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‘Sticks’ won’t resolve vacation rental debate
Hawaii’s contradictory approach to short-term vacation rentals hasn’t been doing much to make anybody happy, and could, in fact, just be making things worse. For years, we’ve struggled with the question of how to handle the evolution of tourism. Short-term rentals...
Unshackle Maui taxis to help them compete
In the wake of the state announcing that ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft can now pick up customers at Kahului and Kapalua airports, Maui airport taxi drivers are expressing frustration that such companies will essentially be operating as taxis while not having to...
Maui rental fines not fine
Say you’re in desperate need of money and decide to rent a room in your Maui home through Airbnb. You look at the other rentals being offered and decide to make your price competitive at $100 a night. You know this won’t make you a millionaire — you’re just hoping it...
Vacation rental fines inviting legal trouble
This article was published as a letter to the editor in The Maui News on Nov. 14, 2018. On Nov. 6, Maui voters decided to drastically increase the fines for illegal short-term vacation rentals on Maui, which could expose the county to dangerous legal challenges....
Maui County should welcome vacation rentals
The following article was originally featured Sept. 25, 2018, in The Maui News. Maui County policymakers have typically decried short-term rentals that are unpermitted. But rather than erect significant barriers to their operation — including a limit on their numbers...