Airbnb home receives bed and breakfast approval

A home with purported ties to baseball legend Babe Ruth will become a bed and breakfast after violating St. Petersburg’s short-term rental ordinance with an $800 per night listing.

Maria Lassak recently requested a special exception from building officials to convert her historic single-family home in the Central Oak Park neighborhood into a bed and breakfast. A resident reported the residence at 329 49^th St. N. for serving as a short-term rental in March.

The city’s Development Review Commission voted 6-1 in approval Aug. 7. Marianne Hillyer represented Lassak and said the violation was a simple misunderstanding.

“Maria (Lassak) truly believed she was operating a bed and breakfast, not an Airbnb,” Hillyer said. “She merely used the platform to collect payment, pay taxes and have vetted clients.”

City planner Katrina Lunan-Gordon said construction concluded on the two-story, five-bedroom home in 1926. It includes five-and-a-half bathrooms and eight parking spaces accessible by an adjacent alley and driveway.

Lunan-Gordon said Lassak purchased the property in 2022, lives onsite and rents four guest rooms, each with a kitchenette. The surrounding neighborhood consists primarily of single-family homes.

However, Lunan-Gordon noted the area’s commercial uses and that the home is just a mile north of Central Avenue. “The bed and breakfast use will have no substantial detrimental effects to the area and should not negatively impact nearby properties,” she said.

The homeowner pledged to obtain proper permitting before hosting additional special events.

Heather Judd, assistant city attorney, said those facilities must receive state licensing and are subject to periodic inspections. City officials could request an inspection if they receive complaints that “this was purely an Airbnb.”

Commissioner Charles Flynt questioned the difference between an Airbnb and a bed and breakfast. The hearing came just a month after city council members discussed implementing “super fines” for short-term rental violations.

Judd explained that the Airbnb platform advertises any vacation rental, including traditional bed and breakfasts. A similar site, VRBO, typically does not showcase those facilities.

Flynt said the only distinction is that someone lives at a bed and breakfast. Local ordinances also vary.

Homeowners and investors can rent a residence for less than 30 days up to three times annually in St. Petersburg. Judd said Lassak, with the commission’s approval, could rent the home nightly if she complies with special exception conditions.

Those include obtaining and abiding by related permits, ensuring onsite management, limiting special functions, maintaining six parking spaces, submitting a stormwater management form and several landscaping requirements.

Lassak received submitted complaints regarding special events held at the home through the city’s See-Click-Fix portal earlier this year. Hillyer said Lassak offered the home for weddings, birthdays and bachelorette parties.

“However, at this time, Ms. Lassak would like to stick to a traditional bed and breakfast …”

Hillyer also noted that a neighbor offered to let her client use their property for overflow parking. Multiple commissioners credited the home’s layout and appearance for approving the request.

Hillyer said the residence, dubbed Hacjenda Maryna, is “believed to have been built in 1926 by Babe Ruth for his mistress, who was the biological mother of his daughter, Dorothy.” Ruth, arguably the most famous baseball player in history, frequented the area during spring training and the offseason.

Despite the previous complaints, Lassak’s proposal received six signatures of support from surrounding neighbors. Hillyer said the homeowner did not speak English when she immigrated from Poland to Chicago in 1978 and misunderstood state and local regulations.

Hillyer noted that Lassak was one of 117 people to receive a short-term rental violation March 2. “Apparently, understanding the city code is difficult for many,” Hillyer added.

A screengrab of the home’s Airbnb listing. It also received a homestead exemption.

A complainant also reported Lassak for receiving a homestead exemption while listing her home on Airbnb. Hillyer said her client understands she cannot apply for the property tax deduction.

Commissioner Kevin Reali said a recent complaint mentioned significant renovations. He suspected the person did not realize the property was already operating as a short-term rental.

“We don’t like after-the-fact situations like this, but we definitely see more egregious violations,” Reali continued. “And this comes with the added benefit of seeing the quality of the premises there.”