Thinking about an Airbnb?
Merritt Island is unincorporated Brevard County, and that one fact changes the whole short-term rental picture. Here is the honest rundown of what you can and cannot do here, and exactly where to look if nightly rental income is your goal.
90-day minimum · not nightly territoryThe short version
Merritt Island has no city government of its own. The entire island is unincorporated Brevard County, so it follows the county's zoning rules, and in standard residential zoning the county requires a minimum rental of 90 days. That means true nightly or weekly Airbnb and VRBO stays are not allowed on a typical Merritt Island home.
The county does have a "Resort Dwelling" category that permits nightly rentals, but it only applies to specific oceanfront and beachside parcels over on the barrier island, approved case by case. Merritt Island sits between the Indian River and the Banana River with no Atlantic beach, so those parcels are not here. If nightly rental income is the goal, the move is to buy across the causeway in Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral, where nightly rentals are allowed. Both are a short drive, and both are covered further down this page.
Why it works this way
Merritt Island is not its own city. It falls entirely under Brevard County zoning and ordinances, so there is no local registration program that opens the door to nightly rentals the way Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral do.
In the county's residential zoning, the minimum rental period is 90 days. You can rent your home, you just cannot turn it over nightly or weekly the way a classic