§ 9.3-24. Exemptions and exceptions.

(a)

Nothing contained in section 9.3-23 hereof shall prohibit a religious organization, association, or society, or any nonprofit charitable or educational institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by, or in conjunction with, a religious organization, association, or society, from limiting or from advertising the sale, rental or occupancy of housing which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such persons unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color or national origin. Nor shall anything in this article prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes provides lodging which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of such lodging to its members or from giving preference to its members.

(b)

Nothing in section 9.3-23 hereof, other than subsection (7) of subsection (a) thereof, shall apply to:

(1)

Any single-family house sold or rented by an owner; provided that such private individual owner does not own more than three (3) such single-family houses at any one time; provided further that in the case of the sale of any such single-family house by a private individual owner not residing in such house at the time of such sale or who was not the most recent resident of such house prior to such sale, the exemption granted by this subsection shall apply only with respect to such sale within any twenty-four-month period; provided further that such bona fide private individual owner does not own any interest in, nor is there owned or reserved on such owner's behalf, under any express or voluntary agreement, title to or any rights to all or a portion of the proceeds from the sale or rental of, more than three such single-family houses at any one time, provided further that the owner sells or rents such housing: (1) without the use in any manner of the sales or rental facilities or the sales or rental services of any real estate broker, agent, or salesperson, or of such facilities or services of any person in the business of selling or renting housing, or of any employee or agency of any such broker, agent, salesperson, or person, and (2) without the publication, posting or mailing, after notice, of any advertisement or written notice in violation of subsubsection (7) of subsection (a) of section 9.3-23 hereof, but nothing in this provision shall prohibit the use of attorneys, escrow agents, abstractors, title companies, and other such professional assistance as necessary to perfect or transfer the title; or

(2)

Rooms or units containing living quarters occupied or intended to be occupied by no more than four (4) families living independently of each other, if the owner actually maintains and occupies one of such living quarters as such owner's residence, provided that the owner sells or rents such rooms or units: (1) without the use in any manner of the sales or rental facilities or the sales or rental services of any real estate broker, agent or salesperson, or of such facilities or services of any person in business of selling or renting housing, or of any employee or agency of any such broker, agent salesperson, or person, and (2) without the publication, posting or mailing, after notice, of any advertisement or written notice in violation of subsubsection (7) of subsection (a) of section 9.3-23 hereof, but nothing in this proviso shall prohibit the use of attorneys, escrow agents, abstractors, title companies, and other such professional assistance as necessary to perfect or transfer the title. For the purpose of this subsection (2), a person shall be deemed to be in the business of selling or renting housing if: (1) he has, within the preceding twelve (12) months, participated as principal in providing sales or rental facilities or sales or rental services in three (3) or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any housing or any interest therein; or (2) he has, within the preceding twelve (12) months, participated as agent in providing sales or rental facilities or sales or rental services in two (2) or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any housing or any interest therein; or (3) he is the owner of any housing designed or intended for occupancy by, or occupied by, five (5) or more families.

(c)

Nothing in section 9.3-23 hereof shall be construed to:

(1)

Bar any person from restricting sales, rentals, leases or occupancy, or from giving preference, to persons of a given age for bona fide housing intended solely for minors;

(2)

Make it an unlawful act to require that a person have legal capacity to enter into a contract or lease;

(3)

Bar any person from advertising or from refusing to sell or rent any housing which is planned exclusively for, and occupied exclusively by, individuals of one sex, to any individual of the opposite sex;

(4)

Bar any person from selling, renting, or advertising any housing which is planned exclusively for, and occupied exclusively by, unmarried individuals to unmarried individuals only;

(5)

Bar any person from advertising or from refusing to sell or rent any housing which is planned exclusively for married couples without children or from segregating families with children to special units of housing;

(6)

Bar any person from refusing to sell or rent any housing to unmarried individuals cohabiting contrary to law;

(7)

Prohibit housing for older persons in regards to familial status when the housing is intended for and solely occupied by persons sixty-two (62) years of age or older; or intended and operated for occupancy by persons fifty-five (55) years of age or older when the housing facility or community has complied with the requirements of section 760.29(4), Florida Statutes, or has been qualified as housing for older persons by the Florida Commission on Human Relations.

(Ord. No. 93-14, § 4, 3-9-93; Ord. No. 96-33, § 1, 11-5-96)