Florida Airbnb Laws 11 Rules Smart Hosts Follow

Rule 1 Know If Your Property Needs A State Vacation Rental License

If you are renting a full unit short-term, Florida generally treats that as a vacation rental that must be licensed through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

What this means in plain English:

• If you plan to rent a condo or entire home to guests for short stays, you should assume DBPR licensing applies until you confirm otherwise.

• Licensing is handled by DBPR’s Hotels and Restaurants division (vacation rentals and transient lodging).

Friendly reminder: This article is not legal advice. A screened local Realtor plus the city’s short-term rental page is the fastest way to confirm the exact rules for the address you are considering.

Rule 2 Understand What Florida Lets Cities Regulate

Florida law limits what local governments can do in certain areas. For example, the Florida statutes include language that local laws cannot prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of vacation rentals, with an important carve-out for ordinances adopted on or before June 1, 2011. 

In practical terms, many cities and counties focus on:

• Registration programs

• Life-safety requirements

• Noise and nuisance enforcement

• Parking rules

• Local business tax receipts

• Local inspections and local contact person requirements

You will see this clearly in many city short-term rental checklists that require proof of state licensing and tax accounts as part of local compliance.

Rule 3 Do Not Assume SB 280 Changed Everything

You may have heard about Florida Senate Bill 280, which proposed statewide changes involving platforms, licensing, and local regulation structure.

The key update most buyers miss is that Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed SB 280 in June 2024, so it did not become law. 

Translation: Florida’s short-term rental landscape is still shaped mainly by the existing statutes and local programs, not a brand-new statewide overhaul from that bill.

Rule 4 Taxes Are Not Optional And They Are Not Always Automatic

Short-term rentals in Florida commonly involve multiple layers of tax:

• State sales tax

• Local tourist development taxes (often county-level)

• Potential surtaxes depending on location

Some platforms may collect certain taxes for certain transactions, but you should not assume you are fully covered without verifying what applies in your county and how the listing is structured. Many local compliance pages still require proof of a Florida Department of Revenue account or tourist tax registration.

If you are budgeting a move or purchase, it helps to read Florida Cost Of Living Comparison 2026 What Moving Really Costs because recurring costs and taxes can change your “great deal” into a “great lesson.”

Rule 5 HOA And Condo Rules Can Override Your Airbnb Dreams

Here is the part nobody wants to hear, but everybody needs to hear.

Even if a city allows short-term rentals, an HOA or condo association can have:

• Minimum lease terms (30 days, 90 days, 6 months)

• Caps on rental frequency

• Application and approval requirements

• Fines for violations

Before you buy, ask for:

• The HOA rules and regs

• The lease policy

• The fine schedule

• Any recent meeting notes about short-term rentals

A screened Realtor can usually spot these red flags quickly, especially in condo-heavy markets near the beach.