AIRBNB MANAGEMENT · FORGOTTEN COAST, FL

Airbnb Management on Florida’s Forgotten Coast

From Mexico Beach to Cape San Blas and Port St. Joe, each county and city licenses, inspects and taxes vacation rentals its own way, and Airbnb and Vrbo do not collect the county bed tax for you. We manage a client home in Panama City Beach and serve Forgotten Coast owners with licensing support, tax reporting, pricing, guest communication and turnovers.

30 Days Management Fee-Free · 60-Day Owner Control Guarantee · Rental Income Improvement Guarantee

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We do not currently manage a home on the Forgotten Coast. Our nearest home is a client home in Panama City Beach.

4.97Average Guest Rating on Airbnb
500+Guest Reviews Across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com
25+Straight Quarters as an Airbnb Superhost

Company-wide figures. The nearest home we run is a client home in Panama City Beach.

What We Handle on the Forgotten Coast

We provide short-term rental and vacation rental management across Florida’s Forgotten Coast as your Airbnb co-host, so the listing stays in your own Airbnb account and you see every booking. Endless Stays is a family-run Airbnb management company led by Cody Zucker, CPA. We have hosted since 2019 and hold a 4.97 average guest rating on Airbnb, with 500+ guest reviews across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com.

The same service list runs across the Forgotten Coast:

  • License support for your address. The Florida DBPR vacation rental license, plus the county or city license that applies, and inspection scheduling and readiness.
  • Clear monthly booking and tax reporting. We recommend Avalara (MyLodgeTax) for lodging tax registration and filing.
  • Pricing for a destination market with a strong summer weighting.
  • Listings built around the Gulf, bay or canal story.
  • House rules that match local beach and lighting rules.
  • Remote-owner operations. Many owners live out of state, and we confirm cleaner and handyman coverage for your exact address before you decide.
  • Clear, helpful, and proactive guest communication.
  • Clear owner statements and a custom monthly performance dashboard.

See everything included in The Endless Collection →

Where We Serve

Each area follows different license, inspection and tax rules, so we start with your address.

We do not currently manage a home on the Forgotten Coast. Our nearest home is a client home in Panama City Beach, and the same pricing, guest communication and turnover systems run across all our homes.

The Forgotten Coast Market

The Forgotten Coast is a stretch of Gulf and bay shoreline known for beaches, shelling, a state park and small-town downtowns. Here it runs from Mexico Beach to Cape San Blas and Port St. Joe. We build each listing around an accurate bedroom count and a clear Gulf, bay or canal story, backed by clear, helpful, and proactive guest communication.

Cape San Blas & Indian Pass: about 1,470 active short-term rentals, roughly 57% occupancy, a $525 average daily rate and about $54,000 average annual revenue per listing.

Port St. Joe & St. Joe Beach: about 760 active short-term rentals, roughly 54% occupancy, a $370 average daily rate and about $37,000 average annual revenue per listing.

Mexico Beach: about 620 active short-term rentals, roughly 55% occupancy, a $370 average daily rate and about $39,500 average annual revenue per listing.

Source: AirDNA, trailing 12 months, October 2026. Revenue is the average a tracked listing earned over the last 12 months; many listings rent part of the year. AirDNA has no Indian Pass or Port St. Joe submarket, so the first two lines are regional averages for the nearest AirDNA submarkets. Mexico Beach is a direct match.

What Drives Demand

  1. Beaches and water. Visit Gulf lists Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and St. Joe Beach among Gulf County’s beaches and describes kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, snorkeling and shelling. Visit Gulf
  2. Shelling. Visit Gulf says the beaches from Indian Pass to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park are especially good for it, and that winter is a great time to shell. Visit Gulf
  3. St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, reached by boat from a public ramp near Indian Pass. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  4. Historic downtown Port St. Joe, where the Reid Avenue shopping district gives guests something to do on non-beach days. Visit Gulf
  5. Mexico Beach’s summer season. About 54% of the lodging tax attributed to Mexico Beach in the 12 months ending September 2025 fell in June through August (Bay County Clerk of Court and Comptroller, unaudited, all lodging).

Why Management Matters on the Forgotten Coast

  • The rules change at the county line. Cape San Blas and Indian Pass sit in unincorporated Gulf County, which licenses and inspects short-term rentals every year. Port St. Joe homes inside city limits follow a city business tax receipt instead. Mexico Beach is a city in Bay County with a different tax collector and its own occupational license.
  • Platforms do not collect the county bed tax. Gulf County’s tax portal says neither Airbnb nor Vrbo collects or remits its 5% tourist development tax, and the Bay County Tax Collector says it holds no agreement with any online advertiser. The person operating the rental registers and files directly, every month, including months with no bookings. We provide clear monthly booking and tax reporting and recommend Avalara (MyLodgeTax) for lodging tax registration and filing.
  • Storms shape the calendar. Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 on October 10, 2018 near Mexico Beach, and the National Hurricane Center counted 985 destroyed structures in Gulf County alone. Build year, elevation and insurance matter here, and so does a plan for cancellations and post-storm checks.
  • Many owners live out of state. The location is small-town and remote, so a missed renewal or a late return is easy to miss from a distance.

Florida, Gulf County and Bay County Rules and Taxes

Rules here are set at the state, county and city level, so the license and the bed tax depend on your address: unincorporated Gulf County, the City of Port St. Joe or the City of Mexico Beach in Bay County.

