Palm Bay, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
The Palm Bay area STR market earned $246 ADR at 67% occupancy in June 2026.
Quick Answer: Palm Bay, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Melbourne/Titusville market area is 67%. average monthly revenue in the Melbourne/Titusville market area is $4,433. average daily rate in the Melbourne/Titusville market area is $246. the top operator in the Melbourne/Titusville market area is Happy Palm Stays with 408 listings. market score is 62/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Melbourne/Titusville regional market, which includes Palm Bay. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Palm Bay.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Palm Bay is the largest city in Brevard County on Florida’s Space Coast, but it functions primarily as a residential bedroom community rather than a primary tourist destination. Most regional visitor traffic flows to the beaches, Kennedy Space Center, and Cocoa Beach to the north, while Palm Bay itself attracts eco-tourists and outdoor recreation visitors drawn to Turkey Creek Sanctuary, kayaking, and Indian River Lagoon access, plus overflow lodging for Space Coast and Kennedy Space Center visitors seeking lower-cost stays. Brevard County as a whole generated roughly $4.6 billion in total tourism economic impact and $2.95 billion in visitor spending in 2023, with nearly 3 million overnight room nights across hotels and vacation rentals combined.
Short-term rental performance data in this data set is tracked at a submarket level shared across an 8-city Space Coast cluster, so the figures below describe the wider Palm Bay area STR market rather than city-limits-only precision. In June 2026, the most recent month with complete data, the area’s average daily rate across all listings was $246.25 at 67.04% occupancy, generating average monthly revenue of $4,432.61 per listing. Occupancy is down 1.99% year over year, ADR is down 1.00%, and monthly revenue is down 3.46% year over year, the only market processed in this project so far showing a year-over-year revenue decline.
Bedroom mix, listing-type mix, channel mix, and market-score data in this data set are tracked at a shared regional level rather than measured uniquely for Palm Bay, so this profile omits those figures rather than present regional numbers as if they were city-specific. Booking data for the area shows an average lead time of 58.17 days and an average length of stay of 5.22 nights.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 65% |
| Feb | 81% |
| Mar | 81% |
| Apr | 63% |
| May | 61% |
| Jun | 71% |
| Jul | 72% |
| Aug | 56% |
| Sep | 49% |
| Oct | 56% |
| Nov | 57% |
| Dec | 59% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Palm Bay are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Melbourne/Titusville market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Melbourne/Titusville market as a whole, which includes Palm Bay, so these counts are not Palm Bay-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Happy Palm Stays | 408 | 13,709 | ★ 4.82 |
| 2 | Beachside Vacation Rentals | 284 | 8,885 | ★ 4.70 |
| 3 | Evolve | 111 | 5,255 | ★ 4.69 |
| 4 | Beachside VR | 65 | 1,862 | ★ 4.49 |
| 5 | Vacasa | 63 | 1,562 | ★ 4.32 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Palm Bay?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Palm Bay 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 | 34.6% |
| vrbo | 11.1% |
| both | 54.3% |
Home Value Trends (Palm Bay)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Palm Bay 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 Palm Bay — 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
Short-term rentals are legal in Palm Bay. The city has no dedicated STR ordinance and imposes no city-level permit, night caps, or owner-occupancy rules; regulation instead comes from Florida state law and Brevard County. Under Florida’s state preemption law (Chapter 509), municipalities cannot ban vacation rentals or restrict rental frequency or duration for ordinances adopted after 2011.
To operate legally, an owner must obtain a Florida DBPR vacation rental license as a transient public lodging establishment, register with the Florida Department of Revenue to collect and remit taxes, and obtain a Brevard County Business Tax Receipt, which costs about $37.00 per year and requires proof of ownership, renewed annually.
On taxes, guests staying six months or less pay the 5.00% Brevard County Tourist Development Tax, commonly called the bed tax, plus Florida’s 6% state sales tax and any applicable local surtax, for a combined burden of roughly 11% or more. There is no maximum-nights limit and no primary-residence or owner-occupancy requirement in Palm Bay.
Enforcement at the city level is minimal, since there is no local STR program; compliance centers mainly on maintaining state and county licenses and remitting taxes correctly. Effective October 1, 2025, Tourist Development Tax collection in Brevard County moved from the Tax Collector to the Brevard County Clerk of Court, though the rate remains 5.00%. Investors should confirm current requirements directly with the Palm Bay City Clerk and the Brevard County Clerk of Court.
Market Comparison
The Palm Bay area’s 67.04% occupancy in June 2026 runs well above the roughly 55% median occupancy typically seen across the broader U.S. short-term rental market, while its $246.25 average daily rate is somewhat above the roughly $220 national median ADR. This combination reflects steady demand tied to Space Coast overflow lodging, eco-tourism, and a winter and spring-weighted visitor pattern rather than a single summer peak.
Top property manager data in this data set is tracked at a shared regional level across an 8-city Space Coast cluster rather than uniquely for Palm Bay, so this profile does not present specific operator names, listing counts, or ratings as Palm Bay-specific. Palm Bay’s own performance trend is a more distinctive local factor: unlike most markets processed in this project, revenue here is down 3.46% year over year, a genuine softening worth monitoring rather than assuming continued growth.
Frequently Asked Questions About Palm Bay, Florida
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Do I need a permit to operate a short-term rental in Palm Bay, FL?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in Palm Bay?
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