Port Saint Joe, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Port Saint Joe, FL's tracked STR data currently reflects a distant Treasure Coast cluster, not its own Gulf Coast market.
Quick Answer: Port Saint Joe, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Port St. Lucie market area is 56%. average monthly revenue in the Port St. Lucie market area is $3,305. average daily rate in the Port St. Lucie market area is $220. the top operator in the Port St. Lucie market area is Evolve with 191 listings. market score is 71/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Port St. Lucie regional market, which includes Port Saint Joe. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Port Saint Joe.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Port Saint Joe is a small Gulf County beach town on Florida’s Forgotten Coast, on the Gulf Coast Panhandle. Important data caveat: the STR performance data in this pull for Port Saint Joe currently resolves to the same series as a cluster of Florida Treasure Coast cities (Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, Port Saint Lucie, Stuart, Vero Beach), several hundred miles away on Florida’s Atlantic coast. This is a known upstream data-matching issue, not a description of Port Saint Joe’s actual market; the figures below reflect that distant Atlantic-coast cluster and should not be read as Port Saint Joe-specific performance.
With that caveat clearly stated, the shared series posted a $220 average daily rate and 55.8% occupancy in June 2026, with occupancy down 5.0% year over year, ADR up 2.8% year over year, and revenue down 6.5% year over year to $3,305 per month.
Bedroom mix, channel mix, market-score data, and top-operator data for Port Saint Joe in this pull are also part of the same mismatched series and are omitted here rather than presented as Port Saint Joe’s own market characteristics.
Port Saint Joe’s own genuine draws include the ten miles of white-sand Gulf beaches at T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Cape San Blas, and the town’s small, historic downtown, an unspoiled, quieter alternative to Panama City or Destin. Its own population is just 3,357, and it should not be confused with the roughly 281,000-resident Port Saint Lucie many hundreds of miles away on the opposite coast.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 70% |
| Feb | 85% |
| Mar | 80% |
| Apr | 56% |
| May | 54% |
| Jun | 62% |
| Jul | 64% |
| Aug | 52% |
| Sep | 51% |
| Oct | 56% |
| Nov | 59% |
| Dec | 62% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Port Saint Joe are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Port St. Lucie market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Port St. Lucie market as a whole, which includes Port Saint Joe, so these counts are not Port Saint Joe-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 191 | 5,617 | ★ 4.63 |
| 2 | Paradise Vacation Rentals | 157 | 259 | ★ 4.39 |
| 3 | Hutchinson Island Real Estate | 73 | 37 | ★ 4.33 |
| 4 | Right Direction Rentals | 57 | 169 | ★ 4.71 |
| 5 | Island Beach Resort | 35 | 383 | ★ 4.48 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Port Saint Joe?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Port Saint Joe 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 | 36.9% |
| vrbo | 12.8% |
| both | 50.3% |
Home Value Trends (Port Saint Joe)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Port Saint Joe 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 Port Saint Joe — 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
Port Saint Joe is a business-friendly market for short-term rentals with a straightforward, layered licensing process rather than restrictive caps. This regulatory information is genuinely specific to Port Saint Joe, unlike the STR performance data discussed elsewhere in this profile.
Operators must: obtain a Florida DBPR vacation rental license and register the business with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations; register with the Gulf County Tax Collector to collect and remit the 5% Gulf County Tourist Development Tax on overnight stays (note that the county is not contracted with Airbnb or Vrbo for this tax, so hosts must remit the local tax themselves even though platforms collect state sales tax); and obtain a City of Port St. Joe Business License (Business Tax Receipt), with fees averaging roughly $25 to $50, before operating.
All city business licenses expire September 30 each year and must be renewed annually with proof of current state registrations. Properties must be located in an allowable zoning district, verified via the City Zoning Map, and rentals must meet standard safety requirements such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
Beyond the 5% county bed tax, guests also pay Florida’s 6% state sales tax plus any applicable discretionary county surtax. There are no local caps on nights rented per year, and no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement, reflecting Florida’s state-level preemption of most STR regulation and Gulf County’s tourism-driven, rental-friendly stance. No major recent local ordinance changes were identified in the last 24 months. Enforcement is rated minimal.
Market Comparison
Because the STR performance data associated with Port Saint Joe in this pull reflects a distant Florida Treasure Coast cluster rather than Port Saint Joe’s own Gulf Coast market, no honest national or regional comparison can be made for Port Saint Joe’s actual occupancy or ADR here.
What is reliable: Port Saint Joe’s regulatory environment is genuinely favorable for investors, with no city STR ordinance restricting nights or requiring owner occupancy, and licensing costs are modest (roughly $50 for the city business license). Buyers evaluating Port Saint Joe should source current, market-specific occupancy and rate data directly, for example from local property managers or platform-level market reports, rather than relying on the figures elsewhere in this profile until StaySTRA’s underlying data issue for this area is resolved.
Frequently Asked Questions About Port Saint Joe, Florida
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Is Port Saint Joe, FL the same market as Port Saint Lucie, FL?
Do you need a permit to run an Airbnb in Port Saint Joe, FL?
How much tax applies to short-term rentals in Port Saint Joe, FL?
How much does a typical home cost in Port Saint Joe, FL?
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