Florida Airbnb Market 2026: Revenue by City

The Florida Airbnb market is really two markets that peak at opposite ends of the year. Across 11 major metros, the median short term rental earned between $33,946 and $93,947 in annual revenue over the last twelve months, with occupancy rates clustered in a narrow 58% to 62% band. What separates a $34,000 market from a $94,000 one is not occupancy. It is the average daily rate, the length of the peak season, and whether local airbnb rules let you rent the home in the first place.

This Florida Airbnb market analysis uses Surge market data for October 2025 through September 2026, covering more than 234,000 active airbnb listings in Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Naples, Key West, Destin, 30A and Panama City. It is written for property owners, airbnb hosts and investors deciding where to buy, whether to self-manage, and what a realistic year looks like. Every number below is a median for the whole metro, not a best case, so treat it as the starting point for due diligence on any specific home.

Florida Airbnb Market at a Glance (2026)

Market (metro)	Active listings	Median annual revenue	Revenue change YoY	Average daily rate	Occupancy
Key West	8,930	$93,947	+4.7%	$501	61.8%
30A / Santa Rosa Beach	19,329	$87,498	+5.5%	$563	57.9%
Destin / Fort Walton Beach	11,554	$68,763	-0.2%	$400	61.9%
Sarasota (incl. Anna Maria, Siesta Key)	22,268	$66,523	+6.8%	$356	62.1%
Naples	10,043	$56,038	+0.5%	$333	58.1%
Panama City (incl. Panama City Beach)	18,359	$54,922	+6.8%	$326	60.0%
Miami	31,833	$52,768	+4.5%	$263	61.2%
Fort Lauderdale	24,342	$50,260	+2.6%	$254	61.6%
Orlando (incl. Kissimmee)	62,481	$48,923	+4.4%	$245	61.2%
Jacksonville	13,572	$46,652	+2.9%	$238	60.2%
Tampa	11,479	$33,946	-9.1%	$170	59.8%

Source: Surge market data, trailing twelve months ending September 2026, all listing types. Median annual revenue is not ADR times nights; it is the median listing's actual revenue, so it already reflects vacancy, discounts and owner blocks.

Key factors in the numbers

Occupancy rates barely move between markets. Ten of 11 metros sit between 59.8% and 62.1%. Florida's statewide occupancy rates are not the story; average daily rates are.
Average daily rates decide revenue. Key West and 30A charge roughly double Orlando's ADR at the same occupancy, and earn roughly double the annual revenue.
Most markets grew. Eight of 11 posted higher revenue than the prior year. Sarasota and Panama City led at +6.8%.
Tampa is the outlier. Median revenue fell 9.1%. The prior twelve months included the period after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in fall 2024, when displaced residents and recovery crews filled rentals for months, so Tampa is likely comparing against an unusual year rather than collapsing.
Supply is enormous. Orlando alone has more than 62,000 active airbnb listings, which is more than the next two metros combined. That depth of competition is why property selection matters more there than almost anywhere else.

Strong demand is not the constraint in this short term rental market. VISIT FLORIDA estimates the state welcomed 143.3 million visitors in 2025, a record, and the Governor's office reported that domestic travelers made up 91.5% of them. That growth was flat (+0.2%), though, while new supply keeps arriving. In a flat-demand year, the short term rentals that win are the ones in prime locations, with better amenities, competitive pricing and service that meets guest expectations.

Two Floridas: Seasonality Drives the Florida Airbnb Market

The single most important thing to understand about the vacation rental market in Florida is seasonality. The peninsula and the Panhandle have opposite calendars, and the size of the swing changes how you should finance, price and manage a property.

