Sarasota, FL Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- 1st violation
- No suspension authorized
- 2nd violation
- Up to 30-day suspension
- 3rd violation
- Up to 60-day suspension
- 4th+ violation
- 90 days, +30/strike, cap 360
Summary
The City of Sarasota escalates vacation-rental suspensions for repeat offenders: no suspension on a first violation, then 30, 60, and 90 days for the second through fourth, capped at 360 days.
(1)For a first violation of this chapter or other applicable city ordinance, suspension of a certificate of registration is not authorized.(2)Upon a second violation ..., the certificate of registration, if suspended, shall be suspended for a period of thirty (30) calendar days.(3)Upon a third violation ..., sixty (60) calendar days.(4)Upon a fourth violation ..., ninety (90) calendar days.(5)For each additional violation ..., an additional thirty-calendar-day period up to a maximum period of three hundred sixty (360) calendar days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33 | Zoning: Supplement 44).
Full Breakdown
Under City of Sarasota Code § 34.5-19(d), a second violation of the same vacation-rental provision (or the same city ordinance) within one year is a 'repeat violation' that must be set for a special magistrate hearing: the owner loses the option to simply pay a fine and close the case. § 34.5-20(b) then fixes the strike schedule: no suspension is authorized for a first violation; a second draws up to 30 days' suspension of the certificate of registration; a third, 60 days; a fourth, 90 days; and each additional violation adds 30 more days, up to a 360-day maximum. Operating during a suspension is itself a separate violation under § 34.5-20(e).
Violations & Fines
A second violation of the same rule within a year forces a magistrate hearing with no pay-and-close option, and triggers escalating certificate suspensions of 30 to 360 days depending on strike count.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a repeat violation in Sarasota?
Can I just pay a fine to avoid the hearing?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sarasota
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