Summerland Key, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Summerland Key STRs averaged $485/night at 64.3% occupancy in June 2026 across 9,047 active listings.
Quick Answer: Summerland Key, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 64%. average monthly revenue is $8,168. average daily rate is $485. the top operator is Vacasa with 337 listings. market score is 57/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Key West regional market, which includes Summerland Key. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Summerland Key.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Summerland Key counted 9,047 active short-term rental listings in the latest snapshot, almost entirely entire-place units at 98.3% of supply (8,895 listings), with private rooms at 1.7% (152). Average daily rate was $484.56 at 64.30% occupancy in June 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $8,168 per listing. Year over year, occupancy declined 0.9 percentage points while ADR rose 5.5% and revenue grew 5.2% compared to June 2025.
Bedroom mix is dominated by 2-bedroom units at 38.9% of supply (3,517), followed by 3-bedroom at 25.9% (2,339), 1-bedroom at 17.4% (1,569), 4-bedroom at 11.8% (1,067), and 5-bedroom at 6.0% (539). On booking channels, 58.6% of listings (5,301) are on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 24.6% (2,224) are Vrbo-only, and 16.8% (1,522) are Airbnb-only, a notably higher Vrbo share than most Florida markets in this batch.
Summerland Key is a small unincorporated island community in the Lower Florida Keys (Monroe County), about 20 miles east of Key West. It has no formal Census-designated population; the surrounding ZIP 33042 area is estimated near 7,000 to 7,500 residents. The Florida Keys drew about 4.45 million overnight visitors in 2023 (down 5.6% from 4.79 million in 2022), staying an average of roughly 5.3 to 6.0 nights and spending about $1,667 per person per trip.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | $391 | $6,393 |
| Feb | 80% | $417 | $7,544 |
| Mar | 78% | $445 | $8,838 |
| Apr | 59% | $421 | $6,810 |
| May | 59% | $391 | $6,084 |
| Jun | 68% | $401 | $6,697 |
| Jul | 68% | $383 | $6,724 |
| Aug | 50% | $358 | $5,025 |
| Sep | 40% | $341 | $3,927 |
| Oct | 52% | $364 | $4,672 |
| Nov | 58% | $390 | $5,355 |
| Dec | 61% | $434 | $6,437 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Summerland Key
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 337 | 21,234 | ★ 4.55 |
| 2 | Vacation Rentals of the Florida Keys LLC. | 232 | 4,472 | ★ 4.68 |
| 3 | Brightwild | 208 | 14,851 | ★ 4.62 |
| 4 | Last Key | 156 | 8,230 | ★ 4.89 |
| 5 | Wendy Zintsmaster and Team | 133 | 5,749 | ★ 4.81 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Summerland Key?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,569 |
| 2 bed | 3,517 |
| 3 bed | 2,339 |
| 4 bed | 1,067 |
| 5 bed | 539 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $488 |
| Luxury | $952 |
| Professionally Managed | $576 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $6,387 |
| Entire Place | $8,235 |
| House | $9,605 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 16.8% |
| vrbo | 24.6% |
| both | 58.6% |
Investment Analysis
Rate tiers show a wide spread by property positioning. The blended average daily rate of $484.56 compares to $488.15 for the entire-home tier (0.7% above blended, since this market is almost entirely entire-place inventory), $575.63 for professionally managed listings (18.8% above blended), and $952.25 for the luxury tier, 96.5% above blended, nearly double the market average.
Revenue grew 5.2% year over year through June 2026 on a 5.5% ADR gain, even as occupancy dipped 0.9 percentage points, confirming rate strength as the primary driver of growth here. Against a typical home value of $1,068,585, average listing revenue of $8,168 per month ($98,012 annualized) implies a gross yield of roughly 9.2% before operating expenses, mortgage costs, taxes, or management fees.
The critical investment consideration in Summerland Key is zoning, not just economics: vacation rentals are prohibited outright in the most common residential zoning districts (IS, URM, IS-M) under Monroe County rules and are only permitted in a limited set of districts (SR, MU, UR, IS-V, OS). A property’s zoning district determines whether it can legally operate as a short-term rental at all, regardless of the market-level revenue and yield figures above; investors must verify a specific parcel’s zoning before assuming STR eligibility. With only 114 active for-sale listings and a median list price of $1,255,833, entry-level inventory is limited.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time is 80.1 days, one of the longest windows among comparable Florida markets, meaning most guests book nearly three months before arrival. That long window reflects the Florida Keys’ status as a planned, often once-a-year destination trip rather than a spontaneous getaway.
Average length of stay is 5.71 nights, a moderate-to-long booking pattern approaching a full week. Combined with the extended lead time, operators here can expect strong forecasting visibility well ahead of the winter peak season, with pricing largely set in advance rather than adjusted close to arrival.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Summerland Key falls under Monroe County (unincorporated Florida Keys) vacation-rental rules, among the strictest in Florida. A ‘vacation rental’ is defined as any rental of less than 28 days. Such short-term rentals are prohibited outright in the most common residential zoning districts (IS, URM, IS-M) and are permitted only in a limited set of districts (SR, MU, UR, IS-V, OS). Where allowed, the owner or their agent must obtain an annual Special Vacation Rental Permit for each dwelling unit before renting, plus a local Business Tax Receipt from the Monroe County Tax Collector, and each unit must have a licensed vacation rental manager.
Permits are non-transferable; a change of ownership voids the permit, and the new owner must reapply. Applicants must notify (by certified mail) all property owners within 300 feet at least 30 days before approval. Owner occupancy or primary residence is not required. There is no annual night cap; the binding constraint is the 28-day minimum stay in prohibited zoning districts.
Taxes total about 12.5%: a 5.0% Monroe County Tourist Development Tax plus 7.5% Florida sales and use tax (6% state plus 1.5% surtax), collected and remitted by the operator. Enforcement is rated strict, with substantial code-violation penalties for unpermitted vacation rentals. Monroe County’s vacation-rental application forms were last revised October 2025, and the county has continued active enforcement discussion around illegal vacation rentals, with no major loosening of the 28-day rule or district restrictions reported.
Market Comparison
Summerland Key runs well above typical U.S. short-term rental benchmarks on both metrics. At 64.30% occupancy, the market is about 9.3 percentage points above the roughly 55% national median. Average daily rate of $484.56 is about 120.3% above the roughly $220 national median ADR, more than double, reflecting the Florida Keys’ position as a premium, supply-constrained destination.
Among property managers, Vacasa leads with 337 active listings (3.7% of the area’s 9,047 total listings) and 21,234 reviews at a 4.55 average rating. Last Key holds the highest guest rating among the top five at 4.89 across 156 listings and 8,230 reviews. Vacation Rentals of the Florida Keys LLC ranks second by listing count with 232 listings and 4,472 reviews at 4.68. The top five combined operators hold 1,066 listings, about 11.8% of total inventory, indicating a market still dominated by independent and smaller operators.
Frequently Asked Questions About Summerland Key, Florida
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