Cortez, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Cortez STRs averaged $396/night at 62.5% occupancy in April 2026, with revenue up 7.0% year over year.
Quick Answer: Cortez, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Sarasota market area is 67%. average monthly revenue in the Sarasota market area is $7,241. average daily rate in the Sarasota market area is $406. the top operator in the Sarasota market area is AMI Locals with 517 listings. market score is 65/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Sarasota regional market, which includes Cortez. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Cortez.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Cortez is a small unincorporated fishing community in Manatee County on Florida’s Gulf Coast, adjacent to Anna Maria Island and the Bradenton Beach area. Despite a permanent population of only about 4,121, the broader STR market area tracked under this area_id draws an estimated 3.8 million annual visitors and encompasses approximately 22,069 active listings, reflecting its position in the larger Anna Maria Island and Manatee County coastal corridor. The inventory is overwhelmingly entire-place rentals: 21,299 listings are whole-property units, 763 are private rooms, and 7 are shared rooms.
The bedroom distribution shows a two-bedroom concentration typical of coastal condo and beach house markets: 8,989 two-bedroom listings lead the count, followed by three-bedroom homes (5,798), one-bedroom units (4,194), four-bedroom properties (2,115), and five-bedroom-plus homes (959). By channel, 13,503 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, 5,179 are Airbnb-only, and 3,387 are VRBO-only.
The April 2026 average daily rate was $395.74, with occupancy at 62.5% and RevPAR of $247.35. Year over year, occupancy declined 4.8% while ADR grew 6.6% and revenue rose 7.0% — a pattern indicating that operators successfully raised rates even as occupancy compressed, resulting in net positive revenue momentum. This divergence between falling occupancy and rising revenue per booking is characteristic of markets where pricing power is firm and the supply base is absorbing without a rate war.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 66% |
| Feb | 84% |
| Mar | 84% |
| Apr | 61% |
| May | 59% |
| Jun | 69% |
| Jul | 68% |
| Aug | 50% |
| Sep | 43% |
| Oct | 55% |
| Nov | 55% |
| Dec | 59% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Cortez are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Sarasota market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Sarasota market as a whole, which includes Cortez, so these counts are not Cortez-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMI Locals | 517 | 14,805 | ★ 4.71 |
| 2 | SKLRP And LKV | 424 | 4,618 | ★ 4.71 |
| 3 | Evolve | 342 | 10,676 | ★ 4.71 |
| 4 | Vacasa | 298 | 10,778 | ★ 4.50 |
| 5 | RVA Resort Vacations | 212 | 7,775 | ★ 4.50 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Cortez?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Cortez are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 23.5% |
| vrbo | 15.3% |
| both | 61.2% |
Home Value Trends (Cortez)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Cortez are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Cortez — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Cortez sits in unincorporated Manatee County, which operates under a permissive STR framework compared to the nearby incorporated municipalities of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Bradenton Beach. Manatee County has no county-wide STR-specific ordinance imposing a permit requirement, minimum-stay restriction, occupancy cap, or owner-occupancy mandate on unincorporated properties. Florida Statute 509.032 preempts local governments from restricting rental frequency or duration, further limiting the county’s ability to add new restrictions.
Operators must complete three registrations: (1) a Florida DBPR Transient Public Lodging Establishment vacation rental license (required for rentals under 30 days more than three times per year), (2) a Manatee County Tourist Development Tax account with the county Tax Collector to remit the 6% local tourist tax, and (3) a Florida Department of Revenue sales-tax registration for the 7% state sales and use tax. The combined lodging tax is 13% (6% county TDT plus 7% state). The county TDT rate increased from 5% to 6% effective January 1, 2025, following voter approval on November 5, 2024. Importantly, Manatee County does not have an automatic collection agreement with Airbnb or VRBO — hosts are personally responsible for collecting and remitting the 6% county portion even for platform bookings. State DBPR license fees were not on file at the time of this report; confirm current costs with the Florida DBPR directly. Enforcement in unincorporated Manatee County is described as minimal.
Market Comparison
Cortez’s April 2026 ADR of $395.74 is well above the U.S. STR median ADR of approximately $220, placing this market among the premium coastal destinations in Florida. Occupancy at 62.5% is above the national median of roughly 55%, though the 4.8% year-over-year decline bears watching. RevPAR of $247.35 is the highest of the five markets in this batch, reflecting the premium ADR base.
AMI Locals leads the market with 517 listings (14,805 reviews, 4.712 average rating). SKLRP And LKV holds 424 listings (4,618 reviews, 4.709 rating), Evolve manages 342 listings (10,676 reviews, 4.710 rating), Vacasa has 298 listings (10,778 reviews, 4.497 rating), and RVA Resort Vacations rounds out the top five with 212 listings (7,775 reviews, 4.499 rating). Together the top five account for approximately 1,793 of roughly 22,069 total listings — about 8.1% of the market. The top three operators (AMI Locals, SKLRP And LKV, Evolve) all carry ratings of 4.71, reflecting consistently high guest satisfaction in this corridor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cortez, Florida
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