AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, AT CHAPTER 18, ENTITLED “BUSINESSES,” BY CREATING ARTICLE XIX, ENTITLED “CO-OWNED HOUSING UNIT MANAGERS,” BY CREATING SECTION 18-940 THEREOF, ENTITLED “CO-OWNED HOUSING UNIT MANAGERS,” TO ADOPT BUSINESS REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO THE MANAGEMENT OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES BY CO-OWNED HOUSING UNIT MANAGERS, INCLUDING DEFINITIONS, MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS, AND A CODE OF CONDUCT, AND PROVIDE FOR ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES; AND AMENDING CHAPTER 102, ENTITLED “TAXATION,” ARTICLE V, ENTITLED “LOCAL BUSINESS TAX,” AT SECTION 102-379, ENTITLED “SCHEDULE OF TAXES, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2016,” TO ESTABLISH A BUSINESS TAX CATEGORY FOR CO-OWNED HOUSING UNIT MANAGER; AND PROVIDING FOR REPEALER, CODIFICATION, SEVERABILITY, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

This item was originally referred to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee ("LUSC") by the City Commission on October 13, 2021 (Item C4G), at the request of the late Commissioner Mark Samuelian. The item is now sponsored by Commissioner Alex Fernandez.

Following a discussion on February 15, 2023, the LUSC voted to transmit a draft of the Ordinance to the City Commission with a favorable recommendation. On March 27, 2023, the City Commission adopted the Ordinance at First Reading.

At the request of the sponsor, the Ordinance has been revised for Second Reading to include the following two amendments: 

(1) Require that each co-owned housing unit manager provide the City with a list of the addresses of each property in Miami Beach that is managed by the co-owned housing unit manager; and

(2) Require all co-owned housing unit managers to identify a designated responsible party who resides within 25 miles of a property, and who must be available 24 hours a day, and able to respond to inquiries within two hours.

 Pacaso, a tech startup based in San Francisco, recently announced that it is expanding into the South Florida real estate market. Pacaso’s business model is to facilitate fractional ownership in single-family vacation homes. Investors can purchase as little as a one-eighth (1/8) interest in each home. According to a recent article published in The Real Deal, “[t]hrough a network of local real estate agents, Pacaso helps investors set up limited liability companies for joint ownership, and collects fees from the buyers to manage, maintain, and facilitate access to the home . . . .” On its website, Pacaso states that properties may be “used only by owners and registered guests,” and “no rentals [are] allowed.” (Source: https://www.pacaso.com/blog/what-is-short-term-rental).

 City Code Section 142-905 prohibits the lease of single-family homes for periods of time less than six months and one day (i.e. on a “short-term” basis). Similarly, City Code Section 142-1111 prohibits the lease of apartment units or townhomes in specified zoning districts for periods of less than six months and one day. The City’s short-term rental prohibitions apply to single-family homes and applicable apartments or townhomes regardless of how the property is owned (e.g., whether owned by a single owner or multiple owners, or through a corporate entity).