In my own district, when we started, we were suddenly staring at nearly 5,000 STRs to inspect — on top of the commercial and residential work already on our plate. It felt impossible. But through the process, we discovered something that changed our entire approach: compliance can be the key to sustainable funding.
The challenge
Florida law requires annual inspections of vacation rentals, including single-family homes. The intent is clear: to keep visitors and residents safe. The reality, however, is daunting.
Many districts underestimate how many STRs they actually have. At county meetings, I’ve heard estimates in the hundreds — only to later uncover thousands of active listings. That gap is where risk lives, and where compliance feels overwhelming.
The breakthrough
At first, our district wrestled with the same question everyone asks: “How do we afford this?” The answer came when we looked at STRs the same way we look at hotels and resorts. After all, a 10-bedroom vacation home rented to 20 guests isn’t “just a house” — it’s a business.
By adopting a fair assessment model for STRs, we ensured operators were contributing their share toward the safety systems that protect their guests.
The pushback
Change rarely comes without resistance. Our district faced a year-long lawsuit challenging our right to assess STRs. But we stayed the course, confident that our responsibility to public safety outweighed the opposition. In the end, the courts upheld our model.
The result? More than $3 million in new annual revenue — dedicated to inspections, vehicles, staffing, and training.
The payoff
That funding turned compliance from a burden into a strength. Instead of scrambling, we built a system:
- Dedicated inspectors trained specifically for STR environments.
- Technology tools to identify unregistered rentals and track compliance.
- Faster disaster recovery, using monitoring platforms to distinguish truly uninhabitable homes after hurricanes.
The same mandate that once felt like an unfunded liability became a sustainable program that protects visitors, empowers staff, and funds itself.
The lesson for other districts
The Florida experience proves that compliance doesn’t have to drain fire districts. With the right structure, STR inspections can generate the funding needed to cover their costs — and then some.
The alternative is risk: unsafe rentals, missed revenue, and the liability of ignoring state law. By leaning in, districts can flip the script, turning a daunting mandate into a win for both safety and sustainability.
