Destin · Emerald Coast & Panhandle
Property Management in Destin, FL — Airbnb & Short-Term Rentals
Airbnb and short-term rental management for Destin homes and condos, run to the city's annual registration, occupancy and signage rules and Okaloosa County's 6% tourist tax.
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What we deliver
Full-service management in Destin
Florida Hosts is a full-service Destin property management company — Airbnb and short-term rental management, plus mid-term and long-term rentals: the listing and photography, nightly pricing, 24/7 guest communication, and cleaning and maintenance by our own staff. Our fee is 18–25% of booking revenue, quoted in writing before you sign. We manage homes across Destin and Okaloosa County.
See all services →Why Florida Hosts in Destin
- City registration required for single-family homes and, since 2025, condo units
- Overnight occupancy capped at two per bedroom plus four, and never above 24
- Henderson Beach State Park, Destin Harbor and the East Pass inside city limits
- Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) serves the city
- Okaloosa County's 6% tourist development tax on stays of six months or less
Explore Destin
Where we manage in and around Destin
Every area, landmark and institution around Destin has its own demand profile and guest mix. These are the ones we manage into.
Fort Walton Beach
Airbnb and short-term rental management in Fort Walton Beach, run to the city's 2025 vacation rental registration law, with mid-term and long-term leasing for families posted to Eglin and Hurlburt.
ExploreOkaloosa Island
Okaloosa Island is county leasehold land with its own covenants, and one zone bars transient rentals outright.
ExploreCape San Blas
Cape San Blas beach houses sit between the Gulf and St. Joseph Bay.
ExploreMexico Beach
Mexico Beach rebuilt after Hurricane Michael made landfall nearby in 2018.
ExploreMiramar Beach
Miramar Beach sits just east of Destin but in Walton County, not Okaloosa.
ExploreNavarre
Airbnb and short-term rental management for Navarre Beach condos and mainland homes along Santa Rosa Sound, with Santa Rosa County's 5% tourist tax filed with the county clerk.
ExplorePanama City Beach
Airbnb and short-term rental management in Panama City Beach, built around the city's Vacation Rental Certificate, its yearly fire inspection and Bay County's 5% tourist tax.
ExplorePensacola
Airbnb and short-term rental management for Pensacola's historic neighborhoods, plus mid-term and long-term leasing for the Navy, hospital and university crowd, with Escambia County's 5% tourist tax.
ExploreLocal vs. national
The Destin advantage: local knowledge at every level
National platforms run algorithms, not relationships — pricing from national datasets, turnovers by whoever is free, and support with no feel for your market. We price Destin around its own seasons and events, and our own cleaners and maintenance staff look after the homes.
Short-term rental and Airbnb management in Destin
Destin sits on a narrow strip between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay, with the East Pass on its western edge. Rental stock runs from high-rise Gulf-front condos along Scenic Gulf Drive to single-family homes and townhomes in Holiday Isle, Crystal Beach and the neighborhoods around the harbor. Families book whole houses for a week of beach time; couples and small groups often take condos.
Property management in Destin starts with the city, which regulates rentals more closely than most of Okaloosa County. Each home or condo used as a vacation rental is registered with the city every year, carries an occupancy limit, and has a named local responsible party. Our Airbnb management is built around those duties.
Where guests come from
The beach is the main draw. Henderson Beach State Park protects a stretch of tall dunes on Emerald Coast Parkway, and since May 15, 2026 every visitor needs a day-use reservation, which we pass on to guests. Norriego Point and the East Pass sit at the harbor mouth. Destin Harbor and HarborWalk Village are where charter fishing boats, dinner cruises and the trips out to Crab Island leave from.
Fishing brings its own guests. The Destin Fishing Rodeo runs on the harbor every October, which extends the season past Labor Day. Visitors fly into Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS), which uses an Eglin AFB mailing address, or use Destin Executive Airport for private aircraft. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in neighboring Miramar Beach is the nearest full hospital.
Destin short-term rental rules
Destin Code Chapter 13, Article VI defines a short-term rental as any occupancy of a single-family dwelling from one day to six months, and “single-family” includes townhomes, duplexes and triplexes. Every such rental needs a new city registration each year. The application lists a 24/7 emergency number, a responsible party living within 30 miles, the city Business Tax Receipt, the state sales tax certificate and the DBPR vacation rental license.
Overnight occupancy is the lesser of two persons per bedroom plus four, or 24 persons per rental, and the city’s short-term rental FAQ says it applies between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Guests’ numbers must be confirmed with the responsible party within 36 hours of arrival, and every listing must state the occupancy limit and parking. An 18 by 18 inch sign shows the contact number, occupancy limit and parking, and trash rules include extra cans and valet garbage service.
Condos joined the program in 2025. Article VI(A), adopted by Ordinance 24-23-CC on March 3, 2025, requires registration of any condominium unit rented for 180 days or less. Those registrations expire March 1 and can be renewed without a late fee until the last business day in June. The city’s FAQ also lists the zoning districts where short-term rentals are generally allowed.
