Ordinance 84-2421 ORDINANCE NO. 84-2421
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH,
FLORIDA, AMENDING THE CODE OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH BY ADDING ARTICLE II , CHAPTER
17 , ENTITLED: "DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR
CONVEYANCES OF LONG-TERM INTEREST IN HOTEL
UNITS" REQUIRING DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN
MINIMUM CONSUMER INFORMATION PRIOR TO THE
CONVEYANCE OF LONG-TERM INTERESTS IN HOTEL
UNITS; REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT
THEREWITH; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY;
PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI
BEACH, FLORIDA:
SECTION 1.
That the City Code of the City of Miami Beach be amended by the
addition of Article II , Chapter 17 entitled "Disclosure
requirements for conveyances of long-term interest in hotel units"
to read as follows:
SECTION 17-15 . Legislative Purpose; Scope
This Ordinance requires certain minimum disclosures to be
made prior to the sale, lease or other conveyance of long-
term interests in individual hotel rooms or units, either for
"investment" or "transient-residential" purposes, by
providing that the person selling interests in such rooms or
units discloses certain legal restrictions on the use and
occupancy thereof. This Ordinance applies to the sale,
lease, sublease , assignment, or other conveyance of long-term
interests in individual hotel or motel rooms or units and not
for the short-term rental of hotel, motel, or other transient
accommodations. However, this Ordinance shall not apply to
contracts for the conveyance of hotel or motel units to bona-
fide third party purchasers that have been executed prior to
the effective date of this Ordinance.
SECTION 17-16 . Definitions
All terms used in this Ordinance shall be interpreted and
applied to achieve the legislative purpose stated in Section
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1 above. The following terms shall be defined as follows
unless the context otherwise requires:
a. Developer shall include any person or entity who at a
point in time, owns or leases ten (10) units or 5% of
the total number of units in any one building governed
by this ordinance, whichever number is greater , and
enters into a venture wherein long-term interests in
rooms or units therein are sold or leased in the
ordinary course of business, to bona fide third party
purchasers.
b. Sale and Lease shall include any and all forms of
conveying long-term interests in hotel or motel rooms or
units, including but not limited to outright sales ,
assignments of leasehold or other interest, and leases
and subleases by Developers.
c. Hotel and Motel shall include: (1) all buildings and
facilities used or designed for use for transient
occupancy, however they may be named, including all
facilities licensed or zoned for hotel, motel or similar
transient accommodations; (2) all buildings and
facilities regulated by state or local authorities as
hotels , motels or transient occupancy; (3) all buildings
and facilities which describe or advertise themselves as
hotels or motels or which offer transient accommodations
to guests, or; (4) to the units within any structure, if
the units are, in terms of applicable zoning, building
maintenance, health, fire or building codes, restricted
to use as hotel or motel rooms. In the event of any
dispute as to whether a particular facility is a hotel
or motel under this ordinance, reference may be made to
the pertinent definitions of hotels and motels elsewhere
within the Miami Beach City Code, zoning code, or
property maintenance code.
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d. Principal shall refer to any person holding an interest
of 25 percent of more of any entity.
e. Room(s) and Unit (s) shall refer to the sale or lease of
a long-term interest in one or more individual hotel or
motel rooms or units, with or without an interest in the
common areas of such hotels or motels, whether or not
the rooms or units therein are subject to the
condominium or other form of ownership, but shall not
include the sale or lease of interests in the hotel or
motel as an entirety, nor in the underlying real
property, nor shall this ordinance apply to mortgages
pertaining to a hotel or motel.
f. Long-term interest shall refer to the sale or lease of
any interest in hotel or motel room (s) or unit (s)
exceeding a term of five years, including but not
limited to the outright sale of such individual room (s)
or unit (s) , the lease or sublease thereof for a term
exceeding five years, or the assignment of the right to
occupy or use individual hotel or motel rooms or units
for a period exceeding five years. All extensions or
renewal periods contained in any agreement to sell or
lease individual hotel or motel rooms or units shall be
included in calculating the term of the interest
conveyed.
g. Buyer (s) , Seller (s) , Lessee (s) , and Lessor (s) . Unless
the context otherwise requires, these terms shall refer
to the parties to the contract, lease or other agreement
conveying a long-term interest in individual hotel or
motel rooms or units, as those terms are defined in this
ordinance.
