Ashota Stays

Market Intelligence

Vacation rental markets, one page each

Each market page pulls together the regulatory position, what owners run into on the ground, and the official sources behind every claim. Where we do not have a sourced number, we say so rather than making one up.

Bradenton, FL

Allowed with registration

Manatee County · North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton

Short-term rentals are allowed in the City of Bradenton with a Certificate of Registration under Ordinance 3093 (Chapter 22, Article III). Registration, an inspection, a designated responsible party, occupancy limits and in-unit posting are all required before you operate.

Permit
Yes — City Certificate of Registration ($250 initial, $150 renewal) plus a Florida DBPR licence
Rules last checked
September 10, 2026
Market overviewLocal rules

Clearwater, FL

Restricted

Pinellas County · Tampa Bay

Clearwater restricts short-term rentals by zoning district. The picture we have is that stays under about a month are effectively limited to the Tourist District and certain commercial zoning, with residential zones held to a one-month minimum. We could not open the Clearwater Community Development Code text directly, so we are publishing this as unverified rather than stating it as fact. If you are buying on the strength of nightly rental income here, confirm the zoning of the specific parcel with the city first.

Permit
Needs verification; state DBPR licence and city business tax receipt expected to apply
Rules last checked
September 10, 2026
Market overviewLocal rules

Punta Gorda, FL

Allowed with registration

Charlotte County · Punta Gorda

Vacation rentals are permitted in Punta Gorda, but anyone renting a dwelling as a vacation rental must first obtain a City Business Tax Receipt under Chapter 12 of the City Code. Several detailed requirements could not be confirmed from the official code text and are marked as needing verification below.

Permit
Yes — City Business Tax Receipt plus a Florida DBPR licence
Rules last checked
September 10, 2026
Market overviewLocal rules

Sarasota, FL

Allowed with registration

Sarasota County · North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton

Short-term rentals are allowed in the City of Sarasota, but only with a City Certificate of Registration under Chapter 34.5. Florida law prevents the City from banning vacation rentals or setting a minimum stay, so registration, inspection, occupancy caps, parking and a local responsible party are the levers the City uses instead.

Permit
Yes — City Certificate of Registration plus a Florida DBPR licence
Rules last checked
September 10, 2026
Market overviewLocal rules

St. Petersburg, FL

Restricted

Pinellas County · Tampa Bay

St. Petersburg is the strictest market we cover. The city treats short-term stays as a transient accommodation use under its land development regulations: in residential zoning, a property may be rented for under 30 days no more than three times in any rolling 365-day period. Renting more often than that means operating as a licensed hotel or motel, or sitting inside an approved Resort Facilities Overlay district. Nightly renting a normal residential house here is, in practice, not a business you can run legally.

Permit
No separate city short-term rental certificate identified; zoning frequency cap plus state DBPR licence and city business tax receipt
Rules last checked
September 10, 2026
Market overviewLocal rules

Tampa, FL

Allowed with registration

Hillsborough County · Tampa Bay

Tampa has no city-specific short-term rental ordinance we can point to in the current code, and Florida law blocks cities from banning vacation rentals or setting rental-length limits through ordinances adopted after June 2011. You still need the state DBPR vacation rental licence, a city business tax receipt, and you still owe state sales tax, the county surtax and the 6% Hillsborough tourist development tax. Separately, unincorporated Hillsborough County approved a registry with an annual fee, inspections and a 24-hour contact in September 2026, reported to start in January 2027 — that applies outside the city limits, not inside them.

Permit
No city short-term rental permit identified; state DBPR licence and city business tax receipt still apply
Rules last checked
September 10, 2026
Market overviewLocal rules

Venice, FL

Allowed with registration

Sarasota County · North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton

Short-term rentals are not banned in Venice, but operating requires a City Business Tax Receipt and a Florida DBPR licence on top of zoning compliance. Several detailed City requirements could not be confirmed from the official code text and are marked as needing verification below.

Permit
Yes — City Business Tax Receipt plus a Florida DBPR licence
Rules last checked
September 10, 2026
Market overviewLocal rules

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