Short Term Rental
Management

Surge offers local full service vacation rental management for busy vacation rental owners and Airbnb hosts in Anna Maria, Florida

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Anna Maria, Florida Short Term Rental Overview

Airbnb Market
Anna Maria Island presents exceptional short-term rental investment opportunities driven by its unique combination of limited inventory and consistently high demand, with average daily rates ranging from $300-600 depending on property size and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. The island's strict development regulations and finite land mass create a supply-constrained market that maintains occupancy rates above 75% year-round, while seasonal peaks reach 90-95% with premium pricing during winter months when northern visitors drive demand. Properties within walking distance of Bean Point or the historic Anna Maria City Pier command the highest returns, often generating 15-25% annual yields due to the island's reputation for pristine beaches, charming local businesses, and easy accessibility via the Cortez Bridge without the commercialization found in nearby Clearwater or St. Petersburg. The market benefits from diverse guest demographics including families, couples, and corporate retreats, creating multiple revenue streams throughout the year, while the island's established tourism infrastructure and positive regulatory environment for short-term rentals provide stability for property owners seeking to maximize their real estate investment returns in Florida's competitive vacation rental market.
Short Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rental regulations in Anna Maria, Florida involve a complex web of city ordinances, zoning restrictions, and permitting requirements that can change frequently and carry significant penalties for non-compliance, including hefty fines, forced closure of your rental operation, and potential legal liability that could jeopardize your investment and income stream. The city requires specific business licenses, occupancy permits, and adherence to strict parking, noise, and occupancy limits, while also mandating proper tax collection and remittance to both local and state authorities - violations of which can result in back taxes, interest, and penalties that quickly escalate into thousands of dollars. However, when you partner with a professional short-term rental management service, you can rest assured that all licensing requirements, permit applications, tax compliance, and regulatory updates are handled expertly on your behalf, allowing you to enjoy the income from your property while staying fully compliant with all local laws and protecting your investment from costly violations.
Occupancy Rates
Anna Maria Island experiences distinct seasonal patterns with peak occupancy rates typically occurring from December through April when northern visitors escape harsh winters, and again during summer months from June through August when families vacation during school breaks, often achieving occupancy rates of 80-90% during these periods. The shoulder seasons of May, September, October, and November see significantly lower demand with occupancy rates dropping to 40-60%, while late fall months like November can be particularly challenging with rates sometimes falling below 40%. Professional revenue management becomes crucial during these fluctuations, requiring sophisticated dynamic pricing strategies that adjust rates daily based on local events, weather patterns, competitor pricing, and booking lead times to maximize revenue during peak periods while maintaining competitive rates during slower months. Effective revenue management for Anna Maria properties must account for the island's unique position as both a winter snowbird destination and summer family retreat, utilizing data-driven pricing algorithms that can capitalize on last-minute bookings during high season while offering strategic discounts during shoulder periods to maintain steady cash flow and prevent extended vacancy periods that are common in this highly seasonal Gulf Coast market.
Vacation Rental Management
Self-managing a vacation rental in Anna Maria, Florida presents overwhelming operational challenges that can quickly destroy profitability and guest satisfaction in this highly competitive barrier island market. Guest turnover demands same-day coordination of housekeeping, maintenance inspections, and restocking between back-to-back bookings, often complicated by Anna Maria's limited service provider availability and island traffic constraints that can delay critical turnovers. The 24/7 communication burden intensifies during peak season when guests require immediate responses for everything from Wi-Fi troubleshooting to emergency lockouts, air conditioning failures in Florida's humid climate, or hurricane evacuation procedures—all while owners may be in different time zones or managing their primary careers. Maintenance issues are particularly challenging on Anna Maria Island due to salt air corrosion, frequent HVAC strain, pool equipment failures, and the limited pool of qualified contractors willing to service the island on short notice, often resulting in extended vacancy periods that devastate revenue. Without full-service property management handling these complex logistics, owners face constant interruptions, guest complaints that tank reviews, maintenance emergencies that spiral into costly disasters, and the impossible task of maintaining the flawless 5-star experience that Anna Maria's luxury vacation rental market demands—making professional management not just convenient, but absolutely essential for protecting both reputation and passive income streams.
Attractions and Amenities
Anna Maria Island's primary attractions include the pristine Anna Maria Beach and Coquina Beach with their sugar-white sand and crystal-clear waters, the historic Anna Maria City Pier extending 678 feet into Tampa Bay for fishing and sunset viewing, Bean Point at the island's northern tip offering secluded beaches and nature trails, and the charming downtown Pine Avenue district featuring local shops, restaurants, and art galleries. To maximize revenue from guests visiting these specific destinations, rental properties must provide beach essentials including chairs, umbrellas, coolers, and beach wagons for comfortable day-long stays at the beaches, fishing equipment storage and cleaning stations for pier enthusiasts, outdoor shower facilities to rinse off sand and salt water, bicycle rentals or storage since the island is highly walkable and bike-friendly for exploring Pine Avenue and reaching Bean Point, spacious outdoor areas with grills and seating for enjoying the island's famous sunsets, and reliable Wi-Fi for guests to share their experiences and plan daily activities around tide schedules and local events, as these amenities directly support the beach-centric, outdoor lifestyle that defines the Anna Maria Island experience.