SECTION 17-17 : Disclosure Requirements
It shall be unlawful for any developer to sell or lease to
any other person, any long-term interest in
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OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY-1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE -MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
individual hotel or motel units or rooms, without first
making the following disclosures, if applicable, in the lease
or purchase agreement or other separate disclosure document
to the buyer , lessee, sublessee or assignee (as the case may
be) in bold or underscored type, all in capital letters, at
least as prominent (excluding headings) as any other
statement contained in the contract or lease or other
agreement which describes the proposed conveyance:
a. "THIS IS A LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT WHICH SETS FORTH
YOUR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS REGARDING THIS TRANSACTION.
YOU MAY NOT RELY ON ANY VERBAL ASSURANCES OR STATEMENTS
MADE BY ANYONE CONCERNING THIS TRANSACTION."
b. If there is a restriction under the applicable zoning
code limiting the use of the hotel and motel unit to
transient occupancy, the following:
"THE BUILDING IN WHICH YOU ARE (PURCHASING OR
LEASING AS APPLICABLE) A UNIT IS A (HOTEL OR MOTEL
AS APPLICABLE) AS DEFINED BY LAW. THE ROOM OR UNIT
WHICH YOU ARE (PURCHASING OR LEASING AS APPLICABLE)
MAY NOT BE USED AS A PRIMARY OR PERMANENT RESIDENCE
AND IS PERMITTED TO BE USED ONLY FOR TRANSIENT
RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES. THE INSTALLATION OF COOKING
FACILITIES IS PROHIBITED."
c. In the event the hotel or motel is required by law to
comply with Section 509 . 215 (Fla. Statutes) , and has not
yet done so, the following:
"THIS (HOTEL OR MOTEL AS APPLICABLE) MUST BE
BROUGHT INTO COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 509.215 (FLA.
STATUTES) BY OCTOBER 1, 1988 UNLESS THE TIME IS
EXTENDED PURSUANT TO THE TERMS OF THAT LAW. SUCH
LAW REGULATES FIRE DETECTION AND FIRE SPRINKLER
REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC LODGING ESTABLISHMENTS.
ALTHOUGH THE COST FOR SUCH WORK CANNOT BE
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DETERMINED AT THIS TIME, THE OBLIGATION FOR
BRINGING THE (HOTEL OR MOTEL AS APPLICABLE) INTO
COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 509.215 SHALL BE MET AS
FOLLOWS:
(Explain the responsibility for the payment of the
cost for the installation of such equipment among
owner or lessor and buyer or lessee) "
d. The status of title for the property on which the hotel
or motel unit is located must be disclosed in the
following manner :
1. The name and address of the fee owner and all
leaseholders and .subleaseholders to which the interest
of the buyer or lessee will be inferior.
2 . All mortgages, judgements and other liens or
encumbrances to which the interest being conveyed to the
buyer or lessee will be inferior.
3 . A statement whether the items identified in
subparagraph "1" and "2" above will be satisfied and/or
released at the time of closing.
4 . A statement which shall state: "In case of default
in any mortgage or other superior interest there is a
possibility that the buyer or lessee' s interest will be
divested. "
Nothing herein shall prevent an owner or lessor from making
additional disclosures not inconsistent herewith.
SECTION 17-18: Persons to Sign the Disclosure Statements
The above-described disclosure statements shall be signed by
the developer and the principals of the developer or the
attorney for the developer . In addition, the prospective
buyer or lessee shall sign or initial each such disclosure
statement, to acknowledge he has received and read the same.
