INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — While people
self-quarantined in the early days of the coronavirus
pandemic, some communities tried to insulate residents from
outsiders.
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The entry way to the Sea Oaks Sales and Rental Center. |
"We continue to
monitor the changes," Wayne said. The association board also
continues to get input from its members, she said.
That decision won't help investors such as Angie Bresnahan,
who rents out a two-bedroom, two-bath Sea Oaks unit a week
at a time.
She estimates she will lose $60,000-$70,000 this year
because of the restrictions. During high season, her unit
can go for about $7,500 a month, she said.
When the rental ban was enacted, Bresnahan said, she
understood the reasoning. But as time passed, lost rentals
became costlysince she still was paying her mortgage and
monthly association fees, she said.
"Nobody can stomach seven months without rentals," Bresnahan
said.
Bresnahan says she cannot understand the reason to continue
the restriction. There is an open courtyard outside the
units, with no shared elevators or railings that could
create a COVID-19 hotspot, she said.
"We believe (the association) has overreached," Bresnahan
said.
Wayne disagreed.
Swimming pools, the beach club, restaurants and tennis
facilities all are common areas within the community, she
said.
"I think we've all been challenged by this financially,"
Wayne said. "We've all had to make some difficult
decisions."
Other communities also place restrictions on the length of
stay for rentals. At The Moorings, only one of the 15
homeowner associations allows weekly rentals, said rental
manager Allison McGraw. All others require a 30-day minimum
stay, she said.
"Our owners prefer not to have that in-and-out," she said.
Those restrictions have been in place before COVID-19, she
said.