Cape Coral city commissioners are discussing short-term rentals in Cape Coral at their Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday. It's been a hot topic for a while.
"Within the past few years, we've already experienced 10 to 12 short-term rentals on our horseshoe," said Thomas Piatkowski, a Cape Coral resident and realtor.
Piatkowski has expressed his concerns about the lack of city regulations for short-term rentals to council members before. He said it's been a problem on his street, SW 14th Avenue, for a while.
"There were condoms out on the street, used condoms, and we don't need to see that," he said. "The children in the neighborhood didn't need to see that."
Cape Coral realtor Sam Yaffey has had problems with short-term rentals, too.
"We did have a vacation rental on the other side of this canal a couple of years ago, and luckily, they listened to me when I called them and said, 'You have a problem,'" she said. "I had to call the landlord."
Homeowners must register and pay a $35 fee.
"One of the things that could be implemented here, instead of $35 for a lifetime or registration, is $500 a year," Piatkowski said. "I found other cities in this state that implement different rules and regulations than the city of Cape Coral. I tried expressing this to our council member. He didn't want to hear it at the time."
The City of Cape Coral says the total number of active short-term rentals has almost doubled in the past seven years, from about 5,000 in 2018 to 8,808 in 2024.
More people are renting, especially right now, according to Yaffey.
"February, the Red Sox are going to be playing," she said. "They'll be playing here, we'll be having games, and our population will swell to its max number."
She said the number is only going to increase.
You can share your opinion on this at tomorrow's meeting, starting at 9 a.m.
The city hasn't said if it's thinking about changing or adding any rules.