🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Tybee Island, GA
Tybee Island’s Ballot Battle: Candidates Clash Over the Future of Short-Term Rentals
Tybee’s STR Debate Takes Center Stage Before Election Day
With Election Day just around the corner, Tybee Island’s upcoming vote isn’t just about who sits on City Council — it’s about what kind of neighborhood this beach town wants to be. At Tuesday night’s candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia and Forever Tybee, the most heated topic wasn’t roads, budgets, or even rising sea levels — it was short-term vacation rentals.
Three of Tybee’s six council seats are up for grabs this fall, with incumbents Michael “Spec” Hosti and Bill Garbett defending their spots, while Mayor Pro Tem Monty Parks steps aside. But the real divide onstage came when the moderator asked about Tybee’s short-term rental ordinance, a policy that’s long divided residents between preserving neighborhood character and supporting tourism-driven income.
Garbett didn’t mince words: “Short-term rentals take the neighbor out of neighborhood,” he said, framing STRs as a root cause of community decline. Hosti, on the other hand, pointed to the financial realities that push some property owners toward platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo: “They want to buy a piece of property here, and in order to pay the taxes and make the payments, they have a short-term rental.”
STRisker Calendar Tracker
Staying ahead of STR regulations isn’t just about deadlines—it’s about knowing what’s coming. Our Calendar Tracker keeps you informed on upcoming meetings, key votes, and policy changes, so you never miss a critical update.
New candidates brought a resident-first tone. Jim Harrah expressed frustration that long-term islanders are losing ground: “We’re being disingenuous to residents who are trying to maintain a long-term life here.” Fellow newcomer Nicholas Hale echoed that concern, saying current rules “don’t protect those people that have lived here forever.”
With early voting opening October 14 and Election Day on November 4, this debate over STRs has clearly become a defining issue — one that could shape how Tybee balances its identity as both a tight-knit island community and a tourist destination.
Powered by CivicPlus®
Stay Updated with STRisker
STRisker offers tools and features to keep you updated with the Short-Term Rental movement across the U.S.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
We're always looking for ways to improve Bulletins.
Was this one useful to you? Other topics you'd like to see get covered?
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading this Bulletin? Feel free to forward this along. We want to make sure operators and stakeholders are aware of regulatory changes in their area.