Coronavirus surge prompts Miami Beach to prohibit short-term, vacation rentals
There are more than 69,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1,100 deaths in Miami-Dade county alone.
Miami Beach will close and prohibit all short-term and vacation rentals starting Thursday at 12:01 a.m. as part of the city's modified reopening order in response to a surge in coronavirus cases.
“Short-term and vacation rentals shall cancel all existing reservations, and shall refrain from accepting new guests or making new reservations, until the Order expires or is otherwise amended,” the city said in a press release Tuesday.
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Miami Beach mayor Dan Gelber told FOX Business that local police have determined that the rentals are attracting large crowds to gather in the city.
"There’ve been too many gatherings that have not been following our mask rules and our systems and guidelines, and a lot of those crowds are coming from the short-term rentals,” Gelber said. “They seem to just have attracted a party crowd and made it impossible to enforce.”
Gelber added that he hopes the new preventative measure will help encourage more people, including visitors from outside of the city, to follow Miami Beach's social distancing and mask guidelines and avoid having to order a shelter in place.
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The move comes as Florida has surpassed 291,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 4,500 deaths, according to the latest update from the state health department.
Beach goers walk along the shore on Miami Beach, Florida's famed South Beach, Tuesday, July 7, 2020. Beaches in Miami-Dade County reopened Tuesday after being closed July 3 through 6 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Le
There are more than 69,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1,100 deaths in Miami-Dade county alone.
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