Miami Beach bans short-term rentals because of coronavirus numbers

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber adjusts his mask before speaking during a news conference along with other South Florida mayors last month. (Wilfredo Lee, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – If you have a short-term rental lined up in Miami Beach, the city has a message for you: It’s canceled.

Miami Beach announced that, effective at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, short-term rentals in the tourist hotspot are off-limits.

Recommended Videos



“Short-term and vacation rentals shall cancel all existing reservations, and shall refrain from accepting new guests or making new reservations, until the Order expires or is otherwise amended,” the city said in a news release.

Miami Beach’s full, updated emergency order can be seen here.

The decision comes amid rising COVID-19 case numbers in South Florida.

Leaders in Miami-Dade — the county hit hardest by the novel coronavirus — have sought various ways to prevent large gatherings that they say is helping the virus spread through the community.

Those measures include last week’s countywide order banning indoor dining at restaurants.

ALSO SEE: She has ‘the tenant from hell’ but can’t do anything because of eviction moratorium