Loud Crowd: Fort Lauderdale Owners Are Tired Of Vacation Rental Parties – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Dec 10, 2021

(WSVN) – A South Florida couple have moved to an upscale neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale to rest and relax. Instead, they were greeted by a loud crowd at a house across the street. Kevin Ozebek from 7 investigation.

As soon as Daniel and Lori Sisko saw this house, they knew it would make the perfect home for their family.

Lori Sisko, Owner: “I walked in and it literally took my breath away. “

The day the Siskos moved in, there was a party at the house across the street.

Lori Sisko: “My first thought was, ‘Cool, the neighbors seem to be nice.’ “

But the music blew through the night, and then, on their first weekend in the new home, there was another party.

Daniel Sisko, Owner: “It was almost a loud gig across the street so I don’t know if there was a DJ in there or not. “

The Siskos discovered that the owner was renting the house for almost $ 400 a night on Airbnb.

Lori Sisko: “That’s when I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, like, that’s not OK.'”

And the parties went on long before Daniel and Lori moved in.

Last year a neighbor informed the town that the house was being used as an unregistered vacation rental.

Since then, the house has received daily fines totaling $ 85,750 which have never been paid.

Lori was stunned.

Lori Sisko: “If you are going to have codes, if you are going to have rules and laws, apply them. If you fine people, make sure they pay the fine.

Porshia Williams, Head of Community Inspections: “This is something we take very seriously. “

Porshia Williams works in the Code Compliance area for the City of Fort Lauderdale. She sends inspectors to vacation home rentals suspected of not following city regulations.

Porshia Williams: “This is not a dynamic where the city has not done due diligence. It is really the owner who has ignored or is simply ignorant of what needs to be done.

There are currently 42 vacation rentals that owe Fort Lauderdale more than $ 2.4 million in fines.

The owner of the Northeast 27th Terrace home was fined $ 279,000, and 12 units of the hotel and condominium tower on Galt Ocean Drive were also fined.

Porshia Williams: “As long as we keep pushing, at some point we either see compliance or we see where the use stops. “

Many cases end up in court, with costs turning into privileges.

Porshia Williams: “If the property is compliant, the owner could ask for the lien to be reduced. Discount is not guaranteed. We have collection agencies that help us collect liens and fines.

The owner of the house next to the Siskos still ignores the rules. There is already a lien on the property and the city is now considering forcing the foreclosure on the house.

Neighbors hope this will keep the noisy crowds from returning.

An Airbnb spokesperson told 7News that the house next to the Siskos has not been rented through them since August because it was hung up by the platform.

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