On March 27, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida Executive Order number 20-87 prohibiting parties engaged in the rental of vacation rental properties from making new reservations or bookings. 

Vacation Rental Closures in Florida

Further, the order states that parties found to be in violation of the order as a result of engaging in prohibited advertising or other means of solicitation, are subject to revocation of the owner’s vacation rental license as well as a second-degree misdemeanor against the owner.

The Order was extended on May 4, 2020, as part of Executive Order 20-111 that outlines the administration’s Phase 1 Plan for Florida’s Recovery.

Currently, under Phase 1 of the plan to re-open Florida, vacation rentals are currently suspended if the property is:

• Rented for periods of less than 30 days or one calendar month, whichever is less;

• Advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests

• Otherwise regulated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation as a vacation rental pursuant to section 509.241, Florida Statutes.

This prohibition does NOT include: 

• Hotels, motels, inns, resorts, non-transient public lodging establishments, or time share projects

• Long-term rentals

• Rentals to persons performing military, emergency, governmental, health or infrastructure response, or travelers engaged in non-vacation commercial activities.

NABOR® ’s Government Affairs Department has received multiple inquiries requesting the definition of “long term rental” during Phase 1. While the order itself is vague in its definition, according to Deputy Director of Florida DBPR’s Division of Hotel and Restaurants in correspondence with the Florida Vacation Management Association, “a rental unit provided for stays of 30 consecutive days or more is considered a non-transient rental and would not be classified as a vacation rental”.

REALTOR®  members are cautioned to use an abundance of care in renting and listing vacation rental units at this time to protect themselves and their customers against vacation rental violations, and are reminded to check with their Broker for office policy pertaining to vacation rentals.