Short-term rental permit rules in Palmetto, FL — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
No county STR operating permit currently exists in unincorporated Manatee County. Florida preempts vacation-rental licensing to the state: a Florida DBPR public-lodging license is required, and hosts collect tourist tax. A county registration ordinance is proposed but not yet adopted.
Florida law (FS 509.032(7)(b)) bars local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating rental duration/frequency, and FS 509.032(7)(a) preempts lodging licensing to the state. So the operative permit is a state DBPR vacation-rental (public lodging) license, not a county permit. As of mid-2026 unincorporated Manatee County has no adopted STR registration ordinance; a draft (proposed by Commissioner McCann June 2026) with a $250 registration fee was directed to staff but not heard before late July 2026. Incorporated cities (Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria Island towns) have their own rental rules.
Operating without a state DBPR license violates FS 509.241; DBPR may fine or suspend the license. No county-permit penalty exists yet in the unincorporated area.
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