Why choose Surge?

Surge is local Airbnb management that’s reliable, affordable and the best for your property.
Cost
Guest communications
Host Communications
Insurance
Contract
Cost
Starting at 15% fee
Guest communications
Guest response within 10 minutes, 24 hours a day
Host Communications
Designated host call in phone line
Insurance
Full damage protection for every reservation
Contract
No annual agreements
Other Property Mangers
Cost
25-40% fee
Guest communications
Sporadic guest communications
Host Communications
Bot response assistants
Insurance
Unreliable insurance coverage
Contract
Contract lock-ins

Understand Your STR Income

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Surge is geared towards maximizing potential

Be at ease with the knowledge that your vacation rental is being optimized to its fullest potential.
30%
In gross revenue
150 M
Potential guests
4.9
Superhost status
7+
Booking platforms
1
Property manager
The house was great. It accommodated our large group nicely. The owner was responsive and checked in on us throughout the trip. The gate around the home added privacy and security. The beds were comfortable as well. Extra linen, towels and washcloths. We are looking to book this home in the future!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
We really appreciated Surge. He was responsive, attentive, and went above to make sure our stay was seamless. You can tell he takes pride in providing a clean/organized place. Everyone loved the pool table and shuffleboard. This place is also very close to great restaurants. The place we went to had the best catfish. Would definitely rent from Surge again!!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Our group really enjoyed our long weekend stay here! The property was very clean and spacious but also provided some privacy to accommodate our large family. Surge was responsive when we reached out to them and also accommodated an early check-in. We felt secure given that the property was gated and had smart locks on both entry doors. We strongly recommend this property and would love to stay here again!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
My family and I were here for my daughter’s graduation from UofH. Surge was very upfront, kept us informed and accommodating. The place was clean and fit my entire family comfortably. We have already made plans to come back. Great location, private and safe environment. Would highly recommend! Thank you Surge for making this stay memorable and stress free for our family!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Great stay that accommodated all our needs for a successful for trip to Houston, i hope to Book in the coming future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
The host was great, he responded quickly when needed and checked in on us from time to time throughout the whole day. He was awesome and the place was great for my family of 16. Definitely will book with him in the future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about the product and billing.
Does Surge Property Management allow pets in its short term rentals?
Surge Property Management leaves that decision to the property owner. While allowing pets can be a big perk for some guests, Surge does not have any requirements for the property owner to allow it. Service animals are a different case. Surge is prohibited to refuse a reservation, charge pet fees, hold guests to different rules, apply differential treatment or use discriminatory language if a guest is accompanied by a service animal. A guests service animal must not be out of control, un-housebroken, left alone at the listing without prior approval, allowed into areas that are considered unauthorized by the guest and allowed in a public space without being harnessed, leashed, or tethered and not under the guests control.
Do I get access to an owner portal?
Surge Property Management has a tech leading owner portal to keep its property owners in the loop, instead of on the outside looking in. In the owner portal you can reserve days for personal use, see pending reservations, nightly pricing rates, owner statements, expense receipts, guest messaging and more!
Do you screen the guests that are staying in my property?
Our intelligent Guest Screening technology allows us to screen vacation rental guests before they enter your property, making it easier to keep bad guests out. We proactively assess the risk posed by each guest, through legal, non-discriminatory checks. Guests will be asked to submit some personal details including their name, date of birth, physical home address and contact details. We then verify by having the guest take a live selfie and submit a photo of their ID(either a drivers license or passport). This information will then be processed to determine the true identity of your guest, including whether the ID is fraudulent and if the provided details match those on the ID. This process will generate a risk report for us to review before the guest arrives.
Do you provide insurance for guest damages?
We partner with the premier provider of short term rental protection also offering guest screening and comprehensive insurance coverage. Our partner brings confidence and peace of mind to both Surge Property Management and its clients(homeowners). Our third party partner has protected over 60 billion in homeowner liability coverage and 1 million guest nights. Ask your Surge sales representative for more details.
What happens if there is guest damage to my property?
Each guest is required to make a $500 security deposit. Any damage above $500 we are able to document, submit, and follow a claim through on your behalf with our short term rental insurance partner covering up to $5,000,000.
How does Surge compare to a national provider like Vacasa?
While both Surge and Vacasa both have a full service model designed to be hands off from the property owner, Surge stands out above the rest by being more intentional and selective with the properties we decide to accept into our management portfolio. This allows us to give the required attention to the properties we manage instead of just "setting it and forgetting it" like the other property managers do. Once you go onboard with them you just become another number.
Does Surge handle the maintenance of the vacation rental?
Yes, Surge is able to handle any property maintenance(including hot tub & pool) for your property. We have a large network of service providers, additionally, if you have a preferred vendor we can assign and coordinate maintenance with them as well.
What services does Surge Property Management offer?

