Escambia County Short-Term Vacation Rentals Safety Plan Approved and Open for Reservations

Visit Pensacola is pleased to announce Secretary Beshears with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has approved the short-term vacation rental plan that was submitted Friday, May 15, by Escambia County.

“At Visit Pensacola, we’re excited that our short-term rentals lodging experience is once more available in the Pensacola Bay Area,” Visit Pensacola President Darien Schaefer said. “We are proud to be a part of the team who worked together to present this plan for approval and are looking forward to guests visiting our destination while doing so safely and within the CDC guidelines.”

The plan presented to the Secretary would allow for short-term vacation rental reservations and the acceptance of arriving guests in Escambia County, beginning today, May 19, 2020, and includes the following:

Reservations

  • Reservations and stays will be allowed from U.S. states with a COVID-19 Case Rate less than 700 cases/100K residents as of May 15. (https://www.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/index.html)
  • Reservations from COVID-19 hot spots identified by the Governor are to be avoided for the next 30- 45 days.
  • Reservations from international travelers will not be accepted.

 Health and Safety of Guests

  • Remote check-ins should be made available when possible to cut down on face-to-face interactions.
  • CDC resources must be provided to any guest while staying on property.
  • CDC guidance must be provided to guests traveling with pets and service/assistance animals if the property is pet friendly.
  • All properties must provide local COVID-19 guidance for guests. Escambia County has a dedicated webpage that includes local information at myescambia.com/COVID19
  • Employees or contractors working in short-term rentals will be provided CDC related safety guidance to alleviate the transmission of the virus and provide further protection for employees and guests.

The complete outline can be found here, Escambia County Short-term Vacation Rental Plan for Secretary Beshears. The county will review this plan weekly and update as needed.