The Florida Senate

509.242  Public lodging establishments; classifications.--

(1)  A public lodging establishment shall be classified as a hotel, motel, resort condominium, nontransient apartment, transient apartment, roominghouse, bed and breakfast inn, or resort dwelling if the establishment satisfies the following criteria:

(a)  Hotel.--A hotel is any public lodging establishment containing sleeping room accommodations for 25 or more guests and providing the services generally provided by a hotel and recognized as a hotel in the community in which it is situated or by the industry.

(b)  Motel.--A motel is any public lodging establishment which offers rental units with an exit to the outside of each rental unit, daily or weekly rates, offstreet parking for each unit, a central office on the property with specified hours of operation, a bathroom or connecting bathroom for each rental unit, and at least six rental units, and which is recognized as a motel in the community in which it is situated or by the industry.

(c)  Resort condominium.--A resort condominium is any unit or group of units in a condominium, cooperative, or timeshare plan which is rented more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less, or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented for periods of less than 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less.

(d)  Nontransient apartment.--A nontransient apartment is any apartment building in which 75 percent or more of the units are available for rent to nontransient tenants.

(e)  Transient apartment.--A transient apartment is any apartment building in which units are advertised or held out to the public as available for transient occupancy.

(f)  Roominghouse.--A roominghouse is any public lodging establishment that may not be classified as a hotel, motel, resort condominium, nontransient apartment, bed and breakfast inn, or transient apartment under this section. A roominghouse includes, but is not limited to, a boardinghouse.

(g)  Resort dwelling.--A resort dwelling is any individually or collectively owned one-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family dwelling house or dwelling unit which is rented more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less, or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented for periods of less than 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less.

(h)  Bed and breakfast inn.--A bed and breakfast inn is a family home structure, with no more than 15 sleeping rooms, which has been modified to serve as a transient public lodging establishment, which provides the accommodation and meal services generally offered by a bed and breakfast inn, and which is recognized as a bed and breakfast inn in the community in which it is situated or by the hospitality industry.

(2)  If 25 percent or more of the units in any public lodging establishment fall within a classification different from the classification under which the establishment is licensed, such establishment shall obtain a separate license for the classification representing the 25 percent or more units which differ from the classification under which the establishment is licensed.

(3)  A public lodging establishment may advertise or display signs which advertise a specific classification, if it has received a license which is applicable to the specific classification and it fulfills the requirements of that classification.

History.--s. 2, ch. 57-824; s. 2, ch. 61-81; ss. 16, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-457; ss. 19, 39, 42, ch. 79-240; ss. 3, 4, ch. 81-161; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 26, 51, 52, ch. 90-339; s. 11, ch. 91-40; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 9, ch. 93-53; s. 12, ch. 96-384.