Mayor's Message - February 10, 2023

February 10, 2023

Below is the full Mayor’s message as it was submitted to the Island Eye for the most recent publication. The printed version was edited by the Island Eye without my permission and did not contain the full message. 

Greetings. There is a lot happening on our island! A number of projects that have been in the planning stages for some time are nearing completion or in the middle of construction. Here is a quick update on a few of our current projects:

34A beach access path – by the time this is printed, this project, which will provide easy ADA access to the beach, should be completed. As of this writing, the only task left is to finish the 2 handicap parking spots along Palm Blvd. The new boardwalk and pervious concrete path look great and will provide easier beach access for years to come.

Rec Center – the basketball courts are getting a much-needed redo and 2 pickleball courts are being added. This project started in late January and weather permitting, should be finished in 30-45 days.

Drainage – Waterway Blvd detour around 30th Avenue is in place, and the contractor is working to install, as quickly as possible, the drainage infrastructure under the road at 30th Avenue. Once they finish there, they will move to 36th Avenue. We understand the construction and temporary detour is inconvenient and we greatly appreciate the community’s patience as we work on much needed drainage improvements.

Front Beach – the brick crosswalks on Ocean Blvd. which have been a maintenance challenge have been repaired in a way that should provide stability and reduce our maintenance of these areas.

Marina – the interior of the store has been demolished and repairs have begun. The work on the marina side of the parking lot – which will include a new layout and paving - should start in the next few weeks. Our contractor has started on the bulkhead repairs and installation of a 6-foot boardwalk along the Intracoastal side of the property from Islander 71 to and past the new public dock. This will create way to stroll beside the water and enjoy the beautiful view.

Overhead to Underground electrical lines – this project at Palm Blvd. and 21st has all the permits and easement approvals needed. We are expecting Dominion to start construction this month.

We have many other projects that are in the planning and permitting stages that should begin construction this Fall.

Short term rentals

There has been much discussion and debate over the past few months about short-term rentals. Here is some important context as of January 20, 2023, about housing and short-term rentals on our island:

• Our total number of dwelling units is 4,569 - there are 3,113 single family homes and 1,456 townhomes, condos or duplexes. These figures may change any day as vacant properties are developed and existing dwellings are demolished.
• Full-time residences have increased from 33% to 36% of all dwelling units since 2010. That’s approximately 130 units that went from being part time to full time residents.
• There are currently 1,724 short term rental licenses issued. Single family homes account for about 50% of the short-term rental licenses and townhomes, condos and duplexes account for the other 50%. Our short-term rental compliance software shows roughly about 1,250 of these licenses have had rental activity in the past 12 months.
• Feedback received seems to indicate that most residents feel licenses held by townhomes, condos and duplexes are not at issue. Most multifamily complexes on the island were built and sold as short-term rental properties. Many of these are in Wild Dunes. If those properties have a desire to do something different with short term rentals, most have homeowner associations that may limit or ban short term rentals if that is what those property owners want. So, for the moment, let’s remove them from consideration.
• That leaves the 3,113 single family homes which 28% of them (859) have short term rental licenses. Of these, 5% or 162, are held by full time residents. Based on feedback received, full time residents should continue to be allowed to obtain licenses, Therefore, let’s omit these from the calculation.
• That leaves 697 (859 – 162) of single family homes that hold a license, which is 22% of the single family homes (3,113) and 15% of our total dwelling units (4,569).

A lot of detail and numbers I know, but the point of all this is that based on feedback received from multiple channels, the residents’ concern seems to primarily be in traditional, single family residential neighborhoods which currently hold 22% of the short-term rental licenses issued to single family homes.

There have been bold headlines in various media outlets stating that our short-term rental licenses are quickly approaching 40% on the island and on the way to some higher number. While it is true that the absolute, total number of licenses issued is currently at 38% (1,724/4,569), I think you must look past the headline to understand what is really happening on our island. The 40%+ is an inflated narrative and causes people to think we have an emergency that we must address immediately. The argument that all short-term rentals are creating the traffic problems on the island is also misplaced, in my opinion. Simple observation of the traffic shows that it is a result of vendors, contractors and construction workers building or renovating homes, day trippers and other visitors to our businesses and restaurants. Construction will ease over time, but the day tripper problem will continue to escalate.

There has also been a high level of feedback asking the city to focus on livability issues – noise, garbage/recycling cans, occupancy limits (cars and people). Our Police Department has already started increasing its enforcement efforts through a new code enforcement officer. Additionally, City Council is in the process of finalizing revisions to the noise ordinance and discussions have started about what other staffing needs we might have to increase our enforcement efforts.
I hope this is helpful to get grounded in the facts and to see what’s really happening on IOP regarding short term rentals. I appreciate the dialogue to date and look forward to continuing to address short term rentals and what’s best for our island.

Upcoming Events

• February 11 – Doggie Day at The Rec 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• February 24 – coffee with the mayor 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at The Refuge
• March 4 – Front Beach Fest – 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Front Beach
• Any updates for these and other events that will be added can be found at iop.net

Thank you for the opportunity to serve! See you around the island.
Phillip Pounds, Mayor IOP
843-252-5359
ppounds@iop.net