Hillsborough is among the latest counties to be approved to open short-term vacation rentals in Florida.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Friday approved the county’s plan to safely allow for short-term rental operations.
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As of Friday, 38 of the state’s 67 counties have had their plans approved by the state. In the Tampa Bay area, this includes Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Manatee, Hernando and Citrus counties.
The expanded list of counties includes the Florida Panhandle, the entire Gulf Coast, Northeast Florida and the Atlantic Coast (with the exception of Indian River County).
Notable exceptions include Monroe County (for Florida Keys), and Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, where the coronavirus has been most prevalent in the state.
After discontinuing reservations in late March, Governor Ron DeSantis said vacation rentals could resume under the "full Phase I" of his COVID-19 recovery plan -- as long as counties had their safety plan approved by the state.
Property owners and managers must follow various safety and sanitation protocols, and guests must practice social distancing.
Reservations from areas DeSantis has identified as "high-risk" -- such as New York and New Jersey -- must be for periods longer than the required quarantine period.
For a complete list of the counties now allowing short-term vacation rentals, visit the Florida Department of Business And Professional Regulation website.
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