Vacation rental advocates write article supporting their case: They are right and we are losers or so they imply.Read more... about the people who have come into our city and have broken our laws. They are threatening a lawsuit if they can't get their way and say "Lake Worth will lose if the commission restricts short-term rentals."
46 comments:
Tourists spending money, well kept properties, taxes. What is wrong with changing our ordinance and allowing three night minimums.
I think that you have to look at all of the possible scenarios especially the worst case. It is possible, if not probable, that slum lords will be buying up houses thus attracting houses "of ill repute" that will lead to hourly rentals. We are trying to build up the residential neighborhoods, not tear them down.
The other thing, I just don't like people coming to town and rubbing our ordinances in our faces and then threatening to sue us if we don't change them for their self-interest. Not my sort of people.
people here is what is going on---people homestead their properties---they dont live there--but use their property to rent out all rooms in the house --start on north palm way ---and you will find the truth and what is going on in our city--very big problem that jeff clemens ran on and did nothing at all about this problem that has gone on for a very long time
Ms Lewis is a modern day carpet bagger. She is a liar. She knew the law when she CHOSE to come here and BREAK IT. I ,and thousands of other families also knew the laws when we came here and bought homes in residential ,single family neighborhoods. We CHOSE NOT to live next door to night-by-night rental properties!! Our code department can't keep their heads above water with what we have now. The sheriffs officers I have talked to said it would be a nightmare for them. As it is, they have been called may times to rent by the night places because of late night noise. In the last month alone the Lake Osborne neighborhood has had TEN residential robberies. As neighbors ,how do we keep an eye on our neighborhoods if we don't even know who is residing in them? Our Commissioners are supposed to protect us, their citizens, and follow the law. Lake Worth had better think long and hard about not protecting it's residents. If they allow an out of town law breaker like Ms. Lewis to spit in our faces, then they WILL have a lawsuit on their hands. A HUGE ONE- on behalf of the residents of Lake Worth. P.S. go on her website for Eden House . She is advertising a two night minimum. Everyone had better call your Commissioners and show up to defend our homes. You can bet that the poodle headed bitch will PACK the room with people from all over the state .
Lynn, it is obvious that you have never driven Dixie Highway, or Federal Highway. All the Motels have been bought for either Sobriety House, or Houses of Ill Repute. Asking a City to change there ordinance is not rubbing their faces in it. Things change and we need new revenue streams.
Lynn, why do you always take the dooms day approach to everything¿¿¿ Houses of Ill Repute, Please the only thing that might happen is the Slum Lords will get more illegal aliens into the City, you know the once that Jennings, and Mulvehile were always cottling, and catering to-- It was a Newspaper Article for God sake if you do not agree with it write to the opinion page, and voice your concern, it will get to a lot more people than your BLOG:
We can't do a 3 night minimum or one week minimum because state law prevents any change in our current law. If we change our law we lose our grandfathered 60 day restriction. If that happens it would be legal to rent your house out by the hour. I bought my home in a residential neighborhood. Why should my neighbor be able to run a hotel business next door to me.whether peartKe
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House of Ill repute was a way to exaggerate a point, anonymous--anyone in their right mind would understand that.
I write OPINION right here. I don't need to go elsewhere. My blog gets plenty of people. I don't have the time to write for other organizations nor the desire.
You are totally wrong about Mulvehill as usual. So don't try to come over here and post lies again.
These people buying up houses to rent out by the night or the week in our neighborhoods have one hell of a nerve. Who cares about the fact they keep their properties looking ok, it isn't the point. What happens to the next idiot who comes in and does the same thing, rents to undesirables, and will get away with it. It will happen if the city changes its policy and Code has no way to deal with it. They can't even keep up with the code violations already prevalent throughout this city. The city will end up overall looking like a place you would want to put a match to. We want to attract occupied homeowners, not more rentals all for the lousy rental fee the city might make. BS to that.
There is no way that they wrote that article. Who did? Michael Weiner?
There are a lot of rentals in Lake Worth, something like 70% some contend.The other day we received an email that said:
This is a reminder, as required in our by-laws, to let you know that we will be having elections for our board of directors at our next meeting (Monday June 3rd). Mary Lindsey and Phil Materio have kindly agreed to run for re-election. If any dues paying member would also like to run please be at that meeting.
That reminds me. Its time to collect dues. If you would like to be an official member and wish to vote on issues , elections, etc. please bring $15 for individuals or $30 for business owner to our next meeting.......
It is ironic that Mary and Phil have agreed to run for re-election to the board of TRNA, yet neither actually live in TRNA, they own businesses or rent out houses there only. Now even the landlords and business owners are running TRNA, no one goes to the meetings anymore, a sign that most of TRNA is all rentals evidently or what? You would think they would make in their by-laws that at least the people running TRNA at least live and sleep in that neighborhood. What is going on here? Why don't people have an interest in these meetings and the TRNA? Is it because the city just doesn't do anything in this area and most have given up? Lynn do you know why Mary and Phil are in charge yet don't even live in TRNA?
