Vacation homes in Kissimmee slowly making a comeback

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  • Some of the vacation homes have themed bedrooms for kids. PHOTO/ENCORE VACATION HOMES
    Some of the vacation homes have themed bedrooms for kids. PHOTO/ENCORE VACATION HOMES
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Vacation Homes in Kissimmee are slowly starting to make a comeback in occupancy after the COVID-19 pandemic shut them down, local marketing officials said.

Vacation home rentals in averaging at about 55 to 60 percent said Experience Kissimmee President/CEO DT Minich. Plus, the county’s marketing arm is currently seeing a lot of interest in Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday period.

“We have seen a steady increase in recovery,” Minich said.

It’s no where it would have been a year ago in terms of occupancy and economic impact, Minich noted, but the booking is steady on the weekends because more people from in-state are renting them.

There are about 50,000 vacation homes in Kissimmee, Minich said. They represent half of the county’s $60 million tourism development tax dollars, with many operated by management companies seeking to avoid permanent closure, county officials have said. Osceola previously estimated that vacation home rentals have a $2 billion impact on Osceola County’s economy. 

Vacation homes had been shut down due to the pandemic until Gov. Ron DeSantis approved lifting the restriction in May under his phase 1 plan to re-open the state.

The vacation homes have been in news lately because people have been renting they to host unruly house parties in the western section of Osceola County. However, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office has made several busts to combat the rowdy parties the last was over the weekend of Oct. 16-17. The operation resulted in more than 180 traffic stops, 105 citations, 15 arrests and 2 firearms confiscated.

Minich said an Oct. 27 seminar was scheduled for all vacation home companies to address the issue and give them tools to identify if the renters are a legitimate families.

The vacation homes in Kissimmee range from two-bedroom cozy bungalows to 15-bedroom luxury mansions that have private pools, in-home spas, game rooms, in-home movie theaters and themed bedrooms for kids.

“We have something for everyone if they are interested in the vacation homes,” Minich said.