Order in Florida Short Term Rental Case

Here's the written order (1.8mb pdf) in Milo v. City of Venice, Case No. 2008 CA 552 SC (Mar. 17, 2008), the Florida case invalidating a municipality's restrictions on short term rentals that I posted earlier.  The case arose after the city's planning director determined that the local zoning ordinance restricted short term rentals in "residential" districts. 

The ruling is, of course, specific to Florida law, but there are two points worth noting:

• The court held that short term rental is not a "business" use.  "Indeed many rental properties, regardless of the duration of the rental term, are for profit ventures and could therefore be characterized as 'businesses.'"  Slip op. at 6.  The local code also permits temporary residences without limitation.

• Despite the rule that courts generally should defer to an agency's interpretation of regulations it administers, the court noted the rule that "[z]oning regulations are in derogation of private ownership rights and should be construed broadly in favor of property owners absent a clear intent to the contrary."  Slip op. at 5.  The court held that the municipality's failure to clearly define the term of tenancies in its code was fatal.