BETHUNE BEACH, Fla. — The Volusia County Council voted 5-2 Tuesday against changing the current short-term rental ordinance for some areas of unincorporated Volusia.

Short-term rentals still will not be allowed in some areas zoned residential in unincorporated Volusia County. 

The issue has been a point of contention in the county. ​Signs of the divide line the streets of the quiet Bethune Beach neighborhood. It’s an issue Brock Neal said he never expected to be a part of. 

“We’ve been doing rentals now for two years — we do both long term and short term,” he said. 

Neal said his family used to live in this home full time, but turned to renting with VRBO when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. 

“To provide some supplemental income for my family to get through this time,” he said. 

The problem is short-term rentals aren’t allowed in that residential zone under the current Volusia County ordinance, a fact neighbors brought to the attention of code enforcement. The county said it had received a petition from the neighborhood with more than 400 signatures back in July. So far this year, the county said it’s received 23 complaints against short-term rentals. 

“We weren’t really aware of what was going on because our house was in a rental program before so we thought what we’re doing was completely fine," Neal said. "Our real estate agent said it was completely fine so it wasn't until that we kind of got wind of these emails that we were like, 'Wait a minute, what this going on here?' "

That is why Neal is one of many renters hoping to see ordinance change Tuesday after a vote from the county council. However, others in the neighborhood, like Gary Knuth, do not feel the same. 

“From my perspective, it seems like somebody got caught and decided they wanted to change the law rather than abide by the law,” he said. 

Knuth said that he retired four years ago knowing short-term rentals were not allowed, as he was looking for a quiet area with good neighbors. 

"If they pass this, my property values will increase because I would all the sudden have a different use of my house, but I did not buy it to increase the value of it like that," Knuth said. "We bought it because it is a nice neighborhood and we like to live here.”

While Neal claims he is losing thousands by putting a pause on renting and paying for two houses, he shared being a good neighbor is a top priority for him.

“We are in favor of regulation and that is what we are hoping that the county will see that, 'Hey, this is good for the county' and they can also regulate it and tell us exactly what they want and how it can be done,” he said. “It is a very simple fix.”

However, he said if this decision on Tuesday does not go his way, they may not be able to afford to be neighbors much longer. 

“It is a devastating blow, and quite honestly, if the council decides to vote against this, I am going to be forced to sell the home and perhaps move out of Volusia County," Neal said.