Gulf County, FL

Port St. Joe, FL short-term rental license

Port St. Joe puts a vacation rental through the same door as every other business in town, a city business license. The order of operations matters, because the outside registrations have to exist before the city issues anything. The county tourist development tax registration is one of them, which makes it a condition of the license here.[6]

Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.

Can you rent short term in Port St. Joe?

Get a license first

What you apply for: City of Port St. Joe business license

Seasonal homes
323
Housing units
2,186
Residents
3,616

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates

  • City ruleLicense required
  • City feeNone published
  • Tax on each stay12%
  • Seasonal homes148 per 1,000

Port St. Joe vacation rental license

Port St. Joe requires a city business license for anyone conducting business within the city limits. The city states explicitly that this includes vacation rentals. To apply for that license for a short-term rental, you must already hold three registrations. The first is with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The second is with the Gulf County Tax Collector, to collect the 5% tourist development tax. The third is with the Department of State's Division of Corporations. Applications are made online, in person at City Hall on Cecil G. Costin Sr. Boulevard, or by emailing the completed application packet. Business licenses expire on September 30 each year. Renewal notices are mailed out on August 1 and payment is due by September 30. The city also publishes a short-term rental fact sheet listing the documents it wants with the application. Ask for it before filing rather than after.[6]

What Port St. Joe asks of you

  • Anyone conducting business in the City of Port St. Joe needs a city-issued business license, and the city names vacation rentals among them.[6]

  • Before applying you must be registered with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.[6]

  • You must also be registered with the Gulf County Tax Collector to collect the county's 5% tourist development tax, and with the Department of State's Division of Corporations.[6]

  • Applications are made online, in person at City Hall, or by emailing the completed application packet.[6]

  • Business licenses expire on September 30. Renewal notices are mailed on August 1 and payment is due by September 30.[6]

Apply on the Port St. Joe site

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]

Florida short-term rental rules

What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Port St. Joe

Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.

Short-term rental tax layers in Port St. Joe
LayerRateRemitted to
Florida state sales tax[3]6%The state revenue department
Gulf County discretionary sales surtax[5]1%The state revenue department
Gulf County Tourist Development Tax[4]5%The county
Total on a taxable stay12%

Registering with the Gulf County Tax Collector for the 5% tourist development tax is not optional housekeeping here: the city makes it a condition of issuing the business license.[6]

Florida transient rental taxAirbnb taxes for hosts

What the census counts

How much of Port St. Joe is already a second home

The Census Bureau counts 323 of Port St. Joe's 2,186 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 148 out of every 1,000. It ranks Port St. Joe 39th of the 48 Florida cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.

Rank in the state
39th of 48
Share of housing
148 per 1,000
Median home value
$353,100

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.

Nearby and comparable

Where Port St. Joe sits among its neighbors

Sarasota, FL

Registration required

4,676 seasonal homes, 145 per 1,000 housing units.

Sarasota short-term rental rules

Pompano Beach, FL

Permit required

8,149 seasonal homes, 133 per 1,000 housing units.

Pompano Beach short-term rental rules

St. Augustine, FL

Registration required

1,318 seasonal homes, 151 per 1,000 housing units.

St. Augustine short-term rental rules

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Registration required

12,715 seasonal homes, 125 per 1,000 housing units.

Fort Lauderdale short-term rental rules
StatewideEvery Florida city on this site, in one tableState law, the tax stack and every city we cover in Florida, with what each one asks of a host.Florida short-term rental rules

Keep exploring

FAQ

Port St. Joe short-term rental questions

What do I need before applying in Port St. Joe?

Three registrations: the DBPR, the Gulf County Tax Collector for the 5% tourist development tax, and the Division of Corporations. The city license comes after all three.[6]

When does the license expire?

On September 30 each year, whatever month you started. Renewal notices go out on August 1 and payment is due by the expiration date.[6]

How much tax does a Port St. Joe stay carry?

Twelve percent: 6% state sales tax, the 1% Gulf County surtax and the county's own 5% tourist development tax. The Gulf County Tax Collector collects that last one.[4]
Read nextHow to start an AirbnbThe six steps in order, starting with the permit check.Read the guide

Sources

  1. Florida Statutes § 509.032(7), Duties — preemption of vacation rental regulation, The Florida Legislature, read on September 20, 2026
  2. Guide to Vacation Rentals and Timeshare Projects, Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, read on September 20, 2026
  3. 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
  4. Local Option Transient Rental Tax Rates (DR-15TDT, R. 10/26), Florida Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
  5. Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026 (DR-15DSS), Florida Department of Revenue, read on September 20, 2026
  6. Business license, including vacation rentals, City of Port St. Joe, 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.

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