Since the Monroe County Tax Collectortook over enforcement of unlicensed vacation rentals Jan. 1, the agency has collected $52,000 in taxes and resolved hundreds of cases, according to Tax Collector Danise Henriquez.
Homes or condos rented for less than a month at a time in the Keys are required to collect the four-cent tourism tax, which funds the Keys tourism promotion effort as well as contributing to the county coffers. In addition, it's illegal to rent short-term without a special license in most areas and those licenses are limited.
"There's lost revenue up and down the Keys for everyone," Henriquez said. "And if they are illegally renting, we need to try and make them stop."
The county's Tourist Development Council issued a report in April detailing the extent of unlicensed vacation rentals in the island chain. Vacation rentals have long been a controversial topic in the Keys and online services such as Airbnb and Vacation Rental By Owner have made renting a home short-term much easier.
The county has created a hotline to report cases of suspected unlicensed rentals. Henriquez said her office has filed liens, seized bank accounts and referred two cases to the Monroe County State Attorney's Office.
The goal, Henriquez said, is compliance.
"I'm not here to try to put liens on properties. I'm not trying to seize your bank accounts," Henriquez said. "I'm just trying to make sure that there's a level playing field for everyone."