SECTION 17-19 : Good Faith Effort to Comply
If a developer , in good faith, has attempted to comply with
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the requirements of this ordinance and if in fact has
substantially complied with the disclosure requirement of
this ordinance, non-material errors or omissions in the
disclosure materials shall not be actionable unless the
developer refuses to comply after having been notified of the
error.
SECTION 17-20: Violations/Enforcements
a. Civil. In the event of any violation of any provision
of this ordinance, the buyer or lessee shall have the
following remedies:
1. A right of action for damages for a period of one
(1) year after the date of closing;
2 . A right of recission for one (1) year after the
date of closing, if no disclosure is made.
3 . In any action for relief under this section the
prevailing party shall have the right to recover
reasonable attorney' s fees.
b. Criminal. Violations of this Ordinance shall be subject
to a fine not exceeding $1 ,000, and a penalty not
exceeding 30 days imprisonment. Each violation shall
constitute a separate offense.
c. Persons Liable . This ordinance shall be liberally
construed to hold jointly and severally liable the
developer, any corporate officers of the developer , any
principal of the developer and any corporate officer of
any principal of the developer for any violations of
this ordinance.
d. Cummulative Remedies. Nothing contained in § 17-20
shall prohibit the City from enforcing this Article by
any other means including permanent injunctive relief.
SECTION 17-21: Interpretation of Ordinance; Other Laws
This ordinance is a health and safety measure to protect
persons solicited to purchase, lease, or sublease individual
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hotel units or rooms on a long-term basis, either for
investment purposes, for personal use and occupancy, or for
resale or sublease to other individuals, by requiring that
they be provided by the seller or lessor with basic
information concerning legal restrictions applying to the use
and occupancy of the premises to be conveyed. This ordinance
should therefore be construed liberally to achieve its
public-welfare purpose and to encompass and apply to all
conveyances of the type encompassed by this ordinance,
however characterized by the seller or lessor, to prevent
avoidance or circumvention of the requirements of this
ordinance. Contrarily., the ordinance should be interpreted
and applied to avoid any interference whatever with all other
types of real propery transactions and conveyances involving
hotels and motels except for those involving the conveyance
of long-term interests in individual hotel and motel units or
rooms. This ordinance shall be enforced notwithstanding
federal, state or local laws applying to hotels and motels or
to real estate conveyances generally including condominiums
and cooperatives, unless such other laws specifically and
expressly prohibit the specific disclosure requirements of
this ordinance, or unless the specific disclosure
requirements of the ordinance are in direct conflict with the
provision of state or federal law. Pursuant to Chapter 166 ,
Fla. Stat. (1983) , the ordinance shall be enforced within
the jurisdiction of the City of Miami Beach notwithstanding
the existence of other laws applying in the same field ,
absent federal or state legislation specifically in conflict
with the provisions or expressly prohibiting or preempting
the City from enforcing the provisions of this ordinance.
SECTION 17-22: Statutory Intent
It is the intention of the City Commission, and it is hereby
ordained that the provisions of this ordinance shall become
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and be made a part of the Code of the City of Miami Beach,
Florida. The Sections of this ordinance may be renumbered or
relettered to accomplish such intention, and the word
"ordinance" may be changed to "section" , "article" , or other
appropriate word.
SECTION 2: Repealer
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith be and
the same are hereby repealed.
SECTION 3: Severability
If any section, part of section, paragraph, clause, phrase, or
word of this ordinance is declared invalid, the remaining
provisions of this ordinance , shall not be affected.
SECTION 4 : Effective Date.
This Ordinance shall take effect 60 days after its adoption, on
September 9 , 1984 .
PASSED and ADOPTED this 11th day of Jul--y, 1984. ,�
114'(/ Lam'" ' /`
NiBYOR
ATTEST:
•.
CITY CLERK
1st Reading - June 5 , 1984 (as amended)
2nd Reading - July 11, 1984 (as amended)
LAD:bh
FORM P -- OVED
LEGAL DEPT.
By- "Pv
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Date__. x..
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OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY-1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE -MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
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