Last month the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down New Orleans’ short-term rental (STR) regulations—specifically the part of our rules that require STR operators to have a homestead exemption and live on the property. This would have opened up the floodgates to more out-of-town STR speculators scooping up homes in our neighborhoods and renting them to wealthy tourists. Thankfully, the City Council quickly passed an Interim Zoning District on August 29th, which has the effect of banning all new residential STRs for at least six months while they work out new stricter rules. LaFHAC has always been critical of STR speculators because we know they’ve helped fuel our eviction crisis and hollow out historically-Black neighborhoods. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the fight for tighter rules and better enforcement progresses.