Florence, keyboxes of downtown rooming houses removed: now penalties for those who do not comply with ban

The keybox removal operation in the historic center of Florence has been completed. As of Feb. 25, 2025, the Municipal Police removed 187 devices from the streets of theUNESCO area, thus completing the intervention envisaged by the City Council resolution approved on Feb. 10. The measure, part of the decalogue for more sustainable tourism and a more livable city, introduced a ban on the installation of keyboxes for reasons of public decorum and safety. When the resolution was approved, 380 devices had been surveyed. During the period given to owners of short tourist leases to comply with the regulations, more than half of the keyboxes were voluntarily removed. The remainder were removed directly by the Municipal Police, who acted street by street to restore order and urban decorum.

“The Municipal Police completed in a month the removal of keyboxes in the UNESCO area, thus giving full substance to one of the first commitments of Mayor Sara Funaro and the entire Municipal Administration,” says Economic Development and Tourism Councillor Jacopo Vicini, “a capillary work carried out with an excellent organization; thanks to the cataloguing of each keybox removed now for the Municipal Police it is possible to move on to the phase of investigations, functional to the sanctions for the owners who have not autonomously taken steps to comply. In these days, moreover, the removals in the other city neighborhoods will also start, starting from the reports that are already coming in.”

A widespread intervention in the UNESCO area

Florence Mayor Sara Funaro attended the start of the removal operations, which began ten days after the ban came into effect, coinciding with the publication of the resolution on the municipal notice board. Municipal Police officers, supported by technical staff, then carried out an average of 15 removals per day, starting with the main streets and then moving on to secondary ones. As the weeks went on, the number of devices to be removed gradually decreased, allowing the operation to be successfully completed.

Now, with the keyboxes removed catalogued, the assessment phase for the imposition of penalties is beginning. In parallel, removal operations are also continuing outside the UNESCO area. The first four keyboxes have already been removed in Via Ponte alle Mosse, and the Municipal Police will continue to intervene in city neighborhoods based on reports already received by the Command.

New rules for short tourist rentals

The Municipality’s action against urban decay is not limited to keyboxes. As of January 1, 2025, in fact, the obligation for owners of short tourist leases to display the National Identification Code (NIC) outside their facilities came into effect. The regulations, established at the national level, were adapted by the City of Florence in collaboration with the Superintendency to respect the city’s historical and artistic context. In the historic center (UNESCO area), the display criteria are particularly strict: the nameplate must be brass, with black lettering, a maximum size of 6x2 cm, and placed inside or next to the doorbell button, if present. In areas outside the UNESCO area, on the other hand, nameplates measuring 8x2 cm are allowed, again made of brass with black lettering.

This measure, also part of the Sustainable Tourism & Livable City Decalogue, is part of a broader strategy to regulate tourism in cities of art, ensuring order and transparency in the short-let sector. In addition, the municipality has established that no application or SCIA is required for the installation of the signs, as the obligation stems directly from national legislation and is not subject to an advertising tax.

Florence, keyboxes of downtown rooming houses removed: now penalties for those who do not comply with ban

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