Cape Coral cracks down on party house rentals, hiking fees to $350

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral began raising its rental registration fees for short-term rentals on January 1, with city officials hoping the increase will help eliminate hosts who don't follow regulations.

Fox 4's Bella Line spoke with a council member and an rental owner about the changes:

The registration rate is now $350 a year for short-term rentals and $35 a year for long-term rentals. For more information, click here.

"You would hope that those fines would deter that type of reoccurring behavior," Cape Coral City Council Member Jennifer Nelson-Lastra said.

The fee increase comes after ongoing issues with some rental properties in the city.

One waterfront neighborhood in south Cape Coral has dealt with a short-term rental that neighbors say brings loud parties and doesn't follow the seven-day stay requirement.

The same owner operates another rental that was charged thousands of dollars in fines this year.

Erin Maher owns a home next to the problematic property and also operates hers as a rental when she's not staying there. She believes the rule-breaking hosts are deliberately ignoring city council directives.

"They basically are snubbing the council," Maher said.

However, Maher doesn't think the fee increase will solve the underlying problems.

"I think that the application fee is really targeting the good, responsible homeowners and hosts that want the same thing," Maher said.

Nelson-Lastra emphasized that the city isn't trying to punish responsible hosts. She says the additional revenue will fund resources to track down hosts who aren't following regulations and fine them.

"We would hope that those fines wake them up," Nelson-Lastra said.

Maher believes stricter enforcement measures would be more effective than fee increases.

"A three night minimum, I think would be a really good balance for hosts," Maher said. "I think revoking their license and having a strict enforcement officer here shutting down their operation would."

The city says the registration fee change will be based on the renewal date for each property, and they will send out reminder notices to property owners.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.