Alachua County · University of Florida country, with the hospitals to match
Vacation Rental & Airbnb Management in Alachua County, FL
Alachua County is built around Gainesville and the University of Florida, which offers more than 300 degree options across 16 colleges. Santa Fe College adds a second campus, and two large hospitals face each other on Archer Road. For owners, that means a rental calendar with sharp peaks around football and university events and steady interest in furnished stays of a month or more. We manage short stays, mid-term furnished rentals and annual leases here.
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What we deliver
Full-service management across Alachua County
Florida Hosts handles every part of a Alachua County vacation rental — listing creation and photography, dynamic pricing, 24/7 guest communication, cleaning, and turnovers. One fee: 18–25% of booking revenue, quoted in writing before you sign.
See all services →Why Alachua County
Gator football at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, campus visits and commencement fill weekends. UF Health Shands Hospital at 1600 SW Archer Road and the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center across the road bring longer medical and professional stays, as does HCA Florida North Florida Hospital on West Newberry Road. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, south of Gainesville, is the one place in Florida with wild-roaming bison and horses. Gainesville Regional Airport has daily jet service to four hubs.
Alachua County
Where we manage in and around Alachua County
Each Alachua County city brings its own demand profile and guest mix. Pick yours for its own rules, taxes and guests.
Local vs. national
The Alachua County advantage: local knowledge at every level
A national platform prices Alachua County from a spreadsheet and sends whoever is free to turn the unit. We work it address by address: which city or county code applies, which tax accounts the stay needs, and our own cleaning and maintenance staff on every turnover, with guests able to reach us 24/7.
Get my free Alachua County projectionFree projection · about a minute
Own a property in Alachua County?
Send us the address and we'll come back with real numbers for it, from a person on our team, within one business day.
Free, no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call (321) 321-2348
Step 1 of 4 · Address
What’s the address of your property?
We’ll pull real, comparable Florida listings to build your projection.
Regulatory compliance
Alachua County short-term rental rules
As of October 2026, neither the City of Gainesville Code of Ordinances nor the Alachua County Code contains a separate vacation rental permit or registration chapter, so Florida's statewide rules govern: a DBPR vacation rental license for homes rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days (§§509.013, 509.241), plus state sales tax registration. The county tourist tax is collected by the Alachua County Tax Collector. HOA covenants, condo declarations and zoning conditions can still restrict short stays at individual addresses.
Always confirm the latest rules with the relevant local authority before listing — we'll point you to exactly what applies to your property.
Tourist development tax
5%
On rentals of six months or less, on top of Florida's 6% state tax.
Florida DOR, DR-15TDT Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (R. 10/26)Common questions
Alachua County STR management — FAQs
Does Airbnb pay the Alachua County tourist tax for me?
For bookings made on Airbnb or VRBO, yes. The Alachua County Tax Collector says both platforms have collected and remitted the 5% tourist development tax directly since January 1, 2025. Stays booked directly or on other sites still need a return filed with the Tax Collector.
What is the total tax on a Gainesville vacation rental?
Stays of six months or less carry 12.5%: Florida's 6% sales tax (§212.03), Alachua County's 1.5% discretionary sales surtax (DR-15DSS, 2026) and the county's 5% tourist development tax (DR-15TDT).
Is there demand for mid-term rentals in Alachua County?
The county has two hospitals on the same stretch of Archer Road, UF Health Shands and the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, along with HCA Florida North Florida Hospital and a major university. Clinicians, visiting faculty and patients' families often need a furnished place for a month or more.
Sources
- University of Florida · October 2026
- Santa Fe College · October 2026
- Florida Gators, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium · October 2026
- UF Health Shands Hospital · October 2026
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center · October 2026
- HCA Florida North Florida Hospital · October 2026
- Florida State Parks, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park · October 2026
- Gainesville Regional Airport · October 2026
- City of Gainesville Code of Ordinances (Municode) · October 2026
- Alachua County Code of Ordinances (Municode) · October 2026
- Florida Statutes §509.013 · October 2026
- Florida Statutes §509.241 · October 2026
- Florida Statutes §212.03 · October 2026
- Florida DOR, DR-15DSS Discretionary Sales Surtax (2026) · October 2026
- Alachua County Tax Collector, Tourist Development · October 2026
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