Fort Myers Beach, FL short-term rental registration
Fort Myers Beach allows short-term rentals once each unit is registered with the town. The fee rises with the number of bedrooms, which is unusual in Florida, so do the arithmetic before you buy.[6]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Fort Myers Beach?
Register before you list
What you apply for: Short-term rental registration
- Seasonal homes
- 4,753
- Housing units
- 9,886
- Residents
- 5,513
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleRegistration required
- City fee$300
- Tax on each stay11.5%
- Seasonal homes481 per 1,000
Fort Myers Beach short-term rental registration
Fort Myers Beach requires every rental property in the town to be registered, a process formalized by Ordinance 18-01 on May 7, 2018. The town prices the registration by the size of the house. The fee is $300 plus $100 for every bedroom in the unit, non-refundable, renewed annually. That puts a four-bedroom house at $700 a year. Each unit available for rent on a single property registers separately. The town also requires an annual inspection by the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District. It asks for receipts showing Florida sales tax has been paid on each dwelling unit. A local telephone number must take complaints twenty-four hours a day. The registration number must appear on all advertising, including yard signs and internet listings, and specifically on the home page of the advertisement.[6]
What Fort Myers Beach asks of you
Every rental property on Fort Myers Beach must be registered with the town, a process formalized by Ordinance 18-01 on May 7, 2018.[6]
The fee is $300 plus $100 per bedroom per dwelling unit, non-refundable, and the registration is renewed annually.[6]
Each unit available for short-term rental on a single property registers separately.[6]
The town requires an annual inspection by the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District, and receipts showing the Florida sales tax has been paid on each dwelling unit.[6]
A local telephone number answered twenty-four hours a day must be on file for each unit, to take complaints.[6]
The registration number goes on all advertising, including yard signs and internet listings, and on the home page of the advertisement itself.[6]
What Florida asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
Florida licenses vacation rentals itself. A dwelling license covers houses, townhouses and buildings of up to four units. A condominium or cooperative unit takes a condominium license instead. The license costs $150 plus $10 per rental unit, plus a $10 hospitality education fee.[2]
No Florida city may ban vacation rentals. It may not set how long or how often you rent either. The one exception is a local ordinance already in force on June 1, 2011, which still applies.[1]
State sales tax is due on every rental of six months or less. A bona fide written lease for more than six months of continuous residence is exempt. So is the seventh month onward once a guest has stayed and paid for six.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Fort Myers Beach
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Florida state sales tax[3] | 6% | The state revenue department |
| Lee County discretionary sales surtax[5] | 0.5% | The state revenue department |
| Lee County Tourist Development Tax[4] | 5% | The county |
| Total on a taxable stay | 11.5% |
Lee County runs the lowest surtax of the Gulf coast at 0.5%, in force until the end of 2028. That is why the town's own paperwork refers to a 6.5% sales tax before the tourist development tax is added.[5]
What the census counts
How much of Fort Myers Beach is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 4,753 of Fort Myers Beach's 9,886 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 481 out of every 1,000. It ranks Fort Myers Beach 5th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 5th of 48
- Share of housing
- 481 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $642,400
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Fort Myers Beach sits among its neighbors
Sanibel, FL
Allowed by zone
3,682 seasonal homes, 430 per 1,000 housing units.
Sanibel short-term rental rulesBonita Springs, FL
Permit required
11,877 seasonal homes, 298 per 1,000 housing units.
Bonita Springs short-term rental rulesEstero, FL
No city ordinance
7,572 seasonal homes, 281 per 1,000 housing units.
Estero short-term rental rulesLauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL
Certificate required
3,163 seasonal homes, 458 per 1,000 housing units.
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea short-term rental rulesFAQ
Fort Myers Beach short-term rental questions
How much does it cost to register a four-bedroom rental in Fort Myers Beach?
Where exactly does the registration number have to appear?
Who inspects a Fort Myers Beach rental?
Sources
- Florida Statutes § 509.032(7), Duties — preemption of vacation rental regulation, The Florida Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
- Guide to Vacation Rentals and Timeshare Projects, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, read on September 20, 2026
- Sales and Use Tax on Rental of Living or Sleeping Accommodations (GT-800034, R. 10/25), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (DR-15TDT, R. 10/26), Florida Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
- Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
- Short Term Rentals, Town of Fort Myers Beach, read on September 20, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 2, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
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