County to further study renters Bill of Rights

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  • The board will further discuss improvements to the Tenants Bill of Rights ordinance at a Jan. 23 workshop, after taking input from local stakeholders.
    The board will further discuss improvements to the Tenants Bill of Rights ordinance at a Jan. 23 workshop, after taking input from local stakeholders.
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Instead of approving a measure to send an ordinance to the state Tenants Bill of Rights and flood disclosures to benefit Osceola County renters, County Commissioners at Monday’s meeting agreed to wait until after a January workshop.

The board will further discuss improvements to the ordinance on Jan. 23, and agreed to take input from stakeholders like Realtors©, renter advocates and real estate managers.

The first part of the ordinance would require landlords to provide tenants a Notice of Rights when signing a new lease, provide “tenant’s guidance regarding available community resources, and protect residential tenants from discrimination and unfair and illegal rental practices,” give time limits on fixing code violations, and establish fines up to $500 for violating the new ordinance.

A second Flood Disclosure piece would require sellers or landlords to disclose in writing that the residential property has experienced flooding, to be done “when such flood conditions are not readily observable and are not known to the prospective buyer or tenant.” Fines could reach $5,000 if the disclosure isn’t given, and a flooding issue occurs.

Osceola County Association of Realtors© CEO Twis Lizasuain asked to allow time for their professional segment to be part of the conversation on this “matter of great importance to our community.”

“We understand your intent to look for ways to ensure the health, welfare and safety of residents … We respectfully request that you delay taking action on the statement of legislative intent to allow us an opportunity to meet with you and have a more detailed conversation first. We recognize this is the first step,” she said.

Brandon Johnson, representing the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando, noted Section 8 (government-subsidized housing) programs already have stringent requirements, and said his group wanted to “do a deep dive” into whether this ordinance would create further overhead costs for landlords.

Members of advocacy groups like Florida Rising and Vamos Espanol Florida supported passing the ordinance on for filing with the Department of State, making it official once its filed, but after hearing from both sides, commissioners, including Brandon Arrington, who brought the measure forth, agreed unanimously to include stakeholder input and discuss it at next month’s workshop.

“I try to look at what the unintended consequences are of something, and I potentially foresee see some with this,” Commission Cheryl Grieb said.

Arrington said this ordinance is designed to address the small number of landlords who take advantage of renters, and stems from a combination of the two recent hurricanes along with what’s been a challenging rental market, with many renters getting priced out.

“This is the start of the process, and it will be a lengthy process,” Arrington said. “I don’t know if can make everyone completely happy, but I think we can get to a happy medium that serves our community, specifically the renters put in jeopardy by bad landlords. A lot of landlords are doing exactly what they’re supposed to, working with tenants to stay housed. Then there are the ones looking to take advantage of every chance they get.

“With the flood notices, now we have a great baseline for what a 500-year flood looks like in Osceola County. Information is available now for what happened to people’s homes, to pass on to future tenants. And during COVID and the hurricanes, we’ve seen plenty of examples of why this ordinance is needed. I’ve seen, personally, people force-evicted, seen rents go up 100 percent, repairs not made. It’s not all weather related. It’s a situation where these individuals need laws to protect them, laws that will stand up.”

Still, Commissioner Ricky Booth wasn’t in favor of the bill of rights as constructed, noting property owners have rights and protections as well.

“I think the flood insurance piece needs some more time to talk through. Who are we protecting here?” he asked. “This will put a huge burden on our Code Enforcement officials, and opens a ton of things to come in.”

Janer, Grieb named Chair and Vice Chair: Commissioner Viviana Janer was selected for her third one-year term as the board’s chairperson Monday, and Grieb was voted vice chair.

Janer, who has served on the Board since election in 2014 and was sworn in for her third term this week, served as chair in 2016 and through a tumultuous 2020, when meetings were held virtually, via phone or very widely spaced out at Osceola Heritage Park.

“Thank you, I think!” she joked to her fellow board members after the nomination.

She succeeds Arrington, who spent two years as the chair.

“I want to thank the County Manager and the county team for being of such vital assistance these last two years,” he said. “I really appreciate that.”