A '''debate over what defines a hotel''' has arisen in recent years as the beach communities of [[Perdido Key]] and [[Pensacola Beach]] have reached the maximum number of residential units allowed by [[Escambia County]] building caps. The caps were put in place to prevent overdevelopment in the form of high-rise condominiums, but hotels (which are not counted as residential units) provided a loophole. Many beach residents have worried that developers would get around the caps by building ostensible hotels and selling high-end suites to investors — effectively indistinguishable from a condominium. On [[July 19]], [[2007]], the [[Escambia County Commission]] unanimously passed an ordinance extending the maximum stay of condo owners to twelve weeks a year (from two weeks previously) and capping the number of hotel rooms larger than 850 square feet (at about 730 units). {{stub}} [[Category:Pensacola Beach]][[Category:Perdido Key]]ZuEtJf Wow! Great idea! JJWY