Presentation- Update on the Rental Registry- Chase Daniels – No Funding Required
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Staff recommendation
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The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Jan 12, 2021
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The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Jan 12, 2021
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BCCA-21-0102 in full →Heard once. BCCA-21-0102 appears on no other agenda in the archive.
- Jan 12, 2021BoardR75▶No disposition in the minutesthis item
What was said
Machine transcription of 18m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 94% of 77 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
And move on to um Or seventy five?
Good morning, Chase.
Hey, good morning. D do you guys have uh my PowerPoint?
Be
over here. Thanks. Send it to uh Derek Berger a couple of weeks ago. If you need I can I can reforward it.
D cursing.
Sorry about that, we're uh we're getting to the right person now. First of all, happy New Year though. It's great to great to see you guys. I feel like I haven't been here in like eight, nine months, so I don't remember how to tie a tie this morning. Yeah. We definitely hadn't seen you s since last
year.
It was nice to see you guys on a TV screen or a computer screen or YouTube or or what have you, so
Just give us one moment to get it set up for you. Perfect, thank you.
There we go, perfect. So um so first of all, thank you uh to Commissioner Starkey for for the interest in getting an update on the rental registry. Um those of you who remember this was passed last year, uh Pasco County Ordinance 20-03, which required the registration of rental properties with the Pasco Sheriff's Office. Um so it was passed on January 21st, 2020, which feels like a a lifetime ago, and took effect on April 1st, 2020. Um for those of you who who were here, you remember we we worked a lot with the realtors
groups and uh and other entities and then at the at the time then Commissioner Wells um with passing this uh ordinance. It requires registration for re for vacant property. and rental properties um as you see there in in section eighteen within 30 days of a property becoming vacant or within uh at the time 30 days of the ordinance beginning on april 1st 2020 and then as as i'll discuss in a little bit it requires penalties but also provides for some exemptions um
Every year, registry is re-required on the anniversary. And what we've been doing at the Sheriff's Office, obviously we haven't hit the anniversary of April 1st, 2021 yet, but we have a plan in place that will send an automatic renewal email to anyone who has registered with us and they will just have to click a link to verify that the information is the same or change any information that that they're required to change. Next slide, please.
As I mentioned though there there are exemptions. This is something that we we worked on last year, as I said, with uh Commissioner Weight and the um Um the the rental management companies. So apartment complexes, for instance, are exempt. Um any commercial businesses, churches are exempt. Um so essentially the the rental registry requires those that have less than four units um and that are not any kind of uh housing or federal housing or or state housing or urban development programs.
Um Again, th those exemptions are are designed as as part of to to work this out and get this done, but also to focus on the most need that the sheriff's office and co enforcement were seeing. You know, for instance, the the goal um wasn't necessarily a thousand unit apartment complex or something like that, but was for more of the um, you know, the the houses that were being rented out through Craigslist and and through other channels um that were possibly enhanced.
Next slide please.
So with that, the Pasco Sheriff's Office created a rental registry website, which was which was um part of what was required by the ordinance. That is through citizen.pascosheriff.com, and we call it our Citizen Connect Portal. From there, um, and this is a a screenshot of what the what the website looks like when people get there. They have the ability to go register the rental property. We require um several forms of information. So we we need the owner of the property, a designated agent, someone that we can contact locally if the owner is not local. And again, the
the desire with this is not necessarily enforcement so much as it is compliance, because again, we're we're not looking to Yeah. write fines or or tickets on this, but we're trying to get this necessary information for these people. So whenever we respond to a house or code enforcement responds to a house, they have someone that they can talk to, that they can contact and make sure that they're aware of the issues at the house and work with us in partnership and with County Code Enforcement in partnership to address whatever those issues are that that we're seeing. Obviously our our plans to to market this as I as I
mentioned it came into effect on April first, twenty twenty have been difficult because of the the pandemic. Um you know, whenever we had um talked about this ordinance, our plans was our plan was to attend community meetings, to attend HOA meetings to make sure that everyone in our community was was aware of this ordinance. We have been working with our local media outlets and our social media though to to push out the the flyer as you see there. on the right that raises awareness to register, talks about who needs to register, how they can register, where they can register, leads them to the citizen.pascoSherif.com
rental registry website to put in their information for us. Um again we we do have plans um you know hopefully as as the pandemic lifts and and meetings um resume sometime in in the future to go to HOA meetings, to go to C D D meetings as well and get buy-in from those folks, make sure they're aware of this need to register these these rental properties in Pasco County. Next slide, please.
