Bottom line, short term rentals suck when they are in your neighborhood and close to your home. It’s easy to say they aren’t a problem when there not in your neighborhood. We had a woman running an AIRBnB out of her home for a couple years which was extremely disruptive and disrespectful to the neighbors. Fortunately, she has moved out and our neighborhood is back to being peaceful and enjoyable, but I sincerely feel sorry for fellow Villagers who have to deal with a similar situation.
The internal deed restrictions being violated by these rentals are the responsibility of the developer to enforce and they have chosen to look the other way. It’s no wonder why, restricting rentals will reduce demand for new homes since some potential home buyers won’t be able to easily generate income from their home while living there. And as anyone paying attention knows, it’s all about selling homes. Talk about the fox watching the hen house, can you say “conflict of interest”. As far as Sumter County doing something about the situation, don’t hold your breath. The county is basically controlled by the developer, and if they don’t want to address the situation don’t expect the county to act otherwise.
You could bet your bottom dollar that if new home sales dried up because potential buyers strongly communicated they don’t want to risk investing their savings in a community with short term rentals, the problem would be addressed in a heart beat. But as long as new homes are selling faster than they can be built, nothing will change.
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