11 Best St. Pete Beach Vacation Rental Management Companies (2026)

St. Pete Beach is one of the most popular vacation spots on Florida's Gulf Coast: seven miles of pristine beaches, the historic Pass-a-Grille district at the south end, great restaurants along Corey Avenue and Gulf Boulevard, and an easy drive from Tampa International. It is also one of the few Florida cities that kept its own short-term rental rules from before the state stepped in, which means most homes in town cannot take nightly or weekly guests at all. Before you compare any company offering St. Pete Beach vacation rental management, you need to know which side of that line your property sits on.

This guide compares eleven companies that manage short term rentals and vacation properties in St. Pete Beach today, using only the fees and facts each company publishes on its own website. It also covers the city's zoning rules, the 13% Pinellas County tax stack, what a rental here can earn based on Surge market data, and the questions property owners should ask before they sign.

The best St. Pete Beach vacation rental management companies for 2026

Each company below manages vacation properties, condo units or rental property in the city, Pass-a-Grille or the neighboring beach towns. We last checked every company's website in October 2026; the update date above shows when this page last changed.

• Surge: best for owners who want full service, transparent fees and written exit terms.
• Resort Rentals: best for owners who want one published, all-inclusive rate from a company founded in 1997.
• Blue Gems Property Management: best for owners who want a low published commission and no contract lock-in.
• iTrip St. Petersburg Beaches: best for owners who want a local franchise with a national booking engine.
• St Pete Vibes: best for condo owners who want a local team with its own marketing agency.
• Coastal Bliss Vacation Rentals: best for waterfront homes and owners who may also want help buying.
• LocalBNB: best for owners who want in-house cleaning and renovation help.
• At the Beach Property Management: best for luxury homes run by a licensed broker.
• Home Team Luxury Rentals: best for high-end Pass-a-Grille homes listed on many channels.
• Awning: best for remote owners who want a national manager with a low starting fee.
• Evolve: best for owners who live close by and will handle cleaning themselves.

The order is not a ranking of guest ratings. No public source publishes verified results for every manager, so treat this as a shortlist. Ask each company for its owner agreement, a sample monthly statement and references from property owners in your building or on your street.

Quick answers for St. Pete Beach owners

Can I rent my home nightly? Usually not. The City of St. Pete Beach says rentals of less than one month are not permitted in many districts. Homes in the RM zoning district and in the Pass-a-Grille Overlay can take stays shorter than 30 days up to three times in any 12-month period. Rentals of one month or more are allowed in every residence in the city.

Where are nightly rentals allowed? In buildings approved as transient lodging, such as hotels, resorts and condo-hotels in the tourist and commercial districts along Gulf Boulevard. Those uses need a city business tax license that is reviewed by zoning and the fire marshal before it is issued.

What do managers charge? Resort Rentals publishes 20%, Blue Gems publishes a 15% commission, Awning starts at 10% in Florida, Evolve publishes 10% or 15% plus $250 onboarding, and Surge starts at 15% for full service. Most local companies quote per property.

Where can I check my address? Look up the parcel on the city's official zoning map, or call City Hall and give them the address. Do this before you buy, not after.

What can a rental earn? About $48,200 a year for a typical listing in the St. Pete Beach submarket, at a $275 average daily rate and 62% occupancy, based on Surge market data pulled in October 2026.

What taxes apply? 13% in total on stays of six months or less: 6% Florida sales tax, the 1% county surtax and the 6% tourist development tax.

1. Surge

Surge offers short-term rental management for owners across Texas and Florida. Our team handles listing creation and listing photos, dynamic pricing that helps optimize every night of availability, guest services and guest screening, cleaning and turnover coordination, maintenance, and monthly owner statements. Our fee structure starts at 15% for full service, and we put every fee in the agreement, including what cleaning and maintenance cost and who pays for them.

We are honest about fit. Surge does not have an office on Gulf Boulevard, and if you want a manager who can walk your unit every week, one of the local firms below may suit you better. Where we help most is with owners who want tight reporting, pricing that follows the Pinellas season week by week, and a manager who checks the zoning map before a single booking is taken. See how we work on our Florida Airbnb management page, or contact us for a free revenue estimate.

Surge lists homes on its own Airbnb account, which is common among managers because it launches listings faster and keeps guest messages in one place. Either model can work. What matters is that your agreement says in writing what happens to the listing, the reviews and future reservations if you part ways.

2. Resort Rentals

Resort Rentals was founded in 1997 and covers St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Indian Shores and Indian Rocks Beach. It is one of the few local companies that publishes its rate: a 20% management fee, which it describes as all-inclusive and one of the lowest in the area, with free professional photography for new owners. It manages many condo units in resort buildings along the beach and also runs a real estate sales side, which helps if you are buying.

