TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) – Regulating short-term vacation rentals is a topic that has caused division on Tybee Island for years. An ordinance is being drafted and if passed, it could change the future of hundreds of vacation homes in residential areas.
Members of Tybee Alliance say that’s unlawful and they are prepared to move forward with legal action.
“Tybee has a long history of exclusionary politics, and I think this is a really unfortunate next phase of the same old nonsense,” Dusty Church said.
Church is the senior director of sales, marketing and integration with Tybee Vacation Rentals. He is also the chair of Tybee Alliance, an advocacy group.
He says several people on Tybee Island want to create their own community.
“They don’t want tourists. They were glad to be tourists before they were retiring to Tybee. Now, they’d like to roll up the gate behind us,” he said.
The coalition is looking to help the council balance the needs of vacationers and locals. Church says they have worked closely with the city council, but they are taking legal action.
“They’ve not gone about the process in the way that the state law or city code requires for them to pass these regulations,” Church said.
They have filed two lawsuits. The first was in the fall of 2022, stating the city does not have legal authority to regulate and permit vacation rentals. The second suit states that these regulations are a violation of property rights, according to Church.
Some people have reported four main concerns about the rentals: noise, parking, traffic and trash. Church says there is an existing ordinance that already regulates this, as well as a good neighbor policy.
“The city has the authority to cite those guests and fine them. As vacation rental managers, we will evict them for those violations. The number of complaints that actually are filed is extremely low,” Church said. “Hospitality is the sole driving force for the economy of the island. It generates the vast majority of taxes, outside of property taxes, and vacation rentals are also paying property taxes. So, the value of these properties and the revenue that they bring in is critical to the island.”
If this proposed ordinance is passed, Church says Tybee Alliance will amend current lawsuits to reflect these “unlawful actions” by the council.
The next council meeting is March 14 at 6:30 p.m.