Steinhatchee, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Steinhatchee STRs averaged $198/night at 54.9% occupancy in June 2026 across 3,132 active listings.
Quick Answer: Steinhatchee, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Florida North Area market area is 55%. average monthly revenue in the Florida North Area market area is $2,944. average daily rate in the Florida North Area market area is $198. the top operator in the Florida North Area market area is Evolve with 119 listings. market score is 62/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Florida North Area regional market, which includes Steinhatchee. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Steinhatchee.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Steinhatchee, Florida had 3,132 active short-term rental listings as of the latest snapshot, split between Airbnb (1,508), Vrbo (361), and 1,263 properties listed on both platforms. The market posted a $198.46 average daily rate (ADR) and 54.90% occupancy in June 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $2,944 per listing. Occupancy rose 0.65% year over year, ADR fell 1.89%, and average revenue climbed 3.74% over the trailing year.
Entire-place listings account for 2,910 of the total (92.9%), with 222 private-room listings and no shared-room listings recorded. By bedroom count, 1-bedroom units are the largest category at 1,035 listings, followed by 3-bedroom (890), 2-bedroom (856), 4-bedroom (240), and 5-bedroom (92).
Steinhatchee is a small Gulf Coast fishing village in Florida’s rural Big Bend region, with a population of just 1,049, drawing outdoor-recreation visitors rather than mass tourism. The dominant draw is seasonal bay scalloping, roughly late June through September, when thousands of families arrive to harvest scallops in shallow seagrass flats, alongside year-round inshore and offshore fishing for redfish, trout, grouper, snapper, and tarpon. There is no local visitors bureau publishing hard visitor counts; lodging is dominated by vacation rentals, fish camps, and small resorts and marinas rather than hotel chains.
Booking data shows a 46.68-day average lead time and a 3.96-night average length of stay, consistent with short scalloping and fishing trips rather than extended vacations. StaySTRA’s overall market score for Steinhatchee is 62.28, with seasonality the strongest sub-component at 84.96 and revenue growth the weakest at 51.36.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 43% |
| Feb | 54% |
| Mar | 57% |
| Apr | 49% |
| May | 50% |
| Jun | 58% |
| Jul | 62% |
| Aug | 46% |
| Sep | 42% |
| Oct | 46% |
| Nov | 47% |
| Dec | 44% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Steinhatchee are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Florida North Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Florida North Area market as a whole, which includes Steinhatchee, so these counts are not Steinhatchee-only figures.
| # | 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 Steinhatchee?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Steinhatchee 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 | 48.1% |
| vrbo | 11.5% |
| both | 40.3% |
Home Value Trends (Steinhatchee)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Steinhatchee 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 Steinhatchee — 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 and common in Steinhatchee; the local lodging market is dominated by vacation rentals. A permit is required at the state and county level: operators need a Florida DBPR Vacation Rental Dwelling license (roughly $220 for the first year, about $170 at annual renewal for a single unit), a Florida Department of Revenue Sales Tax Certificate, registration with the Taylor County Tax Collector for a Tourist Development Application, and a county Local Business Tax Receipt.
Steinhatchee is unincorporated Taylor County, governed by the county Land Development Code rather than a city STR ordinance. Under Florida’s state preemption statute (F.S. 509.032(7)(b)), Taylor County cannot ban vacation rentals or limit the frequency or duration of stays unless it had a grandfathered ordinance predating June 1, 2011, so there is no state or county cap on nights per year.
There is no owner-occupancy requirement and no primary-residence requirement. Combined transient tax on stays of six months or less is roughly 11%: Florida’s 6% state sales tax plus the county’s 5% Tourist Development Tax, collected monthly. Practical zoning, HOA covenants, and safety rules still apply and should be verified with Taylor County Planning & Zoning. Enforcement is described as minimal, centered on tax collection and code-enforcement complaints in this small rural county rather than active STR policing, per StaySTRA’s area profile (last updated July 13, 2026).
Market Comparison
Steinhatchee’s 54.90% occupancy sits almost exactly at the roughly 55% national STR median, while its $198.46 ADR runs about 9.8% below the national median of approximately $220. This pairing, near-median demand with a modest rate discount, is consistent with Steinhatchee’s positioning as a niche, rural fishing and scalloping destination rather than a premium coastal market.
The market’s top property managers are modest in scale. Evolve leads with 119 listings and 4,656 reviews (4.758 rating), followed by Steinhatchee River Rentals (32 listings, 844 reviews, 4.861 rating, the highest-rated of the top five), The American Dream Vacation Rentals (22 listings, 217 reviews, 4.836 rating), Vacasa (22 listings, 570 reviews, 4.817 rating), and Bird Rack Realty (19 listings, 339 reviews, 4.733 rating). Together these five operators manage 214 listings, about 6.8% of the market’s 3,132 total active listings, indicating supply here is overwhelmingly independent hosts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Steinhatchee, Florida
What is the average occupancy rate for short-term rentals in Steinhatchee, FL?
What is the average daily rate for a short-term rental in Steinhatchee?
Does Steinhatchee require a permit for short-term rentals?
What is the typical gross rental yield for a Steinhatchee short-term rental?
What is the best month to operate a short-term rental in Steinhatchee?
How many short-term rental listings are active in Steinhatchee?
Who are the top property managers operating in Steinhatchee?
Analyze Steinhatchee Rentals
Use our free calculator to estimate Airbnb revenue for any property in Steinhatchee.
Free Steinhatchee STR Calculator →