Market	Best month (median revenue)	Weakest month	Peak vs low	Peak occupancy
Orlando	March ($5,114)	September ($2,998)	1.7x	73.2% (Feb)
Jacksonville	July ($5,291)	January ($3,012)	1.8x	73.6% (Mar)
Tampa	March ($4,108)	September ($2,120)	1.9x	72.6% (Mar)
Miami	March ($6,363)	September ($2,835)	2.2x	73.9% (Feb)
Sarasota	March ($8,330)	November ($3,715)	2.2x	86.8% (Feb)
Key West	March ($11,591)	September ($4,937)	2.3x	84.6% (Feb)
Fort Lauderdale	March ($6,585)	September ($2,622)	2.5x	78.2% (Feb)
Naples	March ($8,007)	September ($2,593)	3.1x	86.8% (Feb)
30A / Santa Rosa Beach	July ($14,923)	January ($2,849)	5.2x	82.8% (Jul)
Panama City	July ($9,820)	January ($1,683)	5.8x	84.6% (Jul)
Destin / Fort Walton Beach	July ($11,908)	January ($2,004)	5.9x	84.9% (Jul)

South and Southwest Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Sarasota, Key West) peak from February through April, when snowbirds, spring break and international tourism arrive, and bottom out in September at the height of hurricane season. Naples is the extreme case: occupancy swings from 86.8% in February to 35.9% in September.

The Panhandle (Destin, 30A, Panama City Beach) is a summer drive-to market for families from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. July earns five to six times what January earns. A 30A home makes more in one July than in its four slowest months combined, so pricing errors during peak demand periods cost real money and a weak winter is normal, not a sign the property is failing.

Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa are the flattest. Theme parks, major attractions, conventions, sports and business travelers keep local demand steadier throughout the year, with less than a 2x swing between the best and weakest months. That makes cash flow more predictable, even though the ceiling on nightly rates is lower.

For owners, the practical rule is simple: budget your mortgage, insurance and HOA against the slower periods, not the average. A Panhandle home that only works in an average month will be short of cash every winter.

Best Locations: Florida Airbnb Markets by Region

Orlando and Kissimmee: the biggest vacation rental market in the state

Orlando is Florida's largest airbnb market by a wide margin: 62,481 active listings, a median of $48,923 in annual revenue, an ADR of $245 and 61.2% occupancy. Demand comes from Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and the Orange County Convention Center, and the guests are mostly families and larger groups who book months ahead (the average lead time is about 61 days, versus 34 in Tampa). Homes with private pools, game rooms, themed bedrooms and enough beds for two families command premium pricing, and the theme parks add demand spikes around school holidays.

The catch is where you can operate. The City of Orlando only allows home-sharing with the owner living on site, and unincorporated Orange County limits short term rentals to specific zoning. Most whole-home vacation rentals sit in Osceola County resort communities around Kissimmee and Davenport, where zoning was built for them. Our Orlando short-term rental laws guide covers the details, and the best Airbnb management companies in Orlando and Kissimmee guides compare local managers.

Miami and Fort Lauderdale: international demand, strict local rules

Miami (31,833 listings, $52,768 median, $263 ADR) and Fort Lauderdale (24,342 listings, $50,260 median, $254 ADR) draw international tourism, cruise passengers, business travel, vibrant nightlife and cultural events such as Art Basel and the Miami Open. Lead times are short, around 39 days, so dynamic pricing and booking decisions made close to the stay matter more than in a family market. Cultural attractions and big local events create additional demand most months.

Regulation is the deciding factor. The City of Miami does not allow short term rentals in single-family homes, Miami Beach bans them in every single-family home, and Miami-Dade adds its own permit and tax filing. The city requires a certificate of compliance ($880 to register, with renewals each year) and, since September 2026, fines of up to $1,000 per day for operating or advertising without one. See our Miami Airbnb management guide and Broward County management guide before you buy.

Tampa Bay: the value market

Tampa has the lowest entry revenue on this list ($33,946 median, $170 ADR) but also lower purchase prices in many neighborhoods than the coast. The metro figure mixes urban condos with beach towns: the Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach areas earn well above the metro median, while inland homes earn less. The City of Tampa enforces a seven-day rule in residential zoning that has produced real fines, and unincorporated Hillsborough County adopted its first vacation rental registration ordinance in September 2026, effective January 1, 2027. Compare managers in our Tampa management guide.