Surge is a full-service property manager and provides the following service to property owners:

  • Listing creating and management across multiple channels
  • Calendar management
  • Cleaning
  • Laundry
  • Restocking
  • Maintenance
  • Dynamic Pricing
  • Lock automation
  • Guest Portal
  • Owners Portal
  • Listing optimization
  • Photography
  • 24/7 guest communication
  • Check-in/out support
  • and more!
Is Surge Property Management a Superhost on Airbnb?
Yes, Surge Property Management is a Superhost on AirBNB. Airbnb defines a Superhost as a Host who goes above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality. Guests can easily identify a Superhost from the badge that appears on their Airbnb listing and profile. Superhosts have more visibility and earning potential.
How and when do I get paid?
Surge Property Management initiates ACH payment to its property owners once a month by the 10th day of the next month. Along with the ACH deposit sent to you, you also receive a highly detailed statement for review.
Are there any hidden fees?
Surge Property Management has the most transparent pricing in the industry. Our property owners are our Partners in business which is why we hold transparency at a very high standard. With your monthly statements you will be able to trace every dollar from when the guest paid for their reservation to when it was deposited into your bank account. Contact your Surge sales rep for a personal walk through of our statement structure.
Can I still use my property?
Yes of course. The biggest perk of a vacation rental is still retaining personal use of the property for your personal use. Inside of our Owner’s Portal you can reserve days for personal use.
How do you market my property?

We list your property on the major platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Google Vacation rentals and more! We also allow direct bookings very popular among returning guests. Our integration technology is second to none and was awarded the following:

  • Airbnb Preferred + Software Partner
  • VRBO Elite Partner
  • Booking.com Premier Connectivity Partner
How do you handle complaints or disputes?
We aim to resolve issues quickly and fairly, protecting both the guests and the property owner’s interests. We mediate disputes and ensure a smooth resolution process.
How do I get started with your service?
Contact us to schedule a consultation. We'll discuss your property, our services, and how we can help you achieve your rental goals.
How do you handle waste management?
We coordinate with local services to ensure proper waste disposal and recycling, maintaining cleanliness and environmental responsibility.
What safety measures do you implement?
We ensure the property has functional smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and complies with all local safety regulations.
What does Surge’s full service property management mean?
Surge's comprehensive property management service allows property owners to be completely hands-off with the daily operations of their Airbnb properties. Surge takes care of all the daily tasks, including listings, guest interactions, cleanings, restocking, and maintenance, ensuring a stress-free experience for the property owner.

Still have questions?

Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.
Get in touch
(713) 853-9573