Lahaina Group Seeks Phase-out of Vacation Rentals

4/3/2024

Members of Lahaina Strong went to the Hawaii State Capitol on March 28 to urge passage of either of two House and Senate companion bills that would give counties the option to phase out short-term rentals (STRs) on their islands. They were joined by several lawmakers in urging passage of the latest versions of House Bill 1838 and Senate Bill 2919 in the remaining weeks of the legislative session, which is scheduled to end May 3. The day prior, Gov. Josh Green declined to use his emergency powers following the Aug. 8 wildfires in Lahaina to impose a ban on STRs in West Maui that could have gone into effect Monday, freeing up longer-term housing for fire survivors who want to remain in West Maui. While Green did not impose a ban on West Maui vacation rentals on Wednesday, he said he ordered state Attorney General Anne Lopez to create a task force focused on illegal STRs and threatened "severe penalties " for owners of illegal rentals.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser (03/29/24) Dan Nakaso

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