working together
to protect our homes
and neighborhoods,
and to improve our
community
West
Neighborhood
Associations
COMMISSION IN 2005 ASKING THEM NOT TO MAKE (IN EFFECT) HOTEL
ROOMS OUT OF EVERY RESIDENTIAL UNIT IN TRUMAN ANNEX, (THEREBY
TRASHING THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN).
FOR A RECENT EDITORIAL (10-12-07) ON THE STATUS OF "TRANSIENT
RENTALS" IN OUR COMMUNITY, GO TO THIS PAGE:
The "Last Word" on Transient Rentals?
CLICK HERE
We have had a number of attorneys look at the proposal, and the majority of them tell us that the agreement will have undesired
consequences, not only for the Truman Annex area, but also for the entire rest of the city.
Because of the nature of the Rollison decision, it is likely that this settlement, if passed, would be used as a template by others in
other parts of the city, including, among others, the litigants in the Abbe case.
All that one would have to do, under the terms of this agreement, would be to cite the same reliance Rollison had on the so-called
“50% rule,” and they would qualify for the right to continue transient operations indefinitely, without regard to location, zone, or
its affect on adjoining properties.
Experience has shown that “sprinkling” these transient operations among regular housing, to say the least, causes undue friction
(especially in crowded situations like the one in which I live), and will also result in the gradual conversion of much of the “second
home” area of the city into commercial operations. That area, where many of the properties are second homes, is unfortunately
not limited to Old Town, but has spread well into what were family neighborhoods in New Town, and beyond.
do is something that will result in the conversion of more long-term living spaces into transient accommodations.
We urge you to ask for a second, if not a third, independent and unbiased legal opinion before voting on this settlement. The
ramifications of it go well beyond a strict interpretation of the Rollison case.
We also can see absolutely no reason why the right to rent on a transient basis should run with the property, and be able to be
conveyed to subsequent owners. That aspect alone goes far beyond the written decision in Rollison.
The settlement should be based on a narrow reading of Rollison. It should not be a “giveaway” to commercial interests. I hope you
will take a look at the situation and request that the city gets some unbiased outside advice on this settlement, before the
commission votes on something that cannot be reversed, but which will have far reaching and possibly negative ramifications for
the foreseeable future.
I thank you for your consideration on this important matter, which has far reaching implications for our city.
Sincerely, A Concerned Resident
What we can do is support candidates that present ways to fix this terrible situation, and make sure we help them
and vote for them. And encourage others to do the same.
--- An Observer
TO GO BACK TO THE
MAIN PAGE
the Transient Rental problem must begin in the same place that the
problem originally began.
UNFORTUNATELY BOB JACOBS HAS ESSENTIALLY LOST HIS
BATTLE. NEIGHBORS IN NEW TOWN: DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN
TO YOU OR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
Condominiums if things do not change. For the last six years, I have lived in a first floor unit from November through May.
In 2001, the unit above me was sold. Just this past season, they rented out the unit for every week but three, during the six
months I was in Key West. I know from my exchanges with a few of these renters that they collect a sizable sum in cash
(not check or credit card) up front. I can understand why Key West inn keepers, and hotel owners, who abide by the codes
and pay the appropriate taxes on their businesses, would be outraged. Not only do these legitimate local businesses support
the city's tax base, they also comply with health code and access standards that the illegal transient rental unit owners
dismiss.
Many of the weekly occupants have been noisy and disrespectful to long-term renters and owners within Truman Annex. I
constantly need to clean the common area that we share and my own yard as a result of these occupants. But far more
urgent is the fact that I cannot feel safe within this gated community. As it attracts vacationers who frequently come to
Key West to party and over-indulge in alcohol consumption, I have been subjected to harassment and even physical assault.
In May, 2004, I was attacked by a drunken occupant of the unit above me. As a blind man, I was unable to visually identify
the assailant.
Due to the items I have recounted here, I have not since been able to feel safe at home in my highly taxed private Key
West property. I need to ask once again more how I can find a reliable source of the latest status of the Transient Rental
issue. Some have said that "The City has made a complete mess of things", but I still do not know what, if anything, is
considered legal and what is being enforced in terms of these short term occupancies. What happened to the amendment
that was to be worked out by the city attorney and taken before the city council? Is Truman Annex still being exempted
from laws that are being applied to the rest of the city? Is there further litigation going on regarding an ultimate uniform
code? Who are the candidates who will fairly represent their constituencies and the residents of the city as a whole? To
whom should I direct my first-hand remarks and support? I want to be kept informed so that I may act accordingly.
--- Robert Jacobs
The Latest E-mail links are on This Page, Click Here
AFTER THE NOVEMBER 2007
ELECTIONS.
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