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Mount Dora bed and breakfast owners want level playing field with Airbnb, other short-term renters

For 13 years, the Adora Inn has run a bed and breakfast in Mount Dora, offering what they call a modern, eclectic ambience in a century-old house.
As a business, they pay nearly $9,000 a year in operating costs and have to abide by numerous code and safety regulations, which adds even more to the cost of staying open.
Across the street, and around the city, though, short-term rental properties listed through apps like Airbnb and VRBO do not have to meet the same standards.
Adora Inn owner Arthur Natale wants to see the playing field leveled between businesses like his and short-term rentals through Airbnb.
“We have five rooms that we rent – one of them is a two-room suite on this side,” Natale said. “We’re not exactly the same beast (as Airbnb rentals) because we serve food (and) we do slightly other things. However, we’re all short-term rentals, and we are very regulated and they have zero regulations.”

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About a mile away, Terry Ern and her husband rent out an investment cottage.
They are licensed with the state and pay sales tax and county tourist transient taxes, but don’t have to deal with the regulations that the Adora Inn does.
The cottage has been running at about 60 percent occupancy since they started renting it out two months ago, Elm said.
If more regulations are required in the future, Elm said she was OK with that and would be ready to abide by any new rules.
“If additional inspections (or) ordinances need to happen to keep everyone on a level playing field, we’re fine with that,” Elm said.
That’s all most bed and breakfast owners want, Natale said.
“I feel it’s either eliminate our requirements or let everybody have the same ones,” he said.