--- title: "The Florida Keys Property Management, Florida" description: "Property management across The Florida Keys, Florida: Airbnb and short-term rental management in Key West, Key Largo, Islamorada and more, plus mid-term and…" url: https://floridahosts.com/florida/florida-keys/ --- ![A long bridge running out over turquoise water in the Florida Keys](/images/florida-keys-property-management.webp) Florida · The Florida Keys # The Florida Keys property management — Airbnb, short-term & long-term rentals Owning a rental in the Florida Keys means learning which rulebook covers your address. 10,000+ guest reviews since 2016 · [Call (321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348) Free rental projection — about a minute Free, no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call [(321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348). About the region ## Owning a rental in The Florida Keys Owning a rental in the Florida Keys means learning which rulebook covers your address. Monroe County lists five incorporated municipalities, and three of the places we manage, Key West, Islamorada and Marathon, each regulate short stays in their own code. Key Largo and the other unincorporated islands follow the county Land Development Code. The rules are strict and specific. Key West requires a city transient license for any stay under 30 days or one calendar month, Islamorada caps licensed vacation rentals at 331 units, Marathon allows stays of 7 to 28 nights only, and the county bans short stays in its Improved Subdivision districts with narrow exceptions. Where a home qualifies, we run it as a vacation rental with every license, inspection and tax return in order. Where it does not, we rent it furnished by the month or on an annual lease. ## Four towns, four sets of rules Key West City Code §18-601 requires a city business tax receipt to lease a residential property for less than 30 days or one calendar month, and §122-1371 states that owners who never used a home transiently no longer have the chance to start under the city's rate of growth ordinance. In Islamorada, the Village Code defines a vacation rental as a stay of 28 days or less, caps licensed units at 331, and retires a license when the home is sold at arm's length. Marathon's Code §8-12 licenses rentals of 7 to 28 nights and prohibits renting a private residence for fewer than seven. In unincorporated areas such as Key Largo, Monroe County Code §134-1 requires an annual special vacation rental permit and a licensed vacation rental manager, and §130-83 prohibits vacation rentals in Improved Subdivision districts except IS-V districts and qualifying gated communities. ## Taxes, and who files them Every rental of six months or less in Monroe County carries Florida's 6% sales tax, the county's 1.5% discretionary sales surtax for 2026 and the county's 5% tourist development tax. The Monroe County Tax Collector collects the tourist tax and says Airbnb, VRBO and similar platforms do not remit it, so the owner or manager must file. The Tax Collector also requires a local business tax for every rental property, however long the lease. Key West adds its own city business tax receipts, one category for transient rentals and another for non-transient residential rentals. ## Hurricane rules are written into the codes Islamorada's code requires every vacation rental to be evacuated when a hurricane warning is posted for any part of the Florida Keys, and Marathon's requires evacuation under a non-resident evacuation order. Marathon's vacation rental training explains why: visitors are asked to leave ahead of residents because the Keys have a single highway out. Our guest communication includes those departures. Cities we manage ## Property management across The Florida Keys Each city has its own rules, seasons and guests. Pick yours for the local detail. [ ### Key West In Key West, nightly and weekly stays are legal only at homes holding a city transient license. Explore ](/key-west/)[ ### Key Largo Key Largo follows Monroe County's rules: stays under 28 days need the right zoning, an annual county permit and a licensed local manager. Explore ](/key-largo/)[ ### Islamorada Islamorada caps vacation rentals at 331 licensed units, sets a seven-day minimum in residential subdivisions and retires a license when the home is sold. Explore ](/islamorada/)[ ### Marathon Marathon licenses vacation rentals for stays of 7 to 28 nights and bans anything shorter. Explore ](/marathon/) Free projection · about a minute ## What could your The Florida Keys property earn? Tell us about it and we’ll build a free, comps-based projection — a real person, not an algorithm, back to you within one business