On July 6, 2020, Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez announced that he would be signing an emergency order that will close restaurants (except for takeout and delivery services), gyms, and short term rentals. Among others, these closings will go into effect Wednesday, July 8, 2020. He later issued an update to his original announcement allowing for restaurants and gyms to remain open with restrictions but ordered that short term rentals remain closed.

Hotels and motels in the city have been allowed to remain open even though, arguably, they present a higher risk of spreading the virus than smaller vacation rentals. In most cases, hotels will contain more shared spaces than vacation homes where contact with others becomes more likely. Single occupancy vacation homes allow for safe social distancing more so than crowded hotel hallways and common areas. Services like Airbnb and HomeAway allow for no contact check-in and eliminate the need for physical contact with guests. These same services are also working hard to slow the spread of the virus through enhanced safety measures, including mandatory gaps between guests and higher cleaning standards that property owners must follow.

I urge the county to reconsider this decision and beg them to realize that allowing hotels to remain open while forcing short term rental properties to close is unjust. Unfortunately, this imbalance in restrictions will negatively affect many individuals within our community who depend on rental income for their livelihood while the large hotel corporations reap the benefits. I appreciate the city's efforts to contain the virus. Still, I feel that these policies pose a significant threat to an already hurting industry while allowing the part of that industry with more power to remain operational. As Miami Lakes Mayor said, our focus should be on enforcement, education, and compliance with CDC guidelines