Airbnb Party Led To Shootout In Florida, Woman Who Rent Out Home Charged For Violating Coronavirus Lockdown

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on Friday charged a Tampa, Florida, homeowner for violations relating to the coronavirus safety protocol after she rented out her property for hosting a party ignoring the coronavirus social distancing and “stay at home” orders.

Deputies responded to an unoccupied home at 3209 W Clinton Street in Tampa early morning on April 18 after receiving a call reporting shots being fired into the home.

According to the police, the shootout was triggered after a possible altercation between several juveniles. An unknown juvenile in a vehicle fired multiple shots at the home. The suspects immediately fled the scene and nobody was reported to be hurt.

During further investigation regarding the shooting, the police discovered that the homeowner, 23-year-old Natalia Rodriguez Cuervo, had rented out her property through Airbnb to a group of juveniles for two days starting from April 17 because they wanted to host a party.

According to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order 20-103, which extended Executive Order 20-87 (Vacation Rental Closures), “vacation rentals are prohibited from making new reservations or bookings and shall not accept new guests for check-in" during the COVID-19 lockdown.

When the deputies confronted Cuervo about the violation, she said she was unaware of such an order. Deputies handed over a copy of the executive order to Cuervo and advised her to be aware of such violations especially when involved in running a business.

Sheriff Chad Chronister told local media that “Alleged ignorance of the law is no excuse for not following it. Our deputies have worked for weeks to educate and encourage the public to follow the emergency orders.”

“As I’ve stated continuously, we will continue to enforce the emergency orders, especially when blatant disregard for them puts the lives of others in danger,” he added.

Cuervo was charged with violation of an emergency management rule or order – a misdemeanor of the second degree. No suspects of the shootout were identified as of Monday.

In a similar incident that took place at an apartment in Bakersfield, California, on April 12, a party held at the apartment violating the “stay at home” order led to a shooting and resulted in six people getting injured. One of the victims was a juvenile, who was rushed to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.