How long have these 50 vacation house owners been doing this? The city and County should get them for all back taxes and then we should just have slum lords to buy next door to their rental, maybe a gang banger or two. They must do this where there is proper zoning.
11:00am--It must be in your by-laws that once were on the TRNA web site... can't find them but please check it out. It seems to me that some people have way too much to do. As Mary is now President of the Presidents' Council, I am assuming that their by-laws don't preclude her from being a president of any NA if she owns property in that district. I suppose someone could buy a little place in every neighborhood and control the entire action in our city. :)
8:07 We all know vacation rentals are not in the busness of hourly. Slum lords try to get as many young males in each unit as possible, as the blight does not bother them. These have a huge turnover. Talk about whose next door! Vacation rentals may be a necessary option. Regulate them and tax them. As for building up neighborhoods, what have we accomplished all these years? Time to put feelings aside and compromise.
Too much power concentrated in any place is NEVER good!
Me thinks when the city obeys all the laws it expects US to obey there may be a change! Just because the code exempts the commission and city employees does NOT make it OK and people know it! Just look the the proposed Enterprise Zone in the Propaganda PPT on Tour on the city website! The Zone fits in Many RESIDENTIAL AREAS! If the city BEGS FOR/GETS that Grant $$$ it means WALMART or COSTCO can come in and negotiate w/the city employees (UNKNOWN TO OUR ELECTED REPS) and walla - you have one P&Z Meting and 2 City meetings (Roughly 6-7 MINUTES TOTAL at 3 different meetings to defend your PROPERTY!) Please tell me how this is better than a vacation rental? Our Elected say they want home ownership out of one side of their mouths while THEY ACTUALLY APPROVE MORE RENTALS??? Double Speak Whiskey Tango Foxtrot BS!!!
This is now about Property Relationships. 2 B&B's against 50 Rentals? That's some math! Where is their place in the LDR's? Where is their voice too? Where are ALL our voices? Stop telling US and start ASKING US what we need to survive! We CAN work it out!
"Time to put feelings aside and compromise."
To hell with that! WHY NOT JUST FOLLOW OUR DAMN LAWS???? Municipalities have the right to enact ordinances to protest their residents. Heck, they have a DUTY TO! Let the poodle headed bitch sue us. Tell her to pound sand. We have the law on our side. Thank GOD some Commission in the past had the brains to put this on the books. Any lake Worth Commissioner not voting to kick this carpet bagger's azz out of town will have THEIR AZZ kicked out-of office!!!!
1:50 temper! temper! idiotic and immature post. hopefully very few think like you, if not we are in big trouble.
Thanks PBPost for allowing this Op-Ed propaganda piece.
We need revenue, but we say no to 6 story hotels, vacation rentals, fpl. Ok what are we for? Is it not a warning of bad things to come when we miss our first casino payment. We want the pool, paved and repaired roads, and cleaner city, but we to often speak like1:50.
All your complaints at 2:41 have nothing to do with vacation rentals and those owners breaking our laws. NOT ONE THING. Just exactly what amount of revenue will the city generate from these rentals, commercial enterprises in residential neighborhoods? Give me a dollar amount. What it will eventually do, is bring in the scam and scum landlord who will use this as an excuse to rent to every transient going. Our city, then, will be at the point of NO RETURN. IMO.
As far as delaying the payment to ourselves on the Casino, that's all it is--a delay. This is to give the casino at least one full year of operations to generate the income. Also, it has not been voted upon--just suggested by the finance director.
I was talking about revenue streams and vacation rentals are just that. Scam and scum, really, is that what tourists are. But like I said what are you for? How about just 2 revenue producers?
the utility loaned the city the funds for the casino build out. my humble opinion is the city will never make a payment, as legally they do not have to. Also they cannot afford to.
Again 4pm, what sort of revenue to the city are you talking about? It doesn't matter that they break our laws, right? No problem with you just so long as we get them to pay some sort of a rental license? And I am not talking about tourists--I am talking about the dregs who will take advantage of any law allowing short-term rentals. But you knew that.
Come on now,Lynn.Don't you want to whore our city?
lynn, Besides rental license, we would share in bed tax. Also they would be required to pay commercial utilities. I think also a fine for the years they have not been in compliance.No it is not allright that they broke our laws.But lets do something workable now and monitor them.
