Lake Placid, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Lake Placid, FL STRs averaged $178/night at 40.0% occupancy in April 2026, with strong winter-season peaks driven by motorsport and fishing tourism.
Quick Answer: Lake Placid, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 40%. average monthly revenue is $2,378. average daily rate is $178. the top operator is Evolve with 91 listings. market score is 56/100 (grade C).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Lake Placid sits in the Florida South Central Heartland, a five-county inland region anchored by motorsport (Sebring International Raceway), freshwater fishing (Lake Okeechobee and Lake Istokpoga), and agritourism. The STR market is modest in scale: approximately 1,558 active listings, comprising 1,474 entire-place units (94.6% of supply) and 84 private rooms. Platform distribution shows 730 Airbnb-only listings, 154 VRBO-only, and 674 appearing on both channels.
In April 2026, the market posted a $178 average daily rate and 40.0% occupancy, generating $70.95 in RevPAR. Average monthly revenue per active listing was $2,378. Occupancy was down 10.0% year over year in April, though ADR gained 2.0% and revenue grew 1.5%, suggesting April’s YoY occupancy drop reflects a comparison-period effect rather than a sustained trend (the 2026 partial-year average through April shows 60.6% occupancy, the highest in the dataset). Bedroom distribution leans toward 3-bedrooms (492 listings), 2-bedrooms (474), and 1-bedrooms (387), consistent with the market’s draw of anglers and race enthusiasts who often travel in small groups. The market’s investability score of 87.8 is strong, even as total market score at 56.3 reflects the lower absolute occupancy.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67% | $138 | $2,493 |
| Feb | 79% | $149 | $2,876 |
| Mar | 65% | $174 | $2,980 |
| Apr | 44% | $143 | $2,011 |
| May | 47% | $135 | $1,734 |
| Jun | 52% | $147 | $1,985 |
| Jul | 54% | $147 | $2,203 |
| Aug | 45% | $131 | $1,688 |
| Sep | 46% | $131 | $1,547 |
| Oct | 51% | $125 | $1,689 |
| Nov | 52% | $144 | $1,891 |
| Dec | 55% | $147 | $2,143 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Lake Placid
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 91 | 2,382 | ★ 4.72 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 20 | 497 | ★ 4.60 |
| 3 | Jeeves Florida Rentals | 15 | 43 | ★ 4.63 |
| 4 | RedAwning | 5 | 104 | ★ 4.86 |
| 5 | Midtown Stays | 3 | 21 | ★ 4.67 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Lake Placid?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 387 |
| 2 bed | 474 |
| 3 bed | 492 |
| 4 bed | 146 |
| 5 bed | 57 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $181 |
| Luxury | $276 |
| Professionally Managed | $246 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,051 |
| Entire Place | $2,439 |
| House | $2,452 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 46.9% |
| vrbo | 9.9% |
| both | 43.3% |
Investment Analysis
Lake Placid offers an attractive yield profile relative to its lower entry-cost housing market. At the all-listings April 2026 average of $2,378/month, annualized gross revenue approaches $28,534. Against a typical home value of $237,934, that implies a gross yield near 12.0%, well above the national STR average. Houses averaged $2,452/month and entire-place properties $2,439/month.
The ADR segmentation shows the professionally managed tier averaging $246/night versus $178 for the all-listings average, a 38% premium. The luxury tier averaged $276/night. The gap between professionally managed ADR and luxury ADR is smaller here than in larger markets, suggesting the premium-tier ceiling is more constrained in this inland rural setting.
Revenue trends have been generally positive since 2020. Annual average revenue grew from $1,979/month in 2020 to a peak of $2,517/month in 2022, then pulled back to $2,354 in 2023 and recovered to $2,469 in 2025. The investability score of 87.8 signals favorable underlying conditions relative to acquisition cost. Investors should note the seasonal concentration of demand in the winter and early spring months: the January-March window generates the majority of annual revenue.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Lake Placid STR guests book an average of 35.5 days in advance, with an average length of stay of 4.85 nights. The nearly 5-night average stay is notably long, reflecting the nature of the region’s visitor base: bass fishing trips, motorsport weekends, and rural retreat stays are typically multi-day commitments rather than quick getaways.
For operators, the 35-day lead time leaves a workable but shorter window for dynamic pricing adjustments compared to coastal markets. The long average stay makes minimum-stay policies of 4-5 nights feasible and economically rational during peak season, particularly around the Twelve Hours of Sebring race weekend in March. For off-peak months, flexible 2-night minimums may improve occupancy without meaningfully diluting revenue per booking.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Lake Placid and the surrounding Highlands County region operate under one of the least restrictive STR regulatory environments in Florida. Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) preempts local governments from banning vacation rentals or restricting rental duration or frequency (unless a local ordinance predated June 1, 2011). Highlands County has not enacted a pre-2011 ban. Neither the county nor the state requires owner occupancy or primary-residence status.
The primary compliance requirement is a Florida DBPR Vacation Rental License. Initial first-year cost is approximately $230 (a $50 application fee, a $10 Hospitality Education Program fee, and a $170 single-unit annual license fee). Licenses renew annually. No additional county registration is required in Highlands County as of the profile research date, though individual municipalities (Sebring, Avon Park, Lake Placid town) may impose their own registration requirements that operators should verify locally.
On taxes, Highlands County charges a 5% Tourist Development Tax (effective August 1, 2023, per Ordinance 22-23-24), combined with Florida’s 6% state sales tax, a 1% local government infrastructure surtax, and a 0.5% school capital outlay surtax, for a combined approximately 12.5% total tax rate on gross rental receipts. Enforcement severity is classified as minimal in this region.
Market Comparison
Against U.S. STR benchmarks (approximately 55% median occupancy, approximately $220 median ADR), Lake Placid’s April 2026 reading of 40.0% occupancy is well below the national median. The $178 ADR also runs below the national median. However, the winter peak months show a different picture: February’s 79.0% occupancy substantially exceeds national norms, illustrating the highly concentrated seasonal pattern.
The annual-average occupancy of 52.2% (2025) is below the national median, and the revenue-growth market score of 47.0 signals subdued income growth. The investability score of 87.8 is the strongest dimension for this market, reflecting the favorable acquisition cost relative to revenue potential.
On the operator side, the market is dominated by independent hosts with a thin layer of professional management. Evolve leads by listings with 91 properties at a 4.72 average rating (2,382 reviews). Vacasa is a distant second with 20 listings (4.60 rating, 497 reviews). Jeeves Florida Rentals (15 listings, 4.63 rating) and RedAwning (5 listings, 4.86 rating) round out the professional tier. Evolve’s 91 listings represent roughly 5.8% of the market’s 1,558 total listings, indicating a market where independent operators dominate.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lake Placid, Florida
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