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Gulf County steps up short-term rental enforcement; city jurisdiction limits inspections
Summary
County staff reported revenue gains and enforcement progress for short-term rental registration and safety inspections, but said inspection authority is limited to unincorporated areas and that tracking non‑arm’s-length or private arrangements remains difficult.
County staff and commissioners discussed short-term rental enforcement, tax collection and inspection challenges on April 22, saying progress has increased collections but that gaps remain where rentals operate without registration or through private arrangements.
Mark Scott, who oversees county short-term rental work, said the county’s short-term rental revenue was "like $35,850 up from where we're last year," reflecting improved collection and inspection activity. Scott said county inspectors are pursuing properties that register and those that advertise but acknowledged a “cat-and-mouse” problem for rentals that are informally arranged and not listed through platforms that report occupancy.
Commissioners and staff emphasized a structural limit: the county cannot inspect properties inside municipal boundaries without agreements, so Windmark Phase 2 (inside Port St. Joe city limits) sits outside the county’s inspection authority. The county collects bed taxes and hotel-motel taxes via the tax collector, but staff said the tax office cannot legally share taxpayer lists; that limits a quick cross-check of advertised listings against registered tax accounts.
Staff said the county will finish bringing current known operators into compliance this year and will then focus enforcement on noncompliant listings identified via advertising platforms, neighbor complaints and data analysis. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the tax collector and the city where possible and to pursue Department of Revenue referrals where state tax violations are suspected.
Clarifying details: county staff said their current counts and collections have improved and that enforcement will ramp to target unregistered listings; they noted interlocal limitations when properties fall inside city boundaries.
