Panacea, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Panacea STRs averaged $198/night at 54.9% occupancy in June 2026 across 3,132 active listings.
Quick Answer: Panacea, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 55%. average monthly revenue is $2,944. average daily rate is $198. the top operator is Evolve with 119 listings. market score is 62/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Florida North Area regional market, which includes Panacea. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Panacea.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Panacea short-term rental market counted 3,132 active listings in the latest snapshot, dominated by entire-place units at 92.9% of supply (2,910 listings), with private rooms making up the remaining 7.1% (222). Average daily rate was $198.46 at 54.90% occupancy in June 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $2,944 per listing. Occupancy rose 0.65 percentage points year over year, ADR declined 1.9%, and revenue still grew 3.7% compared to June 2025, indicating volume gains are currently doing more work than rate in this market.
Bedroom mix leans toward smaller units: 1-bedroom listings are the largest category at 33.2% of supply (1,035), followed by 3-bedroom at 28.6% (890), 2-bedroom at 27.5% (856), 4-bedroom at 7.7% (240), and 5-bedroom at 3.0% (92). On booking channels, 48.1% of listings (1,508) are Airbnb-only, 40.3% (1,263) are listed on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and 11.5% (361) are Vrbo-only.
This is a small coastal Wakulla County market (population 735) on Florida’s ‘Forgotten Coast,’ and the tracked listing count reflects the broader Apivex market definition, which can extend beyond the unincorporated community itself. The market posts a high seasonality score of 84.96 out of 100 and strong investability at 84.82, against a lower rental demand score of 57.69 and revenue growth score of 51.36, reflecting steady summer-driven demand rather than rapid year-over-year growth.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43% | $125 | $1,573 |
| Feb | 54% | $133 | $1,701 |
| Mar | 57% | $145 | $2,248 |
| Apr | 49% | $144 | $1,946 |
| May | 50% | $152 | $1,998 |
| Jun | 58% | $179 | $2,705 |
| Jul | 62% | $181 | $3,077 |
| Aug | 46% | $161 | $2,119 |
| Sep | 42% | $141 | $1,620 |
| Oct | 46% | $136 | $1,717 |
| Nov | 47% | $138 | $1,713 |
| Dec | 44% | $134 | $1,710 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Panacea
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 119 | 4,656 | ★ 4.76 |
| 2 | Steinhatchee River Rentals | 32 | 844 | ★ 4.86 |
| 3 | The American Dream Vacation Rentals | 22 | 217 | ★ 4.84 |
| 4 | Vacasa | 22 | 570 | ★ 4.82 |
| 5 | Bird Rack Realty | 19 | 339 | ★ 4.73 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Panacea?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,035 |
| 2 bed | 856 |
| 3 bed | 890 |
| 4 bed | 240 |
| 5 bed | 92 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $204 |
| Luxury | $333 |
| Professionally Managed | $280 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,984 |
| Entire Place | $3,041 |
| House | $3,245 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 48.1% |
| vrbo | 11.5% |
| both | 40.3% |
Investment Analysis
Rate tiers show clear separation by property positioning. The blended average daily rate of $198.46 compares to $203.56 for the entire-home tier (2.6% above blended), $280.42 for professionally managed listings (41.3% above blended), and $333.08 for the luxury tier, 67.8% above blended. That spread indicates real upside for operators positioned in professional management or higher-end inventory.
Revenue grew 3.7% year over year through June 2026 even as ADR fell 1.9%, meaning the gain came from added occupancy (up 0.65 points) rather than rate increases, a different growth pattern than markets driven purely by pricing power. Housing valuation data (typical home value, median sale price) is not published for this market in the current snapshot, so a gross yield estimate cannot be calculated here; investors should pull comparable local sales directly before underwriting acquisition costs.
By property type, houses generate the highest average revenue at $3,245 per month, 10.2% above the all-listings blended average of $2,944, while apartments ($2,984) and entire-place listings broadly ($3,041) both run close to the blended figure. The relatively tight spread between property types here, compared to larger coastal markets, suggests less differentiation by unit type and more by seasonal timing and rate tier.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time is 46.7 days, meaning most guests book about six and a half weeks before arrival, a moderate window that gives operators time to adjust pricing as a stay date approaches without the extreme advance-planning pattern seen in some destination markets.
Average length of stay is 3.96 nights, close to a typical long-weekend-to-week booking pattern. Combined with the summer-peaked seasonal demand, this points to a market where guests book multi-night nature, fishing, or coastal getaways concentrated in June and July, giving operators a relatively predictable peak window to price aggressively around.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Panacea has no city government of its own; it is an unincorporated community in Wakulla County, so short-term rental rules come from Wakulla County and the State of Florida. STRs are legal. At the state level, any home rented for periods under 30 days more than three times a year must hold a Florida DBPR Vacation Rental (Dwelling) license, renewed annually, and the operator must register with the Florida Department of Revenue for sales tax and open a Wakulla County business tax receipt and tourist development tax account.
Wakulla County temporarily suspended vacation rentals during the 2020 COVID period, then reopened them under a state-approved plan requiring enhanced cleaning between guests, publicly displayed safety protocols, mobile or electronic payment, and remote check-in and check-out. Lodging tax totals about 10%, a 4.0% Wakulla County tourist development tax plus 6% state sales and use tax, plus any applicable discretionary surtax.
Florida statute 509.032 bars counties from banning STRs or regulating stay length or frequency unless such rules predate June 1, 2011, so there is no owner-occupancy mandate, no primary-residence requirement, and no confirmed cap on nights per year here. Enforcement is rated minimal. Florida’s proposed statewide STR registration and preemption bill (SB 280) was vetoed in June 2024, so the pre-existing local framework described above still applied as of the July 2026 profile update.
Market Comparison
Panacea’s short-term rental market runs close to national occupancy norms but below national ADR benchmarks. At 54.90% occupancy, the market sits roughly in line with the U.S. median of about 55%. Average daily rate of $198.46 is about 9.8% below the roughly $220 national median ADR, consistent with a smaller, less rate-intensive coastal market compared to major Florida beach destinations.
Among property managers, Evolve leads with 119 active listings (3.8% of the market’s 3,132 total listings) and 4,656 reviews at a 4.76 average rating. Steinhatchee River Rentals ranks second with 32 listings and the highest guest satisfaction among top operators at a 4.86 average rating across 844 reviews. The top five combined operators hold 214 listings, about 6.8% of total inventory, indicating a fragmented market where independent hosts and small operators control the large majority of supply.
Frequently Asked Questions About Panacea, Florida
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