Can you give me some idea as to how the city will monitor all the Tom, Dick and Harry's coming into our city if we loosen this law? How will we do that? How will it be "workable?" We can't even force someone to clean up the trash in their yard or mow the weeds. How do we know who is coming into our city and staying next door to us? It's NOT a hotel and there should not be transient housing in the residential neighborhoods. Just my opinion. Laws are there for all of us, not just some of us and 60 days is good.
lynn, this is not to argue, but at a recent comm. mtg. mr. waters was asked howthe city would enforce whatever they come up with. he said alot of what has to be enforced in a city,such as police, code,etc. is by reporting of potential problems by residents.
A house around the corner from me has been selling fuc$ing mattresses out of their front yard for TWO YEARS!!!Code can't do a damn thing.
When the rent by night slum next to me turns into the rent by the hour slum, I and the probably very few idiots that haven't bailed out of Lake Worth will have absolutely NO RECOURSE.
We can report until the cows come home. Unfortunately the city does not have the resources to check out every complaint or ANY complaint for that matter. As stated in a previous two blogs, the city manager has told them to tackle life threatening situations first--prioritize the code complaints in that fashion. Stanton decided years ago that it didn't matter how many code officers we had, the system was broken and their hands were tied to get anything done. Once a complaint did get to the magistrate phase, the owner would prove he complied, pay a reduced fine and then go out and commit the same infraction again.
I would hope, once short-term vacation rentals are turned down, that the city will make this a top priority to enforce our laws.
I would think it relevant why the ordinance was put there in the first place. Back then, we had seasonal residents and I know that many people owned and rented their single family homes out fore the season.
We also had a large amount of motels that were used as they were intended.
The motels are regulated by rules related to hotels, motels and restaurants. These rules allow people to be "ejected" rather than evicted, the lengthier process.
Time marches on and things change. We are not as seasonal as we used to be. We have limited our potential for a hotel in the recent vote and there is a huge vacuum for this type of vacation accommodations.
Why not use our zoning code to allow these vacation rentals in certain parts of the city where it could actually help the neighborhoods? These would obviously be neighborhoods that are currently heavy in rentals. If you wanted to start a vacation rental business, just like if you wanted to open a gas station, you would have to be in the right zone.
Therefore you'd be able to regulate them out of the predominantly owner occupied neighborhoods while affording a way to improve the neighborhoods that need it. You've seen how nice some investors have made both the inside and outside of these homes.
This, or something like it could probably be workable within the state law that was pushed through with heavy lobbying by the vacation rental/real estate group.
There are many quite cool destinations not only here but around the world that make this an attractive opportunity.
You all wanted "quaint". Well quaint little towns have vacation rentals. People are attracted to that quaintness. Times change, laws can change too.
Let's see if we can use this to help Lake Worth instead of one more issue to divide us.
It is still important to remember that just the same way the absentee owner who rents to 10 illegals bringing our neighborhoods down, these absentee owners are possibly the answer to start bringing these neighborhoods back up.
"I would hope, once short-term vacation rentals are turned down, that the city will make this a top priority to enforce our laws."
Wow! Bringing in well heeled couples or families, from all over the country and world, who want to come to our little piece of paradise and stay for a weekend and spend money in our downtown in a nicely kept house instead of our non-existent hotel should be a "top priority" of law enforcement?
Not the blight, drugs, over crowding, prostitution, loitering in our parks or God forbid, not wearing your seat belt?
Where are your priorities?
1) You have broken our law
2) If you want to run a hotel, buy a property that is properly zoned for it.
3) I disagree with the remark that we have limited our potential for a hotel to be built. 4 story hotels are built all over the place.
4) I do believe that it is GREED that makes people break our laws or want to change them or change our city with some bogus cry that allowing developers or property owners to change our laws will change the neighborhoods or our city for the good. That is simply giving a prejudicial opinion for GREED.
5) People can't continue to do what they want to do just because they want to do it.
6) Enforce our laws on the books--not just some of them but ALL OF THEM.
Greed certainly is behind this movement. I would bet that developers, real estate people, property owners all want us to allow anything in our city for their benefit. To say something like this would bring up the neighborhoods is an unproven comment. These people are buying in stable neighborhoods that already look good. They would not be buying west of Dixie unless they want to attract all sorts of more unwanteds and make the neighborhood worse for the money they will make. These are not people who live in our city but those who want to take advantage of our cheap housing stock and run a business in our neighborhoods. they could care less ab out Lake wroth other than the money they will reap from going around our laws.
We just do not see improvements in this city, especially west of Dixie, they need to disband the CRA and have the city elected be more accountable, the CRA just keeps itself afloat never showing hardly any improvements int he west, it has been bad for 15-20 years and still not improvements, how long will this last? Forever? The CRA is a big reason why we do not see sustainable improvements in our city, they need to be disbanded, it should really be in place only until their job is done then phased out, but the people running it do not want that, they want big salaries and little improvements so to keep the CRA intact, it is a joke, a waste of tax payer money, not fair to us tax paying residents who want a better Lake Worth.
