Renting out a home in Northeast Florida
What a single-family home rents for here, and the rules that decide whether you can rent it by the night, the week or the year: town by town, HOA by HOA, with the taxes and the homestead line.
By Krista Fracke — Broker Associate, Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years in Northeast Florida · 500+ closings · client reviews
What homes rent for
I’m Krista Fracke. A buyer who might rent the house later should know two numbers before the offer: what similar homes lease for, and whether the rules let you rent the way you plan to. The first comes from the MLS, which records every lease a member brokerage closes. These are median monthly rents for single-family homes leased in the last 12 months, mostly on annual leases.
| Area | Leases | Median rent | Median beds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponte Vedra Beach | 80 | $3,950/mo | 3 |
| Nocatee | 110 | $3,820/mo | 4 |
| Palencia and north St. Augustine (32095) | 102 | $2,850/mo | 4 |
| St. Augustine and Vilano Beach (32084) | 94 | $2,295/mo | 3 |
| St. Augustine Beach and Anastasia Island | 19 | $2,850/mo | 3 |
| World Golf Village area (32092) | 237 | $2,700/mo | 4 |
| St. Johns and Julington Creek (32259) | 240 | $2,975/mo | 4 |
| Jacksonville Beach | 89 | $3,245/mo | 3 |
| Neptune Beach | 22 | $3,300/mo | 3 |
| Atlantic Beach | 67 | $2,550/mo | 3 |
| Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach | 41 | $2,540/mo | 3 |
By neighborhood, $2,500 a month and up
| Neighborhood | Leases | Median rent | Median beds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shearwater St. Augustine | 35 | $2,900/mo | 4 |
| Durbin Crossing St. Johns | 26 | $3,250/mo | 4 |
| Aberdeen St. Johns | 25 | $2,550/mo | 4 |
| Johns Creek Jacksonville | 23 | $2,650/mo | 3 |
| Beacon Lake St. Augustine | 23 | $3,000/mo | 4 |
| Silverleaf St. Augustine | 21 | $2,700/mo | 3 |
| Beachwalk St. Johns | 20 | $4,675/mo | 4 |
| Julington Creek Plan St. Johns | 18 | $2,648/mo | 4 |
| Wells Creek Jacksonville | 18 | $2,700/mo | 3 |
| Bannon Lakes St. Augustine | 18 | $2,748/mo | 4 |
| Atlantic Beach | 16 | $3,695/mo | 3 |
| Palencia St. Augustine | 15 | $3,650/mo | 4 |
| Trailmark St. Augustine | 15 | $2,600/mo | 4 |
| Rivertown St. Johns | 14 | $2,898/mo | 4 |
| Bartram Springs Jacksonville | 13 | $2,700/mo | 4 |
Source: closed single-family leases in the Northeast Florida MLS, last 12 months, updated daily; neighborhoods with 12 or more leases. Vacation-rental nightly rates are not recorded in the MLS.
Short-term rental rules, place by place
Florida law keeps cities and counties from banning vacation rentals or limiting how long or how often they rent, unless the local rule was on the books by June 1, 2011. That is why neighboring towns here have opposite answers: the older rules survive, and newer ones can only register and set safety standards.
Ponte Vedra Beach and Vilano Beach (St. Johns County)
Registration and standards (2 guests per bedroom, 10 maximum; 1 parking space per 3 guests; a posted 24-hour contact; leave on a hurricane warning). No minimum stay. An owner’s homestead is exempt.
Mainland St. Johns County (west of the Intracoastal) (St. Johns County)
The county’s short-term rental registration does not apply west of the Intracoastal, which takes in much of Nocatee, World Golf Village, RiverTown and SilverLeaf. State licensing, taxes and any HOA rules still apply.
City of St. Augustine (City of St. Augustine)
Minimum stay by zoning district: one week in RS-1 and RS-2, one month in the HP-1 historic core, nightly elsewhere with registration. Annual fee $315.51 plus $82.85 per bedroom, with a life-safety inspection.
St. Augustine Beach (City of St. Augustine Beach)
Transient rentals only in Commercial or Medium-Density Residential land use (Medium-Density capped at 100), with a state license, a sales-tax certificate, a city business tax receipt and an inspection.
Jacksonville Beach (City of Jacksonville Beach)
Short-term rentals allowed with the city’s annual registration certificate.
Atlantic Beach (City of Atlantic Beach)
Rentals under 90 consecutive days are prohibited in residential zones.
Neptune Beach (City of Neptune Beach)
Short-term rentals are prohibited in all residential zoning districts.