Sarasota, Naples and the Gulf Coast: high rates, winter peak

Sarasota ($66,523 median, $356 ADR) includes Siesta Key and Anna Maria Island, where waterfront properties and beach access drive some of the highest nightly rates on the peninsula. Naples ($56,038, $333 ADR) is a retiree and snowbird market with long stays (6.7 nights on average, the longest in this analysis) and the steepest summer drop on the peninsula. Both reward waterfront properties, private pools and walkable beach access, and both draw extended stays from snowbirds who book a month at a time. See the Sarasota and Naples guides.

Key West: the highest revenue, the hardest license

Key West tops the state with a median of $93,947 and a $501 ADR, plus the strongest off-season floor (its weakest month still earns $4,937). The reason is scarcity: the city only allows rentals under 30 days in homes that already hold a transient license, and new licenses are not handed out the way most Florida towns issue registrations. Buying in Key West means buying the license, so verify it with the city before you make an offer. Details are in our Key West guide.

The Panhandle: Destin, 30A and Panama City Beach

30A and Rosemary Beach ($87,498 median, $563 ADR) are the luxury end of the Emerald Coast, with luxury properties and high end homes that rent to multi-family groups. Destin ($68,763) and Panama City Beach ($54,922) offer lower entry prices with the same summer peak. Walton County requires annual short-term vacation rental registration and a responsible party who can respond within one hour, and Destin requires a city registration with occupancy caps. Compare operators in the Destin, Miramar Beach and 30A and Panama City Beach guides.

Jacksonville: steady and underrated

Jacksonville ($46,652, $238 ADR, 60.2% occupancy) has one of the flattest calendars in Florida, with a mix of beach visitors, military families, medical travel, business travelers and events at EverBank Stadium. There is no City of Jacksonville short-term rental permit, but the beach cities each set their own rules: Jacksonville Beach requires an annual certificate, and Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach effectively ban short stays. See our Jacksonville guide.

Professional Management and Pricing Power

One pattern holds in every Florida market we track: professionally managed listings charge higher average daily rates than the market as a whole.

Market	Market ADR (all listings)	Professionally managed ADR	Premium
Sarasota	$356	$487	+37%
Tampa	$170	$219	+28%
Jacksonville	$238	$302	+27%
Miami	$263	$324	+23%
Key West	$501	$614	+23%
Naples	$333	$392	+18%
Orlando	$245	$286	+17%
Fort Lauderdale	$254	$291	+15%
Panama City	$326	$347	+7%
30A / Santa Rosa Beach	$563	$605	+7%
Destin / Fort Walton Beach	$400	$424	+6%

Some of that gap is property selection: managers tend to take larger, better-located homes. But some of it is execution. Strategic pricing adjustments around local events and high demand periods, minimum-stay rules that protect peak weekends, professional photos, fast guest communication and consistent cleaning all show up in positive reviews and repeat bookings, which in turn support premium rates. The premium is widest in the peninsula's winter markets and smallest in the Panhandle, where nearly every home is already professionally run and the competitive landscape is mature.

The gap is a reason to compare managers, not a guarantee. A management fee only pays for itself if the manager lifts net revenue by more than it costs. Our Florida Airbnb management companies comparison lists published fees side by side.

Short Term Rental Regulations in Florida

Florida's short term rental regulations work in two layers, and you need to clear both.

State rules

State license. Every vacation rental rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days needs a license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The DBPR vacation rental guide covers the application. Our Florida vacation rental license guide walks through it step by step.
Preemption. Under Florida Statutes 509.032(7), local governments cannot prohibit vacation rentals or regulate how long or how often they are rented, unless the rule was already on the books on June 1, 2011. That is why some cities (Key West, Miami Beach, parts of Pinellas) have tight limits and most others can only regulate through registration, safety, parking, noise and occupancy rules that apply to all homes.
No new statewide overhaul. The Legislature passed a bill in 2024 (SB 280) that would have changed local registration rules, but the Governor vetoed it. The current framework still applies in 2026. Be skeptical of blogs claiming a new "statewide registry"; none exists.