"These people are buying in stable neighborhoods that already look good."
That is my point. Why not allow vacation rentals ONLY in the areas that are now heavily rentals. West of Dixie between say 7th Ave North and 6th Ave South?
Some of the owner occupied home owners in THAT area would LOVE to see the type of improvements that have been made in the "stable" neighborhoods by these investors.
And since they are already heavy in rentals, they would not be such a burden on our "stable" neighborhoods.
And Lynn,
1) I have not broken your laws. I am merely expressing my opinion. I can see both sides of the issue. If you have a law the needs to be changed, you change it. (remember height limits?)
2)A hotel is nothing like these. And I AM proposing an area zoned to allow these as a way to improve those neighborhoods.
3)What you believe about limiting our ability to lure a hotel is hogwash. It's not even debatable. But that horse has left the barn, so now we must deal with the 4 story limit and a hotel is not likely in our future.
4)At what point do you place the line between making a return on your investment and greed? If you break even, is that ok? This is where you sound communistic.
5)"People can't continue to do what they want to do just because they want to do it. " Right.... in China.
6)Enforcing ALL of our laws is not only a pipe dream but oversimplifies the topic. Remember, you put a "top priority" on enforcing the laws against these greedy people bringing jobs, tourism, business and generally improving property they own in our city. The law may need to be looked at. (remember building heights?)
Did not Cara and Peter have a boarding house West of Dixie that was not Licensed? How did she get around the Law? How long did this go on for, or is it still going on? Was it Greed that made her do it, or was it a way to supplement her anarcist agenda?
10:44--It was said that she had friends staying with her. No law about that. I don't know the particulars or how many. She lives in her house that she owns.
10:37--you have your opinion and I have mine.
ROI is an objective by all businessmen but that IS the point. Commerical establishments should not be in residential neighborhoods but located in areas of the city that are zoned for them. Why do our laws always have to change for some guy who wants to make a buck off our city. They need to work within our ordinances.
And yes, I remember building heights and you LOST. Greed by some at the sacrifice of our small town was recognized.
remember both b and bs are in residential neighborhoods. so much for that arguement. yes the hotel idea is dead,four story would not be profitable. yes cara is a slumlord, go check. yes busnessman try to make a buck.
What is the zoning?
Cara is living in her house again with her baby. Don't have any info on anything else so it's nice to know that you know so much about her since it sounds like you don't even like her.
Are you a hotelier?
Guess you did not see the picture of the sign on her door that stated it was $30.00 per night to sleep in her residence. Was that greed, I mean it was while she was getting a paycheck from the City.
the city is a mess. we keep electing unqualified people, because the qualified ones do not want personal attacks. the regular pay my taxes, care for my property,support my local merchants, and volunteer to better my city type of guy really gets hosed. if you want to make a reasonable profit you are greedy, if you are a hotelier, someone who knows nothing about occupancy tells you what to build with your money. told we need to talk to fpl brings the local control is better arguement. of course our great controlers have us at the highest rates in the state. now we have vacation rentals, who wants tourist dollars and tax rev. not us!
We don't have to know about operating hotels. All we know is--this is OUR city and our opinion should be worth something and if we want it to look a certain way, we have that right. Corporations don't go out and build 4 story hotels everywhere in the world without making a profit. That just seems obvious even to the most unintelligent, you know those guys who disagree with you. What is a "reasonable" profit? I asked a former boss that once. Reasonable means making as much as you possibly can and convincing P&Z's and local building depts. to go along with it all. And you have no idea what it is like to get "hosed." Try expressing your opinion under your real name. And I believe that most elected officials try to do their very best. The only problem, as I see it, they do NOT listen to all their constituents, perhaps only to those closest to them or they formulate an opinion that is inflexible no matter what argument you may have. They have the power.
Lynn,
...and build 4 story hotels everywhere in the world without making a profit......
why in earth would anyone want to invest in a hotel or decent business in Lake Worth now, the conditions are horrible, too much blight, who would want to stay in a hotel with blight surrounding them? The city leaders need to clean the city up first, then market it a little better, but not until it is CLEANED UP!
I agree with you but then, tourists who would come here do not have to live among the dregs. All they see is our downtown, our beach and our golf course...all the wonderful places. So, a hotelier could make plenty of money here.
Yes Lynn Our beautiful Downtown, with drunks and drug addicts hanging out in the Cultural Plaza, and Bryant Park, A Golf Course where the Grill is a joke, and the food almost uneatable, and the Beach where all you ever post about is the horrible parking, and the confusing meters. Bring on all those Hoteliers that want to make a profit...
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