🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Cape Coral, FL
Cape Coral Cracks Down on Short Stays and Price Skips
A Deep Dive into Your Area’s STR Updates — Helping You Navigate the Ever-Changing Rental Landscape.
Cape Coral Cracks Down on Short Stays and Price Skips
In sunny Cape Coral, Florida, short-term rentals are under the microscope—and a storm of change may be brewing for vacation property owners.
City inspectors recently uncovered hundreds of listings on popular booking sites that violated Cape Coral’s week-long minimum stay rule, sparking a fresh wave of concern over enforcement gaps and regulatory confusion. The discovery comes as the city ramps up its efforts to bring more oversight to the booming short-term rental (STR) market.
Leading the charge is Council Member Jennifer Nelson-Lastra, who’s heading a dedicated task force to revamp the city’s STR policies. “We do not have a lot of hotels,” she explained, “so we rely on vacation rentals to house our tourists.” But, she added that reliance has to come with responsibility.
One of the most heated proposals on the table? Raising the annual rental fee from $35 to $600. That’s right—more than a 17x increase, and it's not sitting well with residents.
“How are you trying to run people out when our economy needs to grow?” asked one concerned local, Mike. Another resident, Aiden, called the jump “outrageous,” suggesting a more modest increase might be fair.
To cool tensions and find common ground, the task force is looking at Sanibel’s system as a model. Sanibel sets rental fees based on property type, capping them at $300—a potential middle ground Cape Coral might consider.
Nelson-Lastra has made it clear she’s not just focused on fees—enforcement is key. She’s pushing for tougher actions against repeat offenders.
“If a business doesn’t comply, and a magistrate tells them to—and they still don’t—what do you do? You shut them down,” she said bluntly.
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The task force also wants to strengthen the support system behind enforcement. That means giving local law enforcement and code officers the tools they need to better monitor booking platforms and crack down on illegal listings.
Cape Coral’s summer meetings will be crucial as the task force shapes a more structured set of rules. With tensions rising and opinions split, it’s clear that locals care deeply about finding the right balance between welcoming tourists and protecting neighborhood quality of life.
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