Taxes on Destin vacation rentals
Stays of six months or less carry Florida’s 6% sales tax under §212.03, plus Okaloosa County’s 1% discretionary sales surtax on the state’s DR-15DSS for 2026.
On top of that is Okaloosa County’s 6% tourist development tax, listed on the state’s DR-15TDT chart and authorized by §125.0104. The county collects it itself: Okaloosa County’s short-term rental page sends owners to the Clerk’s online tourist tax portal to register and remit.
How Florida Hosts manages Destin rentals
Florida Hosts sets up the paperwork first: the DBPR license and the state and county tax accounts. In Destin we then handle the yearly city registration, the street sign, the occupancy check after arrival and the trash schedule, alongside pricing, listings and 24/7 guest communication.
Cleaning and maintenance are done by our own staff, which matters on turnover Saturdays in a harbor town. Short-term rental management is 18–25% of booking revenue, quoted in writing. We also manage mid-term furnished stays and long-term leases, with licensed brokers handling the leasing, and send a free rental projection within one business day.
Free projection · about a minute
What could your Destin property earn?
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.
The rules
Destin vacation rental rules
Destin requires annual city registration for any single-family home, townhome or duplex rented for one day to six months (Code Ch. 13, Art. VI), and since Ordinance 24-23-CC (March 3, 2025) for any condominium unit rented for 180 days or less (Art. VI(A)). Single-family rentals are limited to the lesser of two persons per bedroom plus four or 24 persons overnight, must post an 18x18-inch sign with the responsible party's 24/7 number, occupancy and parking, and need a responsible party close enough to respond within one hour. A city Business Tax Receipt, a Florida sales tax number and a DBPR vacation rental license are part of the application.
Sources: City of Destin Code Ch. 13, Art. VI — Short-Term Rentals (Single-Family) (Municode) (checked October 2026); City of Destin Code Ch. 13, Art. VI(A) — Short-Term Rentals (Multi-Family) (Municode) (checked October 2026); City of Destin — Short Term Rentals FAQ (checked October 2026)
Rules change, so always confirm the current position for your address — we will tell you exactly what applies.
- In Florida, a home rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for stays of less than 30 consecutive days — or advertised as regularly available for such stays — is a transient public lodging establishment.Fla. Stat. §509.013(4)(a)1 (2026)
- A condominium or cooperative unit, or a house of up to four units, that is a transient public lodging establishment (and not a timeshare) is a "vacation rental" under Florida law.Fla. Stat. §509.242(1)(c) (2026)
- Each public lodging establishment, vacation rentals included, must hold a license from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).Fla. Stat. §§509.013(1), 509.241(1) (2026)
- A Florida local law may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate how long or how often they are rented — unless that local law was adopted on or before June 1, 2011.Fla. Stat. §509.032(7)(b) (2026)
Emerald Coast & Panhandle
Nearby areas we manage
Common questions
Destin vacation rental management — FAQs
Is Airbnb legal in Destin?
Yes, with city registration. Destin Code Chapter 13, Article VI makes it unlawful to rent a single-family home (including townhomes and duplexes) for one day to six months without registering with the city each year, and Article VI(A), added by Ordinance 24-23-CC in March 2025, does the same for condominium units rented for 180 days or less. A Florida DBPR vacation rental license, a city Business Tax Receipt and a state sales tax number are also required. The city's FAQ lists the zoning districts where short-term rentals are generally allowed, so we check the parcel first.
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Destin?
Stays of six months or less carry Florida's 6% sales tax (§212.03), Okaloosa County's 1% discretionary sales surtax (DR-15DSS, 2026) and Okaloosa County's 6% tourist development tax (DR-15TDT). The tourist tax is registered and paid with the Okaloosa County Clerk, not the state.
How many guests can stay in a Destin vacation rental?
For single-family short-term rentals, Destin Code §13-117 sets overnight occupancy at the lesser of two persons per bedroom plus four, or 24 persons per rental. The city's FAQ applies the limit from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; a three-bedroom house is allowed 10 people overnight.
What does Destin's registration cost?
The city's FAQ lists fees by size: $500 up to 2,499 square feet, $600 from 2,500 to 4,999 square feet, and $700 at 5,000 square feet or more. Registration opens January 1, with a $100 late fee after March 31 and $500 after June 1. Registrations do not transfer to a new owner.
Do I need a sign on my Destin rental?
Single-family rentals need an 18 by 18 inch sign, readable from the street, showing the responsible party's name and 24-hour number plus the occupancy limit and available parking (Destin Code §13-114). The responsible party must be able to answer emergency calls at the home within one hour.
Every service we run here
What we manage in Destin
Short-term rental management is the heart of what we do in Destin, and we manage mid-term and long-term rentals here too — with licensed brokers for the leasing.
Free projection · about a minute
Ready to put your Destin home to work?
A free rental projection built from real comparable listings near you — within one business day.
Free, no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call (321) 321-2348
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We’ll pull real, comparable Florida listings to build your projection.
Talk to us about your Destin property
Get a free rental projection — or call and ask us anything about your home.
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