Property Management in Seaside, FL — Airbnb & Short-Term Rentals

Short-term rental and Airbnb management in Seaside

Seaside’s own history traces the town to 80 acres bought next to Seagrove Beach in 1946, inherited by Robert Davis in 1978. Davis and his partner Daryl Rose asked Miami architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk to plan a new “old town,” and building began in 1981 with two houses and a single street. Today the town counts more than 300 homes, shops, restaurants and galleries.

It is still not a city. Walton County’s municipal listing names only DeFuniak Springs, Freeport and Paxton as incorporated, so Seaside is unincorporated county land and follows county rental rules. Property management in Seaside is mostly about cottages: wood-frame houses with porches and picket fences, set close together on brick streets and sand footpaths.

Where guests come from

The town itself is the attraction. Central Square sits at the middle of the plan, and the town’s hotel, The Court, is within a five-minute walk of every residence, according to Seaside’s history page. The streets are kept narrow to slow cars, so families come to walk and bike rather than drive, and Seaside holds events such as its Seeing Red Wine Festival in Central Square.

Neighbors add to the draw. WaterColor borders Seaside to the west, Grayton Beach State Park is a short ride beyond it, and Seagrove Beach lies to the east. Guests fly into Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport or Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, and Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach is the nearest hospital.

Seaside short-term rental rules

Walton County’s Ordinance 2023-03, adopted January 24, 2023, applies to Seaside like the rest of unincorporated Walton. A home rented for under 30 days needs a Short-Term Vacation Rental Certificate before it is advertised, renewed every year, and the certificate number appears on an exterior sign and in all advertising.

Occupancy is one guest per 150 square feet of gross floor area, which on a small cottage can mean a small number. The responsible party answers 24/7, can reach the cottage within one hour and checks it weekly. Inside, the owner posts the noise rules from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., trash days, the nearest emergency room, beach flag information, and sea turtle lighting rules for homes in the county’s Wildlife Protection Zone. The county’s program page lists $300 per property, or $227 under a community registration.

Seaside’s own architectural regulations sit on top of county law and shape what can be built or changed. The state DBPR vacation rental license is required too.

Taxes on Seaside vacation rentals

Stays of six months or less carry Florida’s 6% sales tax under §212.03 and Walton County’s 1% surtax from the DR-15DSS for 2026. Walton’s 5% tourist development tax applies to ZIP code 32459 on the state’s DR-15TDT chart.

The Walton County Clerk’s guide totals the tax on a South Walton stay at 12%. It counts cleaning and pet fees in the taxable amount and says returns are filed every period, even when the cottage sat empty.

How Florida Hosts manages Seaside rentals

Florida Hosts helps Seaside owners get licensed and registered, from the DBPR license to the county tourist tax account. In Seaside, our Airbnb management keeps the county certificate current, lists each cottage with its exact occupancy, and handles 24/7 guest questions about parking, bikes and beach access.

Older wood cottages need steady upkeep, and our own cleaning and maintenance staff provide it between stays. Short-term rental management is 18–25% of booking revenue, quoted in writing. Mid-term furnished stays and long-term leases are also available, with licensed brokers on the leasing side, and a free rental projection comes back within one business day.