As I mentioned, um there are also possible penalties and uh and requirements. So um you know penalties include not registering in a timely fashion, providing false information, not updating your your information in a timely fashion. The ordinance provides for 30 days to update any of that information. And then it also provides for possible penalties within the within the code structure, um, which includes site. citations, notice prior to citations. And again, as I as I mentioned, our our goal with this is not necessarily
enforcement on getting these these penalties, but instead compliance with the with the registry and getting people to register. So we are using a an educational approach to this as you'll see in in the in a few slides. We're primarily using an educational approach to this in in lieu of fines so far. Is to get people to make them aware of the ordinance and also make sure that they are registering and getting that information that they need. Next slide, please.
So, as I mentioned, to date we have issued zero citations, but we do have 168 properties that have registered since April 1st, 2020. Again, those are properties with less than four rental units and with those no-date exemptions. We also do plan to continue those awareness efforts. As I mentioned, some of our efforts have not been possible this year because of the cancellation of meetings. But as those restrictions lift, we do have plans to go. to HOA meetings, C D D meetings, um, real estate meetings and realtor meetings to to discuss this, make sure
people are aware of it. Um but we are also as we are responding to residences and we're you know we may be having issues there, county code may be having issues there and understanding um, you know, and talking to the owner about the need to register. And Lisa to this point we have 168 properties that that have registered um so far. Next slide. I believe that's actually the the last slide. Um so I'm I'm open to any questions or or any information that that you guys have have on this.
Questions?
Thanks, Chase. Um and I get that the pandemic is causing a little havoc on this, but but that is a pretty low number. So um I was thinking uh if we could get creative with how to get the message out. And I have a couple of thoughts. One is to put your flyer in our um bill that we send out. Was is that our either with Fasana with taxes or our Pasco County utilities, you know, sometimes we put informational pieces of literature in there. The
uh um I would love to have that flyer to put in my newsletter. We can put it on our social media as well. And um and then I would suggest maybe working with Mike Wells uh in the appraiser's office to um identify The um non-homesteaded properties and and let's think of some kind of mail campaign, a a postcard or something. um to to get a lot to get more compliance. So
absolutely.
Thank you. How
many uh numbers do we think we have?
So that is a a tricky question on that we're still working on on the outcome to. We believe it's probably somewhere in in the range uh of approximately probably one thousand properties. Um but again that is just one thousand
what you're saying?
Yes, ma'am. Um so we we
I think we have you're hurting right fifty thousand rental homes in the county. I think
Yeah and then and that's just talking to it to our code enforcement folks that that they think based on the the exemptions and and requirements but that's you know a again a number that we haven't really been able to to nail down but we we do plan to use that um non-homested property to to figure out that information.
Well definitely then you need to get I think with With Mike Wells to get that number because I think we have a thousand in the holiday lakes alone. So at least a thousand in the holiday lakes. Yeah.
This is the first time I've heard about it. Um and I would definitely target the non-homestead. So and if anytime they're sending out the property taxes, send the flyer along with the non-homestead properties. 'Cause I would never have known about it.
So I'll be taking some notes here. Perfect.
Ms. Branna. Thank you, Mr. Chairman Mariano. I would at least finish. Hey Chase. Um You know, seeing that number is a very low number. Um, I'm wondering if it's really a bad thing to see it so low because one of the things we were gonna focus on are the troubled ones that you guys would have, or code enforcement would have. So if it's only one sixty eight and that's all the troubled properties we'd have, it's it's really kind of encouraging.
Absolutely. And that is where the primary chunk of these registrations have have come from to date is from our code enforcement deputies or county code enforcement whenever they respond to to a nuisance property or place where we've had issues, making sure that those owners are aware of this. We haven't seen a lot of registration without that that guidance, that leadership. But like I said, we we kind of attribute that to not being able to go to those meetings and get that that. messaging out. But yes, to your point, these these hundred and sixty eight are largely from um those properties that we've had issues with and
that we've responded to since this came into effect on on April first.