3. Blue Gems Property Management

Blue Gems has a dedicated St. Pete Beach page and publishes its pricing next to what it calls industry standards: a 15% commission, with no monthly management fee, no tech fee, no lock fee and no onboarding fee, and no long-term contract. It offers 24/7 local support, marketing and revenue management across Pinellas County. Ask for the agreement to confirm what the 15% covers, especially cleaning, linens and repairs.

4. iTrip St. Petersburg Beaches

iTrip St. Petersburg Beaches has managed vacation rentals in St. Pete Beach, Madeira Beach, Treasure Island and St. Petersburg since 2010. It is a locally owned office of the national iTrip franchise, so owners get a local team plus a national booking website and software. Its owner pitch is that you will never get a $20 bill to change a lightbulb. The commission is not published, so ask for it in writing.

5. St Pete Vibes

St Pete Vibes is a local short-term rental company that offers full-service vacation rental property management in St. Pete Beach, with guest communication, dynamic pricing, maintenance coordination and owner updates. Its point of difference is that it is backed by a full-service digital marketing agency, so it can drive some direct bookings instead of relying only on Airbnb and Vrbo. Owner reviews on its site come from condo owners. Fees are not published.

6. Coastal Bliss Vacation Rentals

Coastal Bliss is run by Kristin Lemmerman, a St. Pete Beach resident and real estate agent who manages more than 60 waterfront vacation rentals from St. Pete Beach to Clearwater Beach. Owner reviews mention homes in Pass-a-Grille. Because the same team sells real estate, it is a natural fit if you are buying a waterfront home and want one company for the purchase and the rental program. Fees are not published.

7. LocalBNB

LocalBNB serves St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, North Redington Beach, Belleair Shore and Indian Rocks Beach. It says it has an in-house team of trained cleaners who photo-document every clean, a full-time photographer, full-time maintenance staff, and team members who can handle furnishing and renovation for homes that need improvements before they launch. Fees are not published.

8. At the Beach Property Management

At the Beach Property Management is based in St. Pete Beach and run by Tyler Sligh, a licensed Florida real estate broker with more than eight years of experience managing luxury short-term rentals and residential rental property across Tampa Bay. It is a small, owner-led company, which suits owners who want to deal with one knowledgeable person rather than a call center. Fees are not published.

9. Home Team Luxury Rentals

Home Team Luxury Rentals has a dedicated Pass-a-Grille management page covering marketing, guest communication, booking management, cleaning, maintenance and financial reporting. It lists homes on Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com plus niche channels such as Homes & Villas by Marriott and Hopper, and uses keyless entry and guest screening with identity checks. Fees are not published.

10. Awning

Awning is a national manager that says its full-service vacation rental management starts at 10% of revenue in Florida, depending on property type, location and services, with 90 days' notice to cancel and no cancellation fee. Ask who will handle cleaning, inspections and a late-night guest call on the ground in St. Pete Beach.

11. Evolve

Evolve handles marketing, pricing, bookings and guest support, while owners arrange cleaning and on-site care. It publishes 10% for its Core plan and 15% for Plus, with a $250 onboarding fee. It is the low-cost option for owners who live nearby or already have a reliable cleaner in town.

St. Pete Beach management fees compared

Company	Published fee	Model
Surge	Starting at 15% for full service	Full service, Texas and Florida
Resort Rentals	20% management fee	Local since 1997, condos and homes
Blue Gems	15% commission, no monthly or onboarding fee	Pinellas County, no long-term contract
iTrip St. Petersburg Beaches	Not published	Local franchise since 2010
St Pete Vibes	Not published	Local, Gulf-front condos
Coastal Bliss	Not published	Local, waterfront homes plus sales
LocalBNB	Not published	Local, in-house cleaning
At the Beach PM	Not published	Local, broker-led luxury homes
Home Team Luxury Rentals	Not published	Luxury, Pass-a-Grille page
Awning	From 10% in Florida	National, local partners
Evolve	10% Core / 15% Plus + $250 onboarding	National, owner handles cleaning

The percentage is only part of the cost. Ask every company whether the fee is charged on gross bookings or on revenue after cleaning and platform fees, who pays for linens and restocking, whether maintenance invoices carry a markup, and what it costs to leave. On a rental that books $48,200 a year, a 20% fee is about $9,640, a 15% fee is about $7,230 and a 10% fee is about $4,820. A 10% plan that leaves you to manage cleaners can cost more in time and missed bookings than a 20% plan that covers everything. Our guide to what Airbnb management costs walks through the math.

St. Pete Beach short-term rental rules any manager has to follow

Most Florida cities cannot limit how often or how long a vacation rental is booked. Section 509.032(7) of the Florida Statutes says a local rule may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate their duration or frequency, but it exempts local rules adopted on or before June 1, 2011. St. Pete Beach had its rules in place before that date, so they still apply. Here is what the city says today:

• Residential zones: rentals of less than one month are not permitted in the RU-1, RU-2, RLM-1, RLM-2, ROR, RFM, DCR, UBV and BR districts, among others.
• The three-times rule: homes in the RM district and in the Pass-a-Grille Overlay may take stays of less than 30 days up to three times in a 12-month period. A fourth short stay in the same year breaks the rule.
• Monthly rentals: stays of one month or more are allowed in all residences in the city, and monthly rentals of single-family homes do not need a business tax license.
• Transient lodging: permanent transient lodging uses, such as hotel, resort and condo-hotel units, need a city business tax license and are reviewed by zoning and the fire marshal before the license is issued. You can apply through the city's Business Tax Receipt page.
• State license: every vacation rental in Florida also needs a license from the DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Our guide to the Florida vacation rental license covers the steps.

The city is not loosening anything. In August 2026, commissioners set aside a proposal to create a short-term rental registration program because staff warned that new rules could cost the city its grandfathered status, according to Tampa Bay Beacons. Instead the city plans to press enforcement, possibly with software that flags violators. Staff said the most common complaints are rentals operating outside an allowed area and homes that turn over more often than the ordinance permits.

In practice, nightly and weekly vacation rentals in St. Pete Beach live mostly in resort and condo-hotel buildings along Gulf Boulevard, while most homes are limited to monthly stays or three short stays a year. Before you buy or sign with a manager, find your parcel on the city's official zoning map and call the Community Development Department at City Hall, 155 Corey Avenue, if anything is unclear. Condo owners also need to check their association's rules, because many buildings set their own minimum stay. A manager who books a fourth short stay in an RM home is putting your property at risk, not helping you earn more. Our Florida short-term rental laws guide covers the state side.

Taxes on a St. Pete Beach vacation rental

Stays of six months or less carry 13% in Pinellas County: 6% state sales tax, the 1% county surtax and the 6% tourist development tax. The Pinellas County Tax Collector lists Airbnb as collecting the tourist tax for bookings made on or after December 1, 2015, and Vrbo on or after October 1, 2018.

Platforms collect only on their own bookings. Direct bookings, and bookings through a channel that does not collect, must be filed by you or your manager, and the owner stays liable if an agent fails to pay. Monthly stays longer than six months are outside the tourist tax. A good manager files every month and shows the tax collected on your statement. See our Florida rental tax guide for detail.

What a St. Pete Beach vacation rental can earn

Surge market data for the St. Pete Beach submarket, pulled in October 2026, shows a typical listing earning about $48,173 a year at an average daily rate of $275 and occupancy of about 62% over the last twelve months. The neighboring beach towns bracket that number:

Submarket	Typical annual revenue	Average daily rate	Occupancy
St. Pete Beach	$48,173	$275	62.0%
Madeira Beach	$52,474	$299	63.0%
Redington Shores	$54,814	$316	62.9%
Indian Rocks Beach	$65,217	$368	63.0%
Downtown St. Petersburg	$30,018	$159	64.7%

Two cautions. First, these figures come from listings that book short stays, which in St. Pete Beach are mostly resort and condo-hotel units. A single-family home in a residential zone that is limited to monthly guests will earn on a monthly rent model, not a nightly one. Second, winter is the peak: snowbirds who stay one to three months fill much of January through April, so a manager who can price and run monthly stays well matters as much as one who can fill a weekend. Your exact number depends on the building, the view, the bedrooms and how well the listing is run. Compare other markets in our list of the most profitable Airbnb cities in Florida.

Monthly and long-term rental management in St. Pete Beach

Because most homes in town cannot take nightly guests, many owners need a manager who handles 30-day and seasonal stays or a full annual lease. A few options in the St. Petersburg area:

• Rent Solutions offers full-service property management for St. Pete Beach homes, condos and townhomes, with leasing, tenant screening, rent collection, 24/7 maintenance and monthly reporting, charged as a monthly percentage of rent collected.
• Keyrenter St Pete has a dedicated Pass-a-Grille page for long-term residential management.
• Resort Rentals and several of the vacation rental companies above also book monthly and snowbird stays, which can keep a residential home earning legally through the winter.

Ask any long-term manager to provide a written plan for hurricane season, since a storm can close a beach home for weeks and your lease and insurance need to say who pays for what.

Whoever you hire, ask how they handle coastal upkeep. Salt air and humidity are hard on AC units, door locks and outdoor fixtures, so a preventative maintenance schedule between stays protects both reviews and the nightly rate you can charge. Keep working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in every unit, since the fire marshal reviews transient lodging as part of the city business tax receipt process.

What guests look for in St. Pete Beach

Most guests visit to relax on the sand, walk to dinner and enjoy a wonderful sunset over the Gulf. Plenty of them return year after year, and many book the same buildings every winter. Families celebrate birthdays and reunions here, and couples come for a perfect vacation in Pass-a-Grille. The listings that win usually offer the same short list of amenities:

• A Gulf view or a short walk to the beach, stated honestly in the listing title and photos.
• A heated pool or a shared resort pool, since winter mornings on the Gulf Coast can be cool. Guests click past listings with no pool photos.
• Free parking, because public beach parking is paid and fills up fast in season.
• Great restaurants within walking distance, plus easy access to attractions such as Fort De Soto Park, the Don CeSar, the museums in downtown St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Pier.
• Responsive hosts who reply fast before and during the stay, clear house rules and a helpful local contact who answers at night.
• A clean, well-stocked space with fast Wi-Fi, a full kitchen for longer stays and plenty of beach chairs and towels.
• A great location: guests will happily pay more to walk to the beach than to drive and park every day.

Guests expect a spotless space from the moment they arrive and a simple departure process. Happy guests leave reviews that mention a wonderful stay and a responsive host, and that is what keeps future guests booking. A professional team that sets those expectations clearly and meets them earns the five-star reviews that keep a listing near the top of Airbnb and Vrbo search.

What a good St. Pete Beach property management service should include

Whichever company you choose, the core property management services should be in writing:

• Listing and marketing: professional photos, a listing that names the right zone and minimum stay, and distribution on Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com.
• Dynamic pricing: rates that follow the winter peak, spring break, summer family travel and local events, plus monthly rates for snowbirds.
• Guest services: screening, check-in instructions, 24/7 support and responsive replies that ensure small problems get fixed the same day.
• Cleaning and maintenance: inspected turnovers, clean linens, restocking, and repairs with no hidden markup. Ask what the team does to ensure nothing is left unchanged between guests, like a broken chair or a burned-out bulb.
• Compliance: state license, city business tax license where needed, monthly tax filing and a booking calendar that respects the three-times rule.
• Owner reporting: managers should provide a monthly statement showing gross bookings, fees, taxes and expenses line by line.

Questions to ask before you hire a manager

1. What zoning district is my property in, and what does that allow?
2. Is your fee charged on gross revenue or on net, and what else will I pay?
3. Who files the Pinellas tourist development tax on direct bookings?
4. How do you track the three short stays a year in RM and Pass-a-Grille homes?
5. Do you mark up maintenance or cleaning invoices?
6. Whose account is the listing on, and what happens to it if I leave?
7. How much notice do I need to give to end the agreement, and is there a fee?
8. Can I talk to two owners you manage in my building or on my street?

Frequently asked questions

Are short-term rentals legal in St. Pete Beach?

Only in some places. Stays of less than one month are not allowed in most residential districts. The RM district and the Pass-a-Grille Overlay allow stays of less than 30 days up to three times in 12 months, and approved transient lodging buildings along Gulf Boulevard can rent nightly.

How much do St. Pete Beach vacation rental management companies charge?

Published rates run from 10% (Awning's starting rate and Evolve Core, both without on-site cleaning) to 20% (Resort Rentals, all-inclusive). Blue Gems publishes 15%, and Surge starts at 15% for full service. Most local firms quote per property.

Does St. Pete Beach require a short-term rental registration?

Not as of October 2026. The city considered a registration program in August 2026 and set it aside to protect its grandfathered rules. Transient lodging uses still need a city business tax license, and every vacation rental needs a state DBPR license.

What is the tax rate on a St. Pete Beach vacation rental?

13% on stays of six months or less: 6% state sales tax, 1% county surtax and 6% Pinellas tourist development tax.

Is St. Pete Beach a good place to buy a vacation rental?

It can be, if you buy in a building or zone that allows the rental model you plan to run. A condo-hotel unit on Gulf Boulevard can earn on nightly stays, while most single-family homes are limited to monthly guests. Run the numbers on the model your zoning allows, not the one you hope for.

Nearby Florida guides

Comparing towns up the beach? See our guides to the best managers in Treasure Island, Indian Rocks Beach, Clearwater and across the bay in Tampa, our statewide list of the best Airbnb management companies in Florida, and our tips on hiring an Airbnb manager in Florida. If you want a second opinion on what your St. Pete Beach property could earn under the rules that apply to it, contact Surge for a free estimate.