day. Free, no obligation. Prefer to talk? [Call (321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348) Counties and tourist taxes ## The counties of The Florida Keys Rentals of six months or less carry Florida's 6% state tax plus the county's tourist development tax. County Tourist development tax Source [Monroe County](/counties/monroe-county/) 5% [Florida DOR, DR-15TDT Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (R. 10/26)](https://floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/dr15tdt.pdf) Common questions ## The Florida Keys property management — FAQs Can I run an Airbnb anywhere in the Florida Keys? No. Short stays need the right local approval for the address: a city transient business tax receipt in Key West, a Village vacation rental license in Islamorada, a City vacation rental property license in Marathon, or a county special vacation rental permit in an unincorporated area such as Key Largo where the zoning allows it. What tax applies to a Keys vacation rental? Stays of six months or less owe 12.5% in total: Florida's 6% sales tax, Monroe County's 1.5% surtax for 2026 and the county's 5% tourist development tax. The tourist tax is paid to the Monroe County Tax Collector, which says booking platforms do not remit it. What if my Keys home cannot be a vacation rental? It can still be rented furnished for longer stays or on an annual lease. Monroe County asks owners in districts that prohibit short stays to advertise a 28-day minimum, and in Key West a lease of 30 days or one calendar month or longer falls outside the transient license requirement. Do vacation rental licenses transfer when a Keys home is sold? It depends on the town. Islamorada retires the license on an arm's-length sale, Marathon requires the buyer to apply again within 30 days, and Monroe County permits are nontransferable. In Key West, a transient license can pass to the buyer for a fee of 10% of the annual license tax. ## Sources 1. [Monroe County, Municipalities](https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/1226/Municipalities) · October 2026 2. [City of Key West Code §18-601 (Municode)](https://library.municode.com/fl/key_west/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=SPAGEOR_CH18BU_ARTXITRRE_DIV2REPR_S18-601LIRE) · October 2026 3. [City of Key West Land Development Regulations §122-1371 (Municode)](https://library.municode.com/fl/key_west/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=SPBLADERE_CH122ZO_ARTVSUDIRE_DIV7TRLIACREDW_S122-1371TRLIACREDWRE) · October 2026 4. [City of Key West Code §66-109, business tax schedule (Municode)](https://library.municode.com/fl/key_west/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=SPAGEOR_CH66TA_ARTIVBUTA_S66-109SCTA) · October 2026 5. [Village of Islamorada Code, Division 30-VI-6 Vacation Rentals](https://islamorada.municipalcodeonline.com/book?type=ordinances#name=DIVISION_30-VI-6_VACATION_RENTALS) · October 2026 6. [City of Marathon Code, Chapter 8 Article 8-II Vacation Rentals](https://marathon.municipalcodeonline.com/book?type=ordinances#name=CHAPTER_8_BUSINESSES) · October 2026 7. [City of Marathon, Vacation Rental Training (July 2026)](https://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/code_compliance/page/3411/training_powerpoint_july_2026.pdf) · October 2026 8. [Monroe County Land Development Code §134-1 (Municode)](https://library.municode.com/fl/monroe_county/codes/land_development_code?nodeId=CH134MIRE_ARTIINGE_S134-1VAREUS) · October 2026 9. [Monroe County Land Development Code §130-83 (Municode)](https://library.municode.com/fl/monroe_county/codes/land_development_code?nodeId=CH130LAUSDI_ARTIIIPECOUS_S130-83IMSUDIIS) · October 2026 10. [Monroe County, Special Vacation Rental Program](https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/701/Special-Vacation-Rental-Program) · October 2026 11. [Monroe County Tax Collector, Tourist Development Tax](https://monroetaxcollector.com/services/tdt/) · October 2026 12. [Florida DOR, DR-15TDT Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (R. 10/26)](https://floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/dr15tdt.pdf) · October 2026 13. [Florida DOR, DR-15DSS Discretionary Sales Surtax (2026)](https://floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/dr15dss_26.pdf) · October 2026 14. [Florida Statutes §212.03](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299%2F0212%2FSections%2F0212.03.html) · October 2026 ## Talk to us about your The Florida Keys property Get a free rental projection — or call and ask us anything about your home. [Get my free projection](/rental-projection/) [or call (321) 321-2348](tel:+13213212348) Free · comps-based · delivered within one business day.