By a unanimous vote of 7-0, Brigantine Mayor Vince Sera and his City Council passed a new short-term rental law. The updated ‘STR’ ordinance will primarily rely on ‘changing behavior’ rather than enforcing a longer length of stay like other shore towns.
Did Sera ignored advice from Ventnor Mayor Lance Landgraf? Seems that way. Watch video above.
Brigantine’s Mayor Sera: There’s a real fear a problem short-term rental property could pop up at any time and totally destroy your neighborhood. This fear will continue until the city gets these properties under control. These new regulations are heavily focused on enforcement, not length of stay.
Brigantine adopted a 2-night rental minimum in their new, short-term rental ordinance. 22 pages of sometimes confusing language and boilerplate.
Public Comment:
People have a lot of money on the line. They’re making money and we don’t need to put up with that.
Today was the first time in months I actually saw little kids riding a bike. We don’t have any little kids anymore. (loss of full-time families)
When we call the police, they don’t answer complaints. What about all the complaints that were lost from 2015 to 2023? Missing from the OPRA requests for eight years. Where did they go?
Resident Andrea Sullivan: STRs are wreaking havoc. Tour buses rumbling down the street. You know what a diesel bus sounds like? I’ve taken all kinds of heat. I’ve been threatened because I’m speaking the truth and representing my neighbors. I’m battling on behalf of my community. So if I don’t shut up, I’m going to get it. Cause we’re going to sue you if you don’t shut up and apologize and recant everything you said.
Sera: I’m not in favor of a three, five, or seven night rental minimum. Changing ‘behavior’ is better plan.
Brigantine Fire Department provides rental inspections, but not once have we heard from Fire Official, Jack Murray.
Public Comment
Highly unethical behavior. A Brigantine councilperson talking about residents of 20th street. We asked him to recuse himself because he had a real estate license. He mocked us. That’s wrong.
Paul Amalfitano of the Brigantine Chamber of Commerce. No consensus amongst the membership.
Anne H Phillips; Sera acknowledged that short-term rental industry is ‘not the best thing for our economy or our tax base.’
Buses coming down the street at 2am. Where did that bus come from? Mexico or New York?
Brigantine City Manager Tiger Platt not engaged with STR issues.
Bad rentals don’t start off that way. They start off as somebody’s home and then they get converted. There are enhancements done to these properties, to make them more marketable or higher priced. A lot of that stuff is not done under code.
Short-term rentals don’t help the year-round community. It hurts residents and small business. Losing full-time residency. Young families not moving to Brigantine. Retirees avoiding Brigantine due to weak STR ordinance. Commercialization of residential zones.
We own a property In Ventnor that we personally enjoy in the Fall and Spring. We spend money on repairs and improvements as though it was our primary home. We have friends who live locally 12 months of year and manage the property when rented. We have no interest in making our home available for short term rentals. We value the neighborhood and enforce simple but strict guidelines for our renters to follow. 1) Do no harm to our home or community and leave both as you found it. 2) see #1 3) Have fun and make memories (but only good ones) 4) If 1-3 seem unattainable please don’t request availability.
Our neighbors and caretakers are excellent communicators who can let us know about any bad renters. We fortunately have only turned away one family who clearly didn’t pat attention to our requirements. I’m not one to restrict others and dictate how they should approach their rentals, but do believe a behavior standard must be enforced by owners of rental property. Those owners should be held to established standards which can result in fines and civil liability if not followed.
Love thy home and thy neighbor shouldn’t be a vague concept to grasp.
With due respect, from your description of your businesses and ventures, you seem to be in a markedly different financial strata than most individuals or small entities. Your ideas and intentions are admirable but others are more driven by profits that you choose to/need to be.
I live in Brigantine and I do not see these problems. Where are all these issues?? I think a 2 night min is fine!
Rules without enforcement aren’t enough. Enforcement without clear rules and controls aren’t enough. You need both together, with escalating and clear penalties for violations to be most effective.
I was in management for a condo property in Center City Philadelphia for 12 years. People have no idea of the short and long term implications of short term rentals.
It is beyond difficult to enforce and the problems were endless and sometimes unsafe for other residents.
We own a condo in Ventnor and I’m sure it goes on there even though it isn’t supposed to.
People never understand anything until something happens to them.