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Short-term rental inspection concerns
Residents are pushing for stricter code enforcement as short-term, high-occupancy vacation rentals expand into Northwest Bradenton. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
BRADENTON, Fla. - Residents are pushing for stricter code enforcement as short-term, high-occupancy vacation rentals expand into Northwest Bradenton.
Bradenton rental fire risks
What we know:
The West Manatee Fire District's enforcement data revealed that three years ago, 74% of structure fires in single-family homes within the district occurred at transient public lodgings known as short-term vacation rentals. Over the past three years of inspecting and educating, fire officials successfully reduced that number to 17% in 2025, according to the fire district.
State statute requires fire districts like West Manatee Fire to perform safety inspections of anything that is rented for less than 30 days, more than 3 times in a calendar year.
Local neighborhood party houses
What they're saying:
"Every weekend you have different people coming in and different guests," Pine Meadow resident and board member of the homeowner’s association Martha Jane Flynn said. "We sometimes have as many as 30 people on property; no one knows who they are. It is definitely a major party going on."
Flynn, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, said some short-term rentals follow the rules, but other rental homes are acting as resorts.
"They’re putting in outdoor movie theaters, they have pickleball courts, basketball courts, large seating and fire pits," Flynn said. She noted that stressed neighbors are running washing machines for white noise because "they keep thinking if they’re a good neighbor to this new neighbor it’ll get fixed and it’s not."
Fire code enforcement hurdles
Why you should care:
Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski said hundreds of owner-operators have not responded to the district, and officials are looking for new ways to connect with them. A
"If we do our inspections, we have never shut a vacation rental down," Kwiatkowski said. "We have no desire to do that. We just want to keep people safe."
Residents are asking for the same courtesy and want help ensuring compliance.
"They’ve got the same rules we do," Flynn said. "We are not asking for anything different. Nothing is being enforced and there are no consequences."
Upcoming county ordinance vote
What's next:
Manatee County is considering adopting an ordinance to help address some local complaints.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon from the West Manatee Fire Rescue District Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski, who provided fire safety statistics and enforcement updates, as well as Martha Jane Flynn, a Northwest Bradenton resident and board member of the Pine Meadow Homeowners Association Inc.