TITUSVILLE, Fla. — An Airbnb host in Brevard County is shocked after receiving a warning from Titusville Code Enforcement, and then a couple of months later, a citation for an ordinance he didn't know existed.

  • Former Airbnb host cited after hosting family friends
  • Florida prohibits cities from regulating short-term vacation rentals
  • Titusville still has ordinance banning short-term vacation rentals
  • Titusville grandfathered in before the 2011 law
  • More Brevard County headlines

Since last summer, JD Daniel says he's opened up his home to travelers from all over the world. That came to an end this year when he received a warning.

He says even though he stopped renting rooms on Airbnb, he received a citation for violation of the short-term rental ordinance a few weeks ago for having family friends stay over.

“At the time we started, there were a thousand in Titusville Airbnb listings. It gave us reason to believe it was OK,” Daniel said.

But Glenn Tolleson from code enforcement says that’s a violation of Titusville ordinance in place since 2007 that prohibits short-term rentals.

Even though since 2011, the Florida Legislature prohibits cities from regulating short-term vacation rentals, cities like Titusville are grandfathered in because they have their own laws in place before the 2011 law. 

“Is it a short-term rental? Is it rented three months or less within a year, or four times or less? (That) would constitute a short term rental,” Tolleson explained.

Tolleson said code enforcement does not go to every house listed on Airbnb — officials only go when they get a complaint.

“The issues that revolve around that, it becomes a nuisance to the rest of the neighborhood, with all of the cars coming and going, and people nowadays pay attention to their neighbors,” Tolleson said.

Daniel could be fined up to $250 a day for each day a house guest stays over.

Code enforcement determines whether the people staying over after the original warning were guests — not family or friends of the homeowners.

His advice to anyone in Titusville planning on doing short-term rentals? Love thy neighbor.

“Give cookies to your neighbors. You want to be on good terms with them, because the only time code shows up is when there's is a complaint,” Daniel said, laughing.

Code enforcement says this is the second of this type of citation in two years. There's a hearing scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday in the Council Chamber of Titusville City Hall to dispute the new citation.


CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said the hearing was this past Monday. In fact, it is this coming Monday at 2 p.m. The article has been updated to reflect this change.