Coalition for the Responsible Re-Opening of Florida Vacation Rentals

May 13, 2020

Governor Ron DeSantis
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com 

Dear Governor DeSantis:

As a collective of responsible professional vacation rental operators and stakeholders, we write to outline a balanced proposal for the safe reopening of vacation rentals in our State.

We understand and are empathetic to the difficult and delicate choices you face in considering the reopening of Florida’s economy, and, specifically, the reopening of vacation rentals. We also applaud your commitment to a safe, incremental, and data-driven approach. It is with this appreciation that we have endeavored, in crafting this proposal, to balance the various data points you must consider against the need to save our local businesses from imminent financial failure and the need to ensure that our industry is treated equitably in the context of other hospitality options.

We propose the following plan for safely and responsibly reopening vacation rentals in Florida:

1. An Order is issued immediately stating that vacation rentals shall remain suspended under Executive Order 20-87 until 12:01 a.m. on May 18th, 2020, at which time they will be permitted to reopen. We are prepared to offer safe, clean lodging to travelers immediately and would welcome a reopen date as early as today; the 18th is the latest we could open without suffering economic hardship that could lead to permanent closures of hundreds of small vacation rental businesses.
2. Vacation rental operators shall thoroughly clean and disinfect properties between rentals and shall provide information in each unit detailing their cleaning and sanitation procedures.
3. Vacation rental operators shall follow recommendations of the CDC and should consider adopting the VRHP/VRMA Cleaning Guidelines for COVID-19.
4. All staff working in units or interacting with guests (housekeepers, inspectors, maintenance technicians, or anyone else) should wear masks and disposable gloves.

We offer this proposal with these key considerations in mind:

• Importance of the Season – Our businesses, the community businesses that rely upon us, and the DMOs and counties that depend on our tax base, are all heavily dependent on the 12-week season that begins on Memorial Day weekend. Our State’s over $31 billion dependence on the vacation rental market sees 42% of its revenue in the 12-weeks that start on Memorial Day weekend. Many markets see over 58% of their revenue during this period, with upwards of 4.5% coming during the week of Memorial Day alone.
• Safety – Third-party survey data makes clear that many travelers intend to seek out private homes because they offer greater “control” over cleanliness. Skift, U.S. Travel Tracker (March 2020)  Over the past few weeks, while some vacationers have decided to rebook in other open states, most have begun to fill the resorts and hotels in our local markets. The high-touch interactions these facilities create for vacationing families poses an increased risk for the spread of infection well beyond what would occur in a private vacation home.
• Financial Breaking Point – We have been closed for weeks beyond most other industries, and our businesses and those that rely on upon us are at our breaking point. Without revenue for the weeks starting Memorial Day weekend, many companies will begin to file for bankruptcy and/or be irreparably harmed. With the benefits of the PPP program expiring, our businesses need the revenue from Memorial Day week bookings to stay afloat and to continue to employ the hundreds of thousands of employees supporting our businesses across the State of Florida.
• Notice to Prepare – Vacation rental properties are unique in that bookings typically take place well in advance of arrival. As a result, as we struggle to keep our businesses afloat, the uncertainty surrounding when we will reopen is the most damaging of all. Guests are repeatedly being booked, canceled, and rebooked. Families don’t know whether to cancel their plans for Saturday, Memorial Day, or July. And our businesses don’t know whether to hang on for a few weeks, terminate more employees, or begin shutting down. Issuing an Executive Order now, with a specific reopen date solves this.
• No Cleaning Waiting Period - As we look to Phase II as recommended, visitors will be hopping on and off roller-coasters, staying at theme parks and hotels, visiting restaurants, going to the movies, and attending sporting events. All of these industries will be expected to follow the CDC’s guidance on keeping our locals and visitors safe, but none of them will be subject to an artificial closure period for cleaning. Our industry is as equipped as any other large or small business to get this right.
• No In-State Restriction - Adding unique restrictions that ban out-of-state visitors to vacation rentals but allows them to stay at resorts, time-shares, and hotels serves to strengthen the large hotel industry at the cost of all the small vacation rental businesses struggling to survive. It also uniquely punishes communities that are driven by vacation rental markets with few hotels, particularly the many markets that see few if any in-state visitors. 

We are committed, as an industry and as a coalition of professionals, to support your efforts to safely open Florida’s economy using a thoughtful, measured, data-driven approach. With over a month to prepare, we are ready to welcome guests back safely today. We’ve written guidelines, sat through dozens of webinars on the topic, and had countless communications with owners and guests about how to accomplish this safely while balancing the interests we all seek in keeping our loved ones safe.

Despite our readiness, we offer this proposal in the hopes that it will give you the necessary latitude to provide us with a date certain for reopening. Beyond May 18th, the disparate treatment of vacation rentals cannot be supported by the data. Beyond May 18th, the balance will have clearly shifted toward the need to save our industry, our employees, and the communities that depend upon us.

We are joined by the larger community of vacation rental professionals who have signed on to the cooperative in support of this proposal at https://www.change.org/FloridaVacationRentals    

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the proposal or to present you with further data that you believe would be helpful to your consideration.

Respectfully,

Vacation Rental Management Association - Toby Babich, President/CEO

Key Data Dashboard - Jason Sprenkle, CEO

360 Blue - Ashley Horsley, CEO

Rented.com - Cliff Johnson, COO

Breezeway - Jeremiah Gall, CEO

Rent Responsibly - David Krauss, Founder

Southern Management Group - Scott Seay, CEO

Rosemary Beach Cottage Rental Agency - Jessica Standley, President

TurnKey - John Banczak, Co-Founder/CEO

Natural Retreats - Doug Burns, COO/CFO

ResortQuest/Vacasa - Ron Whitfeld, Regional Director

InhabitIQ - Lisa Stinnett, CEO

NetChoice - Steve DelBianco, President & CEO

The Internet Association - Robert Callahan, Senior Vice President

The Travel Technology Association - Steve Shur, President

iTrip Vacations - Steve Presley, CEO

Newman Dailey - Jeanne Dailey, CEO

Royal Destinations - Brian Moffatt, CEO

Ocean Reef Vacation Rentals - Tim Taylor, Owner

Seascape Golf Beach & Tennis Resort - Ron Mote, Resort Ops. Dir.

LiveRez, LLC / Virtual Resort Manager - Scott Butler, General Manager

Real Joy Properties - Micha Berg, CEO

BizCor - Kenneth Wilson, Co-Founder & COO

Lynnbrook Group - Tim Popovich, President

Bluetent - Peter Scott, President

Sun Place Vacation Homes - Bob Oaks, President (VRMA Board Member)

Great Ocean Condos - Jennifer Frankenstein Harris, Owner (VRMA Board Member)

LSI Tools - Lynell Eaddy, CEO

Q4Launch - Matt Bare, Founder

RentalGuardian - Brady Stump, CEO & Co-Founder

Streamline VRS - Carlos Corzo, CEO