PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The City of St. Petersburg is opting out of the county’s Tenant Bill of Rights.
So what does this mean for St. Pete residents? The enforcement of rules for landlords now falls on city leaders rather than on the county.
Pinellas County recently adopted a new set of rules requiring tenants to be notified of their rights, rent increases and late fees.
Language in the guidelines allows cities to opt-out, which is what the City is doing.
"The big thing is, when we control enforcement, we are out in the community and the city, we're seeing what’s going on," said Copley Gerdes with St. Pete City Council. "So we would rather have the enforcement capability on our end to be able to react and maneuver quickly, rather than rely on the county.”
Gerdes expected to hear both good and bad feedback during public comment, but he said he believes this is a step in the right direction.
There is another item up for public hearing regarding income verification for housing.
In the past, a renter needed to verify that their income was three times the rent amount to get approved—if the rent was $1,000, then the renter needed to prove they made $3,000. That even applied to people who receive rental assistance money.
“Let's say I had a voucher for $500, so my rental responsibility was only $500," Gerdes said. "I would still need to show the $3,000 proof of income. This ordinance stops that.”
Now the city is changing that language, so a renter would only need to show proof of income for the rental amount they are responsible for. Click here to read more.
To comment on either of these items, you can show up for the open forum on Thursday at 3 p.m. or be there at 5:01 p.m. to comment on the item. You can use up to three minutes, and it will also be available on zoom.
