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 in the Florida South Central Area market area is 47%. average monthly revenue in the Florida South Central Area market area is $2,333. average daily rate in the Florida South Central Area market area is $181. the top operator in the Florida South Central Area market area is Evolve with 91 listings. market score is 56/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Florida South Central Area regional market, which includes Lake Placid. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Lake Placid.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA 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 |
|---|---|
| Jan | 67% |
| Feb | 79% |
| Mar | 65% |
| Apr | 44% |
| May | 46% |
| Jun | 51% |
| Jul | 54% |
| Aug | 45% |
| Sep | 46% |
| Oct | 51% |
| Nov | 52% |
| Dec | 55% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Lake Placid are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Florida South Central Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Florida South Central Area market as a whole, which includes Lake Placid, so these counts are not Lake Placid-only figures.
| # | 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 nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Lake Placid 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 | 46.9% |
| vrbo | 9.9% |
| both | 43.3% |
Home Value Trends (Lake Placid)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Lake Placid 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 Lake Placid — 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
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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