Tampa Bay short-term rental realtor
The Tampa Bay STR realtor who checks the rule before the revenue.
Short answer
Troy Nowak is a Florida short-term rental realtor and Broker of Mangrove Bay Realty (BK3436609), with his office in St. Petersburg. He represents buyers and sellers of short-term rentals across Pinellas County and has 325+ sales, including STR sales in Destin, Orlando, Jacksonville and Deerfield Beach.
He runs short-term rentals in Pinellas. So before you write or list, he checks the exact address: is nightly legal there, what registration it needs, and what the HOA or condo docs allow.
Troy Nowak is a Florida short-term rental realtor and Broker of Mangrove Bay Realty (BK3436609), with his office in St. Petersburg. He runs nightly rentals in Pinellas and 29-night stays in Clearwater and Seminole, has 325+ sales, including STR sales in Destin, Orlando, Jacksonville and Deerfield Beach, and checks the city or county rule for the exact parcel before you buy or list.
What it means
Revenue only counts if the use is legal.
Tampa Bay STR rules are set city by city, and a mailing address does not tell you which one applies. A house that books well on a projection can be capped at three short stays a year, or held to 31-day minimums, by the jurisdiction that actually controls the parcel.
Troy screens the parcel before the offer: jurisdiction, the local STR rule, registration or Certificate of Use, the DBPR license, the 13% Pinellas tax total, and the condo or HOA documents. Then the revenue math.
| Factor | What it means | Check before offer |
|---|---|---|
| City of St. Petersburg | Residential property can be rented for less than 30 days only three times in any consecutive 365-day period. No location has the Resort Facilities Overlay yet. | Underwrite city-limit residential property as a 30-plus-day rental unless it is a licensed hotel or motel use. |
| Clearwater | Residential rentals must be at least 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less. | Nightly use depends on non-residential zoning; confirm the parcel with the city. |
| Largo | Allowed in residential future land use designations under Section 15.18: two inspections, 1 guest per 150 sq ft, 1 parking space per 3 guests. | Price on the guest count the city allows, not the beds that fit. |
| Unincorporated Pinellas | County Certificate of Use: $450, $150 inspection, $450 renewal, $100 re-inspection every two years; 2 guests per bedroom + 2, max 10. | The certificate does not transfer. A new owner applies within 30 days of purchase. |
| State license and taxes | DBPR vacation rental license ($50 + $10 + $170 for a new single unit). 13% on stays of six months or less: 6% tourist tax, 6% sales tax, 1% surtax. | Register before the first guest. If a platform does not collect the tourist tax, the owner is liable. |
Rules and risk
What Troy checks before an offer
Jurisdiction on the parcel, then the local rule: St. Pete's three-stay limit, Clearwater's 31-day residential minimum, Largo's Section 15.18, or the county Certificate of Use.
Registration or Certificate of Use, the DBPR license, the tourist and sales tax accounts, and the condo or HOA rental rules. Florida law bars local rules adopted after June 1, 2011 that prohibit vacation rentals or regulate their duration or frequency, but older rules like St. Petersburg's still apply.
Proof you can check: his license on the DBPR license search, and the sales history and operating files when you interview him.
Official sources
- City of St. Petersburg Transient Accommodation Uses handout, updated Oct 16, 2023 (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- City of Clearwater Citizens Guide to Code Compliance (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- City of Largo short-term vacation rentals (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Pinellas County STR Certificate of Use program (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Florida DBPR Guide to Vacation Rentals (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Pinellas County tourist development tax, 6% (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Florida DOR DR-15DSS 2026 surtax rates, Pinellas 1% (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- Florida Statutes 509.032 (checked Oct 21, 2026)
- DBPR license search (BK3436609)
Troy Nowak agent profile
License, the rentals he runs, and how to reach him.
Pinellas County Airbnb realtor
The county hub, city by city.
St. Pete and Gulfport STR rules
The three-stay rule and Gulfport zoning.
Clearwater STR rules
The 31-day residential rule and where nightly can work.
Largo Airbnb rules
Section 15.18 guest, parking and inspection rules.
Unincorporated Pinellas rules
Certificate of Use fees, caps and transfer.
Indian Rocks Beach Airbnb realtor
Vacation rental registration at the beaches.
Buying and selling Florida short-term rentals
Superhost, 325+ sales, and how Troy matches a market to the goal.
Tampa Bay STR bonus depreciation
Who can use bonus depreciation, what cost segregation changes, and the recapture risk before you file.
Set up a consultation
Talk through the goal, the budget, and which Tampa Bay rules apply.
Free STR rules check by address
Enter a Pinellas address, pick the city, and see the short-term rental rule summary before you make an offer.
Quick answers
What buyers ask before writing on an Airbnb property
Who should I talk to about a Tampa Bay short-term rental?
Troy Nowak, broker of Mangrove Bay Realty (BK3436609). He is an Airbnb Superhost with 325+ sales since 2019, and he trains agents who study the market and the rules. Set up a consultation instead of starting from a ranking.
Is an Airbnb a good investment in St. Petersburg?
Only if the use is legal for that parcel. Inside city limits, residential property can be rented for less than 30 days just three times in any consecutive 365-day period, so most city homes work as 30-plus-day rentals. Check the parcel first.
Do I need a license to run an Airbnb in Florida?
Usually. Florida DBPR requires a vacation rental license when a whole unit is rented more than three times a year for less than 30 days or a calendar month, or advertised as a regular guest rental. In Pinellas you also need sales tax and tourist tax accounts.
Is Pinellas County one Airbnb market?
No. St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, the beach towns and unincorporated Pinellas each set their own STR rules. The parcel controls the strategy.
Does Troy Nowak help sell short-term rentals, or only buy them?
Both. Troy lists operating STRs as well as representing buyers. On a listing he puts together what the buyer side will ask for first: the legal stay path, any local registration the property holds, the tax accounts, and the HOA or condo rules.
Is Troy Nowak a licensed Florida real estate broker?
Yes. Troy holds Florida real estate broker license BK3436609, active through September 30, 2028. You can look it up on the Florida DBPR license search at myfloridalicense.com.
Tampa Bay STR check
Buying or selling a short-term rental in Tampa Bay?
Send me the address. I will check which rule controls the parcel, the registration and the tax setup before you offer or list.
Troy owns and manages short-term and furnished rentals in Pinellas County.
Send the address — short form
Free Airbnb property check
Ask for a property read before you write.
Troy will check city rules, zoning, flood, insurance pressure, rental math, and resale exit before you spend inspection money.
One conversion path
Send Troy the address on the contact page.
Use the same contact form for STR checks, valuations, buyer questions, and seller conversations. Successful submissions go to the thank-you page for clean Google Analytics conversion tracking.