton neighborhood were bought to be used as short-term rentals.

Airbnb’s Q1 2026 financial results reported that guests spent nearly $30 billion on Airbnb in its first quarter, and that’s just one booking platform.  

Bradenton’s John McNaught has built a career buying and renting vacation homes in Manatee County. He doesn’t want a few “bad actors” to impact his business. 

“Many vacation rental owners are not large corporations of wealthy investors, they’re teachers, firefighters, retirees, veterans and working families who have invested their savings into a property as part of the American dream.” McNaught said. “Good government should target bad behavior, not create bureaucracy for thousands of responsible citizens who already follow the rules.”

Some residents respond

Some Manatee County residents expressed concern over short-term vacation rentals long before the June 16 meeting.

In January 2025, Commission Chair Tal Siddique attempted to tackle the issue. He gained the support to direct staff to draft an ordinance that would establish a registry of vacation rentals and set some restrictions. 

But in May 2025, staff returned with a presentation, not an ordinance. Siddique made another motion for staff to draft an ordinance, but the motion failed in a 3-3 tie with commissioners Jason Bearden, Carol Felts and Bob McCann in opposition. 

Siddique, along with commissioners Amanda Ballard and George Kruse, voted in favor of drafting an ordinance.

Kruse's vote came with the caveat that he was more in agreement with Bearden but wanted to see what an ordinance would look like. 

Bearden’s opposition stemmed from the possible costs and bureaucracy that an ordinance could create. 

“Conservative values (are based on) limited government, not the expansion of bureaucracy or burdensome regulations on private citizens,” Bearden said. “Instead of more regulation, we should focus on improving enforcement and using existing tools more efficiently.”

At the June 16 meeting, McCann reintroduced a plan to regulate short-term rentals within unincorporated Manatee County. As a licensed attorney, he also brought a drafted ordinance to the meeting. 

McCann worked on the ordinance with another attorney and received input from the Manatee County Attorney’s Office and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

His motion was to direct staff to review, revise and bring back an executable ordinance as soon as practicable. The motion passed unanimously with Bearden absent. 

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Several residents said "the existing tools" Bearden mentioned don’t work.

Homeowner Sean Davila said the typical law enforcement action for noise violations is a written warning, which is not a “real punishment” because it’s given to the guests, who are always changing. 

Davila also noted that "rules are being broken and bypassed" by property owners. 

“This particular owner behind me has four properties that aren’t registered properly (with the state), and I had to figure that out, not someone (at the county),” Davila said.

On the morning of June 16, the East County Observer was in Plantation Oaks when a solid waste enforcement officer for Manatee County arrived to issue a third warning notice for garbage bins lined up on the curb in front of the short-term rental house. 

Garbage bins in Manatee County can only be put on the curb up to 24 hours before the scheduled pickup. 

The officer said she would be referring the case to Code Enforcement because of the repeated violations. 

One of the co-owners of the property, reached by the East County Observer by phone, refused comment.

Code Enforcement records show complaints about trash, debris and overgrown grass dating back to Aug. 21, 2024, only months after the Plantation Oaks home was purchased by the LLC. 

The latest Code Enforcement report, dated June 1, cites more serious issues of "possibly unpermitted" gas lines, an outdoor kitchen and a pergola. The inspector also noted that the garage was possibly converted into additional sleeping quarters without a permit.

The Manatee County Property Appraiser has the house listed as having four bedrooms, two bathrooms, one half-bath and a two-car garage. On Airbnb, the house is listed as having nine bedrooms, three full bathrooms and sleeping up to 32 people. 

According to reviews on Airbnb, the two-car garage was converted into two more bedrooms, and one of the three bathrooms does not have a sink. 

"(The county) would never allow me to change my home into a Motel 6, why is this allowed to be basically a motel accommodation?" Waag questioned. "We need strong regulations, not just a slap on the hand." 

The ordinance

The ordinance drafted by McCann contains five sections, which are summarized below: 

Section 1: Administration & Registration Fees

If owners rent their property more than three times a year, they’re already required to have a Transient Public Lodging Establishment license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and a Florida Department of Revenue sales tax account. 

The ordinance would also require a Tourist Development Tax account with the Manatee County Tax Collector for local bed tax remittance and an application to Manatee County Code Enforcement that includes a $250 registration fee (annual renewals would be $150). 

A Life-Safety Inspection would need to be completed within 30 days of the application to ensure the property meets the Florida Building and Fire Prevention Codes.

Section 2: Maximum Occupancy & Parking Caps 

The maximum overnight occupancy would be capped at 12 occupants per property, regardless of size. Parking would be limited to the driveway and garage. Street parking would be prohibited, and the rental would need to provide a minimum of one off-street parking space for every four guests.

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Section 3: The 24/7 “Responsible Party” Requirement 

Every vacation rental owner would be required to designate a responsible party who will be available by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week to show up on site within one hour in case of noise, trash or parking complaints initiated by neighbors. 

Section 4: In-unit Mandatory Postings 

Every registered vacation property would need a posting near the entryway that includes the rental certificate number, the name and number of the responsible party, the guest occupancy limit, a parking map and the scheduled collection day for trash and recycling. 

Section 5: Violations & Escalating Penalties 

Violations of occupancy, parking, noise or registration mandates would result in fines assessed against the property owner. 

The revised ordinance will not be heard before July 28, as commissioners are on summer recess.