NewBiz Alert Florida industry report
July 2026 — Short-Term Rentals new business activity in Florida
By NewBiz Alert, from Florida Division of Corporations filings and Florida DBPR licensing. How we built this.
Florida has more than 150,000 licensed short-term rentals, and new rental businesses are still registering across the state.
New short-term rental businesses are forming fastest in Tampa Bay. Every new rental is a new customer for a cleaning company, a property manager, a handyman, or a pool, lawn, or pest crew. When a rental goes up, someone has to clean it between guests, manage the bookings, and keep it up to code. The business that reaches the owner the day after they register gets first shot at that work.
The counts below show where new short-term rental businesses are registering, by region, over the last 30, 90, and 365 days. Under them is the recent news short-term rental owners are watching, and the kinds of businesses each change creates work for. The standing county and city rules live at the bottom, in Short-Term Rental Resources.
New in last 30 days
93
New in last 90 days
178
New in last year
221
Licensed rentals in Florida
more than 150,000
Source: Florida DBPR
These formation counts are on the low side today. We are still sorting every Florida business into its industry, so the short-term rental totals will grow as that work finishes. Use them to see which regions are busy, not as a final tally.
The numbers
Where it is happening, by region
New short-term rental businesses by region, over the last 30, 90, and 365 days. Regions are ranked by the last year.
| Region | 30 days | 90 days | 1 year | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa BayMost active | 22 | 41 | 50 | Heating up |
| Southeast Florida | 18 | 38 | 48 | Heating up |
| Central Florida | 14 | 23 | 29 | Heating up |
| Northeast Florida | 5 | 9 | 11 | Heating up |
| Southwest Florida | 5 | 8 | 10 | Heating up |
| Northwest Florida | 5 | 6 | 8 | Heating up |
| North Central Florida | 1 | 2 | 2 | Steady |
| Florida total | 93 | 178 | 221 |
Another 63 new businesses in the last year did not list a county, so they are counted in the Florida total but not placed in a region.
The news
Recent short-term rental news in Florida
New developments short-term rental owners are watching right now, with the real date of each and the specific businesses it creates work for.
- Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando· reported 2026-06-29news report
July Fourth and the World Cup pack Florida rentals
Booking numbers for summer 2026 show a sharp jump in Florida rental nights around the July Fourth holiday and the World Cup match in Miami. One market tracker put Miami up about 90% in booked nights, with Fort Lauderdale up 51% and Orlando up 60%. A packed calendar means more back-to-back guest turnovers, so cleaning crews, linen and restocking services, and quick-fix handymen can reach owners riding the rush and offer same-day turnaround.
- Tampa Bay· 2026-06-16
Manatee County moves to rein in short-term rentals
Manatee County commissioners voted on June 16 to have staff draft a short-term rental rule for the unincorporated county. The plan on the table would make each rental register for $250 a year, pass a life-safety inspection within 30 days, cap guests at 12, keep a 24-hour contact who can be on site within an hour, and set up a tourist-tax account. Fines would climb from $250 up to $5,000. The revised rule is set to come back on July 28. A new inspection-and-registration rule pulls in every rental at once, so inspection-prep services, handymen, and cleaning crews can line up Manatee owners now and reach each one the day after they register.
- Tampa Bay· reported 2026-04-20
Indian Rocks Beach turns up rental enforcement
The Pinellas County beach city flagged close to 200 rentals for breaking its registration and safety rules and now holds two code hearings a month. So far this year the city has taken in more than $176,000 in registration fees and tens of thousands more in fines. Owners racing to get right with the city need help fast, so registration and inspection-prep services, handymen, and safety-upgrade crews can reach a new owner the day after they file and help them pass.
So what
What it means for you
New short-term rentals do not slow down. Each one needs cleaning between guests, someone to manage the bookings, and steady upkeep to stay licensed and pass inspection. The businesses that win this work are the ones that reach a new owner first, right after the rental registers, before the owner settles on someone else. Watch the regions that are heating up, and reach the new owners there first.
Methodology
How we count
- We count each business by the date it registered with the state, so this shows new business formation, not current listings.
- State records post about 2 weeks behind, so the last week or two will keep rising as more filings arrive.
- The more than 150,000 licensed short-term rentals is the count on record with the Florida Division of Hotels and Restaurants, which lists every licensed rental and refreshes daily. We report it as a floor, so the real number sits above it.
- We are still sorting every business into its industry, so these short-term rental counts will refine and grow as that work finishes.
- Counts cover active Florida businesses and update daily.
Statewide licensed-rental source: Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels & Restaurants.
Frequently asked questions
- Where are the most new short-term rental businesses forming in Florida?
- Over the last year, Tampa Bay added the most new short-term rental businesses in Florida. This report ranks every region and shows if activity is heating up or slowing down.
- How many licensed short-term rentals does Florida have?
- Florida has more than 150,000 licensed short-term rentals on record with the state Division of Hotels and Restaurants. That is the pool of homes that need cleaning, managing, and upkeep, and it grows as new rentals register.
- Where does this data come from?
- The formation counts come from official Florida business-registration records. We pull every new filing, sort it by industry and region, and update daily. We count a business by the date it registered with the state. The licensed-rental count comes from Florida DBPR.
- Can I see the actual businesses?
- Yes. You get the real filings, with business names, addresses, and officers, free for 7 days, with no credit card required. Start a free trial to reach the new short-term rental owners first.
