Rent from Airbnb in Florida tops $1 billion

Historic City News learned that more than $1 billion in rental income was generated in Florida last year by the vacation rental home marketing company Airbnb.  An announcement appeared in Florida Politics today quoting a company report that 6.6 million guests stayed in host properties in 2019.

Airbnb vacation rental home clients combined to receive $1.2 billion in supplemental income; far surpassing the 2018 numbers of a combined $810 million from 4.5 million guests.  The 2019 numbers mirror the record-setting pace of travel and tourism in Florida.

“Last year demonstrated another strong year of growth for Airbnb in the Sunshine State as more Florida homeowners than ever embraced the incredible economic opportunity that home sharing offers, and guests took advantage of unique and affordable options on the platform,” Tom Martinelli, Florida policy director for Airbnb, stated in a news release. “As Florida starts the year with a massive travel event in the Super Bowl LIV, Airbnb is proud to help facilitate the travel of tens of thousands of people, while supporting and bolstering the state’s economy.”

Miami-Dade County again put up the biggest Florida numbers in the Airbnb platform, hosting 1.2 million people and receiving $261 million in rental revenue.  With its 2018 rentals, Airbnb remitted $89.5 million in taxes for Florida and local governments.

The top weekends for Airbnb guests traveling to Florida last year included the end-of-year holidays, Fourth of July and Spring Break, the company stated.

This information appeared in a Florida Politics article by Scott Powers. Used with permission, Peter Schorsch, Publisher.  Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. All content is owned by Extensive Enterprises Media. All Rights Reserved.