Santa Rosa County, FL

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Short-Term Rental?

A short-term rental is the rental of  sleeping accommodations in a hotel, motel, apartment, multiple unit structure, (duplex, triplex, quadraplex, condominium), rooming house, tourist or mobile home court (trailer court, motor court, recreational vehicle camp), single family dwelling, garage apartment,  beach house or cottage, cooperatively-owned apartment, time share resort, mobile home, boat permanently docked, or any other house, for a period of 6 months or less.

What is the tax rate for short-term rentals in Santa Rosa County?

Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Tax is 5%.

Who pays the Tourist Development Tax?

All owners or operators of the above-listed facilities are subject to the tourist development tax.  All owners or operators are responsible for registering the short-term rental property with Santa Rosa County, charge and collect Tourist Development Tax from the tenants, and remit the tax to Santa Rosa County by filing monthly returns.  Should the owners or operators fail to charge and collect the tax from the tenants, the owner or operator is responsible for paying the taxes to Santa Rosa County.

When are Tourist Development Taxes due?

Gross rental receipts are required to be reported, and taxes paid, by the 20^th of the month following the month revenues are received.

What are gross rental receipts?

Gross rental receipts are defined as those costs required to be paid by your guests to occupy the property.  This includes any funds that are remitted to the owner or operator. 

The following example is provided as an AID to assist you in determining Gross Rental Receipts for TDT reporting purposes:

Does the County charge penalty and interest for filing late?

Yes.  To avoid a late filing penalty or late payment penalty of the greater of $50 or 10% of taxes due, ensure all returns are filed and taxes are paid by the 20^th of the month following the month gross rental receipts were received.  Interest is also calculated at 12% per annum on taxes due and paid past the due date until paid in full.

Does the county require a return to be filed if rental revenues/receipts are not collected for a month?

Yes.  Zero returns must be filed by the 20^th of the following month to avoid a late filing penalty.

Is the County working with Airbnb or VRBO to collect Tourist Development Taxes?

No.  Airbnb or VRBO do not collect or remit Tourist Development Tax to the County on behalf of property owners or operators.

What revenues are exempt from Tourist Development Tax?

• All revenues received by a campground ONLY WHEN an annual declaration is filed with the County that more than 50% of the total rental units available are occupied by tenants who have continuously resided in that unit for more than 3 months.
• Revenues received for a property where a bona fide written, residential long-term lease has been executed for more than 6 months.
• Revenues received for the short-term rental of a property by active duty or reserve duty military personnel on TDY who has provided a copy of their orders.
• Revenues received from full time students enrolled in a post-secondary education institution who has provided proof of status from the institution.
• Revenues received from a governmental agency or a non-governmental organization who holds a Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption issued by the Florida Department of Revenue only when
• The rental charges are billed directly to or paid directly by the governmental unit or exempt organization, and
• The employee or representative provides the owner or the owner’s representative of the transient accommodations with a Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption or, in the case of a federal employee, the proper documentation according to 12A-1.038(4), Florida Administrative Code.

What type of payment does the County accept?

The County accepts all major credit cards and bank account/e-check payments.   Credit card payments are limited to a $5,000 threshold.

What is the collection allowance?

A collection allowance is a tax deduction authorized by Florida Statute as compensation for electronically filing a tax return, reporting gross rental receipts, and paying taxes by the due date.   The collection allowance is computed at the rate of 2.5% on the first $1,200 of tax due.  The maximum amount authorized for any filing period is $30. 

How do I amend a return? 

Amended return requests are completed by Santa Rosa County. Please email touristdevelopmenttax@santarosaclerks.com requesting to file an amended return. In the email please include: 

• Six digit account number 
• Period you need to amend (ie June 2025 form due July 20) 
• If you overpaid or underpaid your original form 
• Brief explanation as to why the form needs to be amended

How do I close my account? 

To close your account, please email Santa Rosa County at touristdevelopmenttax@santarosaclerks.com. Please include the account number, owner name, closure date (i.e. date of sale) and the reason you are closing the account (i.e. no longer short-term renting). 

What types of assistance can GovOS provide to me?

GovOS can assist you with all your system and account questions. Whether you have a question about your account or technical questions about how to do something in GovOS, please reach out to our support team. We can always reach out to Santa Rosa County on your behalf if we need their assistance with one of your questions. You can reach GovOS at blt.str.support@govos.com and by phone at (888) 751-1911.

I did not receive or I misplaced the letter with my activation code. What do I do?

Contact GovOS blt.str.support@govos.com or by phone at (888) 751-1911 for assistance. You will need to confirm account details to be verified for the account. To protect the security on property accounts, you will need written (e-mail) permission from a registered owner or officer of the property for us to provide you with a new activation code. 

I forgot my password. What do I do? 

From the Log In page, click the "Forgot your password" link and follow the instructions that will be e-mailed to the User's registered e-mail address.

Do I have to login to GovOS to see my alerts and reminders?

No. All alerts are e-mailed to your authenticated e-mail address. When you login to the system, you will also see any open alerts that need to be addressed in your Action Center. 

For Assistance, Contact
 GovOS Support

blt.str.support@govos.com

(888) 751-1911

 When contacting support, be sure to include the jurisdiction (Santa Rosa County, FL) and your account number in all emails or voicemails. This will help us assist you as promptly as possible. Thanks!