Anna Maria Island landlords say their vacation rentals will be safe from COVID-19
After agonizing weeks of being unable to rent their vacation homes to visitors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, property owners got some good news Tuesday when Manatee County Commissioners put their stamp of approval on a reopening plan.
Even before the county forwarded the plan later Tuesday to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for final approval, landlords were already being inundated by phone calls from prospective visitors seeking rentals.
State approval for reopening vacation rentals could come Friday, or maybe a little earlier, said Kelly Clark, director of communications for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Some of the Florida counties that submitted reopening plans for vacation rentals this past weekend have already received approvals, she said.
Under the guidelines approved by Manatee County this week, visitors from COVID-19 hot spots would not be allowed to rent a vacation home locally. Hot spot states, where there are more than 700 cases per 100,000 population, include New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Illinois and Louisiana. International guests also would not be allowed.
Manatee County vacation landlords say they have already implemented all state health and safety recommendations, including maintaining adequate time between guest stays, cleaning and disinfecting all frequently-touched surfaces, and washing all linens, dishware and other service items.
Floridians want to come to Anna Maria Island
Most of those calling about rentals in Manatee County are from Bradenton and the greater Tampa Bay area.
“Most are family units just wanting to get out of the house, to get away,” Nancy McAleer said of the desire to break out of pandemic lock down.
“I have two pages of names on a waiting list of people wanting to rent,” said McAleer, who owns three rental properties on Anna Maria Island and is co-founder of Florida Rental by Owners.
Local vacation rental landlords have already implemented a sanitation and safety plan as detailed as any prepared by retail stores and restaurants to keep guests and locals safe, McAleer said.
“We banded together to debunk the myths about the safety of rentals. We are business owners with licenses and know how to run a business. For most of us, this is our primary source of income. It’s been a long, hard road,” she said. “We wondered when the governor would ever mention us when lifting the lock-down.”
It was a huge relief when Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved the reopening plan and sent it to the state for final approval, McAleer said.
“Our callers are saying they don’t want to go to a hotel, they feel safer in a rental home. We all want to do the right thing, following safe, step-by-step procedures driven by data,” McAleer said.
Joe Varner, who represents a number of island landlords, said he is pleased that the governor finally began lifting the ban on vacation rentals, but it comes about three weeks too late to take advantage of prime tourist season.
“We are seeing a bunch of visitors looking to come to the island in the next couple of weeks. This time of the year — from Memorial Day to Labor Day -— 70 to 75 percent of visitors are within a three to four-hour drive. It’s mostly local anyway,” Varner said.
Julie Andrews had been visiting Anna Maria Island for 10 years before finally buying her rental property in January of 2019.
“I was ecstatic at the county commission vote. I wasn’t sure where they stood. But it became clear that they understood our plight,” Andrews said.
An estimated 80 to 85 percent of short-term rentals in Manatee County are vacation rentals.
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 3:12 PM.