  • State vacation rental license. A single-family to four-family dwelling or condo unit rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days needs a Florida DBPR vacation rental license. It does not replace the county or city license or the tax registrations. Florida DBPR
  • State law. Florida Statutes s. 509.032 bars local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating their duration or frequency, with an exception for ordinances adopted on or before June 1, 2011, so local rules work through licensing, inspection, tax and zoning. This is our reading of the statute, not legal advice. Florida Statutes
  • Gulf County. Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and St. Joe Beach need an annual Short-Term Rental Business License and a yearly Building Department inspection. Homes inside a city’s limits, such as Port St. Joe, follow the city’s business license instead, so owners confirm the taxing district for their address. Gulf County Short-Term Rental License
  • Port St. Joe. Homes inside city limits follow a City of Port St. Joe business tax receipt. City of Port St. Joe
  • Mexico Beach. The City requires an occupational license from the City Clerk for every person engaging in business within city limits. Confirm with the City Clerk how it applies to your rental. City of Mexico Beach
  • Bed taxes. Stays under six months carry a 5% county tourist development tax plus 6% Florida sales tax and a 1% county surtax. Gulf County and Bay County each charge the 5% tax, and since October 1, 2026 the Bay County Tax Collector administers Bay County’s. Confirm current rates with the Gulf County or Bay County Tax Collector. Gulf County Tax Collector Bay County Tax Collector
  • Platforms do not collect the county tax. Gulf County’s tax portal says neither Airbnb nor Vrbo collects or remits it, and the Bay County Tax Collector says it holds no agreement with any online advertiser. The person operating the rental registers and files directly, every month, including months with no bookings. Gulf County Tax Portal FAQ Bay County Tax Collector FAQ
  • Sea turtle lighting. Gulf County is on the state’s list of local sea turtle lighting ordinances, so we confirm lighting standards before writing your guest house rules. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  • Associations. HOA and condo rules vary by community and recorded document, so we read your association documents before we price your home.

On the Forgotten Coast, the license and the bed tax depend on your address. Airbnb and Vrbo do not collect the county bed tax for you. We confirm which rules apply to your address, help with the licenses and inspections, and provide clear monthly booking and tax reporting. We recommend Avalara (MyLodgeTax) for lodging tax registration and filing.

Rules change. Confirm current requirements with Gulf County, Bay County, the City of Port St. Joe or the City of Mexico Beach before you rent.

What Airbnb Management Costs on the Forgotten Coast

Full-service Airbnb management typically runs 15% to 30% of rental income, and co-hosting 10% to 18%. Our fee is a share of rental income, including rent and cleaning fees, excluding taxes, and we show you the exact numbers for your home before you decide. If the numbers don’t comfortably clear our fee, we’ll tell you to keep self-managing.

Forgotten Coast Airbnb Management FAQ

Which Forgotten Coast areas do you cover, and do you manage a home there?

We cover Cape San Blas and Indian Pass, Port St. Joe and St. Joe Beach, and Mexico Beach, each with its own page. We do not currently manage a home on the Forgotten Coast. Our nearest home is a client home in Panama City Beach, and the same pricing, guest communication and turnover systems run across all our homes. Tell us your address and we confirm the rules, the taxing district and our cleaner and handyman coverage before you decide.

Do I need a license to rent my home on the Forgotten Coast?

Almost always. Florida requires a DBPR vacation rental license for most homes rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days. Homes in unincorporated Gulf County, which includes Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and St. Joe Beach, also need the county’s annual Short-Term Rental Business License and inspection. Port St. Joe city limits follow a city business tax receipt, and Mexico Beach homes follow the city’s occupational license. Confirm current requirements and fees with the county or city for your address.

What taxes apply, and does Airbnb collect them?

Gulf County and Bay County each charge a 5% tourist development tax on stays under six months, and Florida adds sales tax plus a county surtax. Airbnb and Vrbo do not collect the county tax in either county, so the person operating the rental registers, files and remits it every month, even when there were no bookings. We provide clear monthly booking and tax reporting, and we recommend Avalara (MyLodgeTax) for lodging tax registration and filing. Confirm current rates with the Gulf County or Bay County Tax Collector.

Does Airbnb management pay for a 4-bedroom home here?

It depends on how your home performs today and what comparable homes earn. We review your numbers and the market data first, and if they don’t comfortably clear our fee, we’ll tell you to keep self-managing. For context, AirDNA’s trailing-12-month market figures (October 2026) show roughly 54% to 57% occupancy across the three areas and average annual revenue per listing of about $37,000 to $54,000, across all home sizes.

What does Airbnb management cost on the Forgotten Coast?

Full-service management generally runs 15% to 30% of rental income and co-hosting 10% to 18%. We price as a share of rental income, including rent and cleaning fees, excluding taxes, and show you the math first.

Do you offer Airbnb co-hosting in Florida’s Forgotten Coast?

Yes. We work as your co-host on your own Airbnb account, so the listing, its reviews and its history stay yours. Our team handles pricing, guest communication, cleaners, maintenance and local rules, and you get a clear owner statement every month.

How do I choose an Airbnb management company in Florida’s Forgotten Coast?

Ask whether the listing stays in your own Airbnb account, how often pricing is reviewed, who answers guests and handles emergencies, who covers cleaning and maintenance at your address, and how the fee is calculated. Then check their record on the platforms themselves, such as ratings, reviews and Superhost status. We answer each of these on a Property Fit Call, and our free Rental Income Audit compares your home with similar homes nearby.

More on the Forgotten Coast

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