Fernandina Beach (City of Fernandina Beach)
A Resort Rental Dwelling Permit, only in R-3 zoning or for R-1/R-2 homes rented before October 3, 2000; everywhere else, 30 days minimum.
The south end of Amelia Island outside Fernandina Beach falls under Nassau County, which has no short-term rental ordinance we could find; the 5% Amelia Island tourist tax applies across ZIP 32034. The three beach towns are compared in detail in short-term rental rules at the Jacksonville beaches.
What an HOA or condo association can change
In a homeowners’ association, a rule adopted after July 1, 2021 that bans or regulates leasing binds only owners who agree to it and the people who buy after it passes. There is one exception: an HOA can require every lease to run at least six months, or cap rentals at three a year, and that binds every owner at once. So a home bought for vacation rental has no protection against a future short-stay amendment. A condo association’s rental amendment binds only owners who agree and later buyers, with no short-stay exception.
Most community rules here sit in recorded declarations and owner portals, not on public websites. Read the declaration and every amendment, and the association’s estoppel package, before you count on renting.
Licenses and taxes for short stays
- State license. Renting a whole home more than three times a year for stays under 30 days or a month needs a vacation rental license from the state Division of Hotels and Restaurants: $50 to apply plus a $10 fee, then $170 a year for a single unit.
- Sales tax. 6% on stays of six months or less, plus the county surtax: 0.5% in St. Johns, 1.5% in Duval, 1% in Nassau.
- Tourist tax. Collected by each county: 5% in St. Johns, 6% in Duval, and 5% in Nassau on Amelia Island only. Returns are monthly, even in a month with no guests. Duval and Nassau say the booking platforms do not remit their county tax.
Homestead and insurance
Renting all or substantially all of a homestead ends the exemption until you move back in, but a rental doesn’t count against it unless the home is rented more than 30 days a year in two consecutive years. A rented home is not a primary residence for flood insurance, so the federal surcharge is $250 a year instead of $25. Ask your insurer which policy form covers the way you plan to rent.
Renting by the year
A lease of more than six months is exempt from the sales and tourist taxes, and the local short-term rules don’t reach it. Florida’s landlord law sets the deposit rules: hold the deposit in a separate Florida account or post a surety bond, return it within 15 days if you make no claim, and send any claim in writing within 30 days of move-out or lose it.
This is the work I do every week. Buying a home you may rent out? Tell me how you plan to rent it, and I'll check the town's rules and the HOA's recorded documents before you make an offer.
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Broker Associate · Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years · 500+ closings
Beach-area homes for sale
Single-family homes from $350,000 in Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, the Jacksonville beaches and Amelia Island, live from the MLS. Every listing office named on each card.
Common questions
Can I Airbnb my house in Ponte Vedra Beach?
Generally yes under county rules. Ponte Vedra Beach is unincorporated St. Johns County, which requires registration and sets occupancy, parking and contact standards but no minimum stay; your HOA's recorded rules may be stricter. You also need a state vacation rental license and must collect sales tax and the county's 5% tourist tax.
Can I do short-term rentals in Nocatee?
The county's short-term rental registration does not apply west of the Intracoastal, where much of Nocatee sits. The deciding rules there are the neighborhood's recorded covenants, plus the state license and taxes. Read the declaration before you buy.
Can my HOA ban short-term rentals after I buy?
Partly. Under Florida law a rule adopted after July 1, 2021 that bans or regulates leasing binds only owners who agree and later buyers, except one category: an HOA can require leases of at least six months, or cap rentals at three a year, for every owner at once.
What taxes apply to a vacation rental here?
Stays of six months or less carry 6% state sales tax plus the county surtax (0.5% in St. Johns, 1.5% in Duval, 1% in Nassau) and the county tourist development tax: 5% in St. Johns, 6% in Duval, and 5% on Amelia Island. Duval and Nassau say the booking platforms do not remit the county tax, so the owner files monthly.
Does renting my house affect my homestead exemption?
It can. Renting all or substantially all of a homestead ends the exemption, but a rental doesn't count against it unless the home is rented more than 30 days a year in two consecutive years.
How much does a house rent for in Ponte Vedra Beach or Nocatee?
See the table on this page: median monthly rent for single-family leases closed through the MLS in the last 12 months, by area and by neighborhood, updated daily.
Go deeper
Rules from Florida Statutes, the state Division of Hotels and Restaurants, the Department of Revenue, the county tax collectors and each city’s own pages, October 2026. Rules change; confirm with the city or county before you rent.
Buying with renting in mind?
Send me the towns on your list and how you plan to rent. I’ll line up the homes where the rules allow it.