Rental Rules by City / Florida / Miramar Beach & 30A (South Walton)
Miramar Beach & 30A (South Walton) short-term rental rules & tax calculator
📋 The Basics
- Can I rent my place short-term here?
- Yes, with a permit
- Do I need a permit?
- Yes. Unincorporated Walton County requires a yearly registration.
- What taxes do I pay?
- Total about 12%. Airbnb collects some; you pay Walton County's 5% tourist tax yourself.
Your 3 steps to be legal
- Get a Florida state rental license (DBPR) and sign up for Florida sales tax.
- Register with Walton County every year.
- Sign up for Walton County tourist tax.
⚠️ Biggest risk: Operating without registration: $500 a day.
Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.
Tax calculator
Rates used: FL state sales tax 6% + Walton County surtax 1% + Local tourist/transient taxes 5% = 12%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. Walton County tourist development tax is 5% in South Walton ZIPs 32459, 32550, 32454, 32461 and the Walton portion of 32413 (2% elsewhere in the county) per FL DOR DR-15TDT; surtax 1%.
What Airbnb collects: Airbnb collects state 6% + 1% surtax only. You must register with and remit Walton County's 5% tourist development tax yourself.
Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)
Rules
| State license | Florida DBPR vacation rental / transient public lodging license (homestead room-rental exemptions may apply). |
|---|---|
| State tax | 6% state sales tax plus county discretionary surtax on rentals of 6 months or less; register with Florida DOR unless your platform collects and remits for you. |
| Cleaning fees | Mandatory cleaning fees charged to guests are taxable as part of the rental (state, surtax and tourist tax). Only an optional, separately itemized fee the guest can decline is excluded (FL Admin. Code 12A-1.061). |
| State preemption | Florida law (s. 509.032(7)(b), F.S.) bars local rules adopted after June 1, 2011 from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating rental duration/frequency; older local rules still apply. |
| State licenses | Florida DBPR vacation rental license and FL Department of Revenue sales tax registration are required for all Florida vacation rentals. |
| Registration | Unincorporated Walton County requires annual short-term vacation rental registration through the county portal (window opens April 1; registrations run June 1 to May 31). |
| Fees & penalties | Per Walton County Resolution 2024-57 (effective Feb 1, 2025): $300 per property (individual) or $227 (community) per year; operating without registration $500/day. |
| Inside cities | Properties inside DeFuniak Springs, Freeport or other municipalities: verify with the city. |
| Tourist tax | Register with the Walton County Clerk's Tourist Development Tax department; per the county, rental platforms do not remit Walton TDT for you. |
Items marked "Verify with the city" could not be confirmed from an official source; call the office listed before relying on them.
Sources
- Walton County: Vacation Rental Registration Program
- Walton County Clerk: agencies to contact (TDT)
- FL DOR DR-15TDT: county tourist development tax rates
- Airbnb: Florida taxes it collects
- FL DOR DR-15TDT local transient rental tax rates
- FL DOR DR-15DSS 2026 surtax rates
- FL DOR GT-800034 rental of living accommodations
- FL Admin. Code 12A-1.061 (cleaning fees)
- FL DBPR lodging licensing
Updates & watch list
- Fines are set by law and can be changed: Florida caps local code-enforcement fines at $250/day for a first violation ($500 repeat); cities of 50,000+ can adopt up to $1,000/day first and $5,000/day repeat (Fla. Stat. 162.09). Source
- Statewide vacation rental bills recur: In 2024 the Legislature passed SB 280, which would have changed local registration of vacation rentals; it was vetoed. Similar bills can return in any session. Source
- Track current bills: Search pending Florida bills on vacation rentals and transient rentals. Source
Checked Oct 24, 2026. We list only changes and pending items we can source.
Free tools
Free "Is my rental legal?" checklist · Free tourist tax calculator
Rules can change
Miramar Beach & 30A (South Walton)'s rules, its tax rates and platform policies can change through a council vote, a new state law or a court ruling, often with little notice to hosts. We re-check this page monthly; subscribers get notified. Stay Compliant for $4.99/mo.
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Rules, tax rates and Airbnb/Vrbo policies can change without warning, and hosts who miss a change can be fined. Get alerts when your city, county or state changes, deadline reminders, a pending-bill watch list and a monthly host brief (even in quiet months: "we checked on [date]; no changes"). Compare plans.
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Not legal or tax advice. Last verified Oct 24, 2026. Rules and rates change: confirm with the official sources linked before you rent or file.