Reference
Short-Term Rental Resources
The standing county and city rules and the official registration pages that govern short-term rentals in each busy region. This is the rulebook, not the news. Check it before you pitch, or send a new owner here.
Tampa Bay
- Pinellas County makes every short-term rental in the unincorporated county hold a Certificate of Use, pass a safety inspection, and renew each year for $450, with a re-inspection every two years. Each new Tampa Bay rental owner needs help passing that inspection and keeping up the yearly renewal, so cleaning crews, handymen, and safety-inspection or permit helpers can reach them the day after they register. Pinellas County
- The City of Sarasota adopted Ordinance 25-5560, which requires every short-term rental to hold a certificate of registration, pass a safety inspection before it is issued, and keep a 7-night minimum stay. A pre-issuance inspection on every Sarasota rental is repeat work for inspection helpers, handymen, and cleaners, who can reach the new owner right after they file to register. City of Sarasota
Southeast Florida
- Miami-Dade County makes every short-term rental in the unincorporated county carry an annual Certificate of Use, on top of the state license, and show proof of tax registration and liability insurance. The yearly certificate is recurring work in the region's largest rental market, so registration and permit helpers, insurance agents, and inspectors can reach each new owner right after they file. Miami-Dade County
- The City of Miami Beach holds short-term rentals to a 7-day minimum stay in most zones, requires resort-tax signup, and fines unregistered rentals up to $1,500 a day. The strict rules push owners toward legal-zone homes and toward help staying compliant, so cleaners, managers, and compliance helpers reach new owners as they set up in the allowed areas nearby. City of Miami Beach
- Miami Beach short-term rental requirements
The city lists every document an owner must file to run a legal short-term rental, plus resort-tax signup.
City of Miami Beach · Short-Term Rental occupational codes 95017300 / 95017301
- Miami Beach where rentals are allowed
The city bans short-term rentals in many home and zoning areas and shows where they are allowed.
City of Miami Beach · Land Development Regulations Ch. 142, Art. IV, Div. 3, Sec. 142-1111
Central Florida
- Osceola County lets short-term rentals run only in its designated tourist and overlay zones along the US-192 corridor, where more than 18,000 vacation-rental homes already sit, the densest cluster in the state. That corridor is the biggest pool of rental owners in Florida, so cleaning companies, linen services, pool and lawn crews, and property managers reach the most new customers per mile by getting to each new registrant first. Osceola County
- The City of Orlando allows only owner-occupied home-sharing rentals inside city limits, and each one must sign up through an annual registration program. The narrow legal lane pushes rental demand into Osceola and the tourist corridor, so services that clean, furnish, and manage these homes reach a steady stream of new owners the day after each new home registers. City of Orlando
- Orlando home-sharing registration
The city lets an owner register a home-share short-term rental and lists what to file to get a permit.
City of Orlando · City Code Ch. 58, Part 5B(19) (home sharing)
- Osceola County short-term rental zoning
The county sets a Short Term Rental Planned Development zone and the rules for where vacation rentals can run.
Osceola County · Land Development Code Ch. 3, Art. 3.6.J (Short Term Rental)
Northeast Florida
- The City of Jacksonville requires a short-term rental certificate for every rental property, $150 a year, renewed by October 1. A citywide yearly certificate is a steady touchpoint, so cleaners, managers, and permit helpers can reach each new owner the day after they register their property. City of Jacksonville
Southwest Florida
- Collier County makes every short-term rental in the unincorporated county register under Ordinance 2021-45, pay a per-unit fee, and name a responsible party reachable 24 hours a day. The 24-hour responsible-party rule is a standing job in an affluent market, so local property managers and cleaning crews can reach each newly registered Naples-area owner the day after they file. Collier County · effective 2022-01-03
- The Town of Fort Myers Beach requires a $300 yearly short-term rental registration with proof of insurance and an annual inspection under its short-term rental code. A yearly inspection on a rebuilding beach means repeat work for handymen, inspection helpers, and cleaners, who reach each new owner as the registration comes due. Town of Fort Myers Beach
- Cape Coral rental registration changes
New city rules start in 2026: every short-term rental must register each year and pay a $350 yearly fee.
City of Cape Coral · Ordinance 53-25 / Resolution 279-25 · effective 2026-01-01
- Collier County vacation rental registration
The county requires a short-term vacation rental registration certificate that owners renew each year.
Collier County · Short-Term Vacation Rental Registration (land use application)
Northwest Florida
- Walton County lined up its vacation rental registration renewal with the state license cycle, resetting every rental's renewal to a June 1 to May 31 year, and charges $500 a day to operate unregistered. A reset renewal date across the busy 30A and Destin market is a timed wave of paperwork and prep, so registration helpers, cleaners, and handymen can reach owners right as their new renewal window opens. Walton County · effective 2026-02-02
- The City of Panama City Beach requires a yearly short-term rental certificate under Ordinance 1632, with a $150 re-registration and a $75 reinspection every year. A yearly reinspection in a high-volume beach market is repeat work for fire-safety and inspection helpers and handymen, who reach each owner as the certificate comes up for renewal. City of Panama City Beach
North Central Florida
- Alachua County runs a residential rental permitting program and, like Marion County, collects a tourist development tax on stays under six months, so short-term rental owners inland sign up to pay it. The main need here is tax and permit signup rather than heavy compliance, so bookkeepers and local property managers can reach each new inland owner as they register to collect the tax. Alachua County
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