Right and and I think all the avenues we tend to look at to get people registered is great. But those that don't want to register and I can understand those that wouldn't want to do you see anything Any glaring things that we're missing as far as who we're not going after or just people or just We don't have that many trouble troubled properties out there.
Correct. And and that and that's the key is so far we have not found anyone wherever we responded to a house. Um we have not had any owner said, Nope, I don't want to register, I won't do it. Um whenever owners become aware of it, especially these these problem houses or the registered agents become aware of it. everyone has has been more than willing to register, give us the information. Um, but that's where the those penalties are are important as as we have, you know, if we do run into issues where we have owners who don't want to register, refuse to register, we we then have the ability to to levy those penalties and those citations to um get
that compliance. Okay. All right. Thank you.
Absolutely. Chairman
Mariano
had our workshop Um we uh had comments from multiple Companies who have rental divisions and I'm thinking of Berkshire Hathaway as m for one. Um and they have thousands of them, I think that they are that are under their umbrella in the county. So I think you should be contacting those um companies that have um managers of rental properties and getting their lists. It's also a a
way to add many more to that.
Ms. Fitzpatrick.
Thank you. Um, is this the same list that the people that have seasonal homes register with so they can have Pasco sheriffs to keep an eye on their homes as well?
No, ma'am, those are those are two separate lists. Um so we have the the um vacation home uh that our CSUs will will go and drive through and make sure that um you know nothing looks amiss or no broken windows as as they can. Um But different from from rental homes. Um the the vacation homes are are largely not rented out as as we're finding. It's primarily owned by the individuals. Um so they go on that list to have our CSUs just make sure, you know, glasses and broken, windows aren't broken, things like that.
Will they also be on that list? Because ha those h homes are vacant half of the year.
So that is um something that we uh I remember I think we talked about and and maybe the county attorney can can help me. I remember we talked with um Miss Sims, but I believe it's only if um they are not I think vacation homes wouldn't wouldn't count because of the
I think we excluded the the folks that were that were
Not renting them. I mean th th the whole purpose was a it was a rental registry and those people who were Um it was Their home and they just chose not to be in it for six months out of the year, they didn't have to register. Yeah, that that was my belief as well.
What about the vac you said vacant? It's registr um for rental or vacant homes. So if they're vacant, how are you gonna contact those people or 'Cause technically this the seasonal homes are vacant for several months out of the year.
I I believe it's vacant from rental. So so for instance, if you are renting a house, um you have to be on on the list. But then if you also have that house up for rent and it has not been rented for for thirty days and we also require um registration, but that's um through through those rental companies and things like that.
Thank you.
Chairman Mariano. Thank you, sir. Um Chase. I don't want to say this is off topic because you mentioned it earlier, but um I know you're not looking at the large multifamily department developments at this time with this ordinance, but they do have their own challenges and cause their own challenges to the department, do they not? Absolutely. The amount that are in Pasco County now are causing challenges to the sheriff's office, for the sheriff's office.
Absolutely. And and um, you know, that's something that we we had uh initially talked about with with this registry. Should it include the those large apartment complexes? Um, some uh early things that we had considered is is maybe having a a notice posted on the department complexes with a number that the sheriff's office could could contact with issues. Um that didn't make it in into final drafts as we as we talked to to other entities and groups. But yes, sir, to to your point, um, you know, we we do see obviously any any apartment complex, especially you know, some of the the larger developments. um could add the population that that you
would see in a in a small city. Um so those add, you know, obviously criminal concerns, just whenever you're adding that many people, um obviously crime is gonna happen, traffic concern on on roads, um, th things like that, obviously, you know, not contemplated within this within this registry, but that we we do see. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I
don't if there's no more questions, I'll move for approval.
I don't
believe
it's just presentation.
No,
it's just presentation. It's
just the changes. Okay. Well, okay, good.
Can
you these are
the
flyer and I'll get it help get
Absolutely. I I'll email the flyer um and and Commissioner Fitzpatrick as as well you would you would like it?
Yes, please. And can we share that on Facebook and other social media as well?
Absolutely. Absolutely. And we're sharing on the on the Sheriff's Office page as well. So um any any help that that you guys have on your uh whether it be your personal social medias or through the through the county social media, we always appreciate and to the to the clerk as well.
Yeah, send it to me and then we'll get out there.
Yes, ma'am. Perfect. Thank you very much. Good to see you guys again.