Local airbnb rules

Local governments still control zoning, registration, inspections and taxes, and the differences are large: Orlando allows home-sharing only, Clearwater bars stays under 31 days in residential districts, Broward's largest city charges $880 to register, Cocoa Beach caps guests and inspects yearly, and Walton County requires annual registration. Check the city and county where the property sits, not the metro, before you buy. Our Florida short-term rental laws guide has the full rundown, and regulatory compliance is part of any good management agreement.

Taxes, Fees and Operating Expenses

Gross revenue is not what you keep. These are the cost lines that decide profitability in Florida:

Lodging taxes: about 11% to 13.5% of rent. Florida charges 6% state sales tax on stays of six months or less, plus a county surtax of 0% to 2% and a county tourist development tax of up to 6%. The Florida Department of Revenue's tourist development tax chart lists each county. Guests pay these, but you must make sure every booking is covered, and Airbnb does not collect the county tax in several counties, including Osceola, Monroe, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay and Duval. See our Florida vacation rental tax guide.
Platform fees. Airbnb's host-only fee is about 15.5% for most hosts, or 15% when connected through property management software.
Management. Full-service Florida managers typically charge a percentage of booking revenue. Surge starts at 15% for full service.
Cleaning fees and turnovers. Cleaning fees are usually charged to guests but paid out to cleaners; extended stays mean fewer turnovers.
Insurance. Florida property insurance is a major line item, especially near the coast, and a standard homeowners policy may not cover short term rentals. Read our Florida Airbnb insurance guide.
HOA, utilities, pool service, supplies, maintenance, and hurricane preparation. These operating expenses add up quickly on a furnished home with a pool.

A simple example

Take a home earning the Orlando median of $48,923 in annual revenue. After a 15.5% platform fee (about $7,580), roughly $41,340 remains. A 15% management fee on that (about $6,200) leaves about $35,140 before cleaning, utilities, insurance, HOA, property taxes, maintenance and the mortgage. Whether that cash flows depends almost entirely on the purchase price and financing, so run the mortgage against this number, not against gross revenue. Investors who succeed usually buy below the market's typical price, pick property types that earn above the median, or both, and match the purchase to their investment goals (cash flow, property appreciation or personal use). This is an illustration, not a projection for any specific home.

For a property-specific estimate, use our Airbnb revenue calculator with your address.

How to Run Your Own Airbnb Market Analysis

Metro medians are a starting point. Before you buy, analyze the specific property the way a manager would:

Confirm the property is legal to rent short term. Check city zoning, county rules, HOA or condo documents, and whether a license or certificate transfers with the sale. This one step rules out a large share of Florida homes.
Build a comp set. Find 10 to 20 listings with the same bedroom count, similar amenities (pool, beach access, parking) and a similar distance to the main demand drivers. Compare their nightly rates and occupancy by month, not just the annual average.
Know your guest demographics. Orlando guests are families booking two months out; South Florida guests are couples, solo travelers and international visitors booking a few weeks out; Naples guests are retirees and snowbirds staying a week or more; the Panhandle is drive-in families. Your target audience should shape the furnishing, the sleeping layout and the house rules.
Do a competitor analysis. Look at what the top-earning comps offer that the median listing does not: extra sleeping capacity, a heated pool, a game room, a workspace for remote workers, or walkable beach access. Those amenities are your competitive edge, or the gap you need to close.
Model the slow months. Use the weakest month in the seasonality table, not the average, to test whether the mortgage, insurance and HOA are covered.
Stress-test the costs. Add lodging taxes, platform fees, management, insurance, cleaning, and a maintenance reserve. Then check what happens if revenue comes in 15% below the median.

If you want a second opinion, our best places to buy an Airbnb in Florida and most profitable Airbnb cities in Florida guides go deeper on specific towns.

Risks Every Florida Investor Should Weigh

Hurricanes. Storm season runs June through November and overlaps the peninsula's weakest months. Evacuation orders can cancel bookings and damage can take a home offline for months. Insurance and a cash reserve are essential.
Market saturation. Growth potential is real, but new supply keeps growing faster than visitor counts, which grew only 0.2% in 2025. Average properties feel that first.
Local rule changes. Counties such as Hillsborough are adding registration programs, and cities raise fines. Budget for compliance costs to rise, not fall.
Insurance and HOA costs. These have risen faster than rents in many coastal areas and can erase a thin margin.
Economic factors. Florida leisure travel is sensitive to fuel prices, airfares and consumer confidence, and international travel depends on exchange rates.

Is Florida a Good Place to Invest in Airbnb in 2026?

The vacation rental market in Florida rewards a balanced mix of location, property and execution. Here is how the key factors stack up for property owners comparing investment strategies.

Yes, for the right property in the right town. Florida offers strong, diverse demand, no state income tax, and growth in most markets. But the median deal is not automatically profitable. The investors doing well in the Florida Airbnb market in 2026 buy where the zoning clearly allows short term rentals, choose property types that beat the metro median (pools, extra sleeping capacity, beach access), budget for the slow season and the insurance bill, and run the home like a business with dynamic pricing, ongoing management and high guest satisfaction.

If you own a Florida home and want to know what it can realistically earn, Surge manages short term rentals for owners across our Florida markets, including Orlando, Kissimmee, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Naples and Panama City Beach, starting at 15% for full service. See all Florida Airbnb management options or book a free call for a revenue estimate based on Surge market data for your street.

Florida Airbnb Market FAQ

How much does an Airbnb make in Florida?

The median short term rental in Florida's major metros earned between $33,946 (Tampa) and $93,947 (Key West) in annual revenue over the twelve months ending September 2026. Orlando's median was $48,923 and Miami's $52,768. Larger homes with pools and beach access earn well above the median.

What is the average occupancy rate for Airbnb in Florida?

Occupancy rates in Florida's major markets cluster between 58% and 62% for the year. Peak months reach 73% to 87%, and the weakest months fall to between 26% and 52% depending on the region.

Which Florida city is best for Airbnb?

Key West and 30A have the highest revenue, but also the highest purchase prices and, in Key West, a scarce transient license. Orlando and Kissimmee offer the steadiest demand and dedicated resort zoning. Sarasota and Panama City grew fastest last year at +6.8%. The best market depends on your budget, financing and how much seasonality you can absorb.

What property types are suitable for Florida short term rentals?

Properties suitable for short term rentals in Florida are usually single-family homes or townhomes in zoning that allows them, and condos whose building documents permit stays under 30 days. Pool homes near theme parks, beach homes with direct beach access and walkable urban condos in South Florida tend to perform best. Always confirm the HOA and zoning first.

Is the Florida Airbnb market saturated?

Some segments are. Visitor growth was flat in 2025 while listings keep growing, so average properties face more competition. Well-located homes with strong amenities and professional pricing still perform, as the higher rates of professionally managed listings show.

Can Florida cities ban Airbnb?

Generally no. Florida Statutes 509.032(7) prevents local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating rental duration and frequency, unless the rule existed before June 1, 2011. Cities can still require registration, inspections, parking, noise and occupancy limits, and some have pre-2011 restrictions that still apply.

When is peak season for Florida vacation rentals?

February through April in South Florida, Southwest Florida, the Keys and Orlando; June through August in the Panhandle (Destin, 30A, Panama City Beach). September is the weakest month on most of the peninsula, and January is the slowest in the Panhandle.

Florida Airbnb Market Analysis 2026: Revenue, Occupancy and Seasonality by City