Manatee County, FL Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Host presence required?
- No
- Unhosted rentals
- Allowed
- Draft requirement
- 24/7 reachable responsible party
- Draft response time
- On-site within 1 hour
- Statute
- FS 509.032(7)(b)
Summary
No. Manatee County does not require the host to be on-site during a short-term rental. Florida preemption (FS 509.032(7)(b)) means the county cannot force host presence. A proposed ordinance would only require a reachable 24/7 responsible party, not physical presence.
A local law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Manatee County imposes no host-presence or on-site-host requirement in the unincorporated area, and Florida FS 509.032(7)(b) prevents local governments from prohibiting or over-regulating vacation rentals, which forecloses a mandatory-host-presence rule. Hosts may operate unhosted whole-home rentals. The June 2026 draft ordinance would require a designated 24/7 responsible party who is reachable by phone and can respond on-site within one hour of a complaint: this is a contact/response duty, not a requirement that the host physically stay during the guest's visit. The draft is not yet adopted.
Violations & Fines
None currently: no host-presence rule exists. If adopted, failure to designate or respond as the required 24/7 responsible party would be an ordinance violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must I stay on-site while guests are there?
What is the 'responsible party' rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manatee County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Manatee County to another location·View the Florida short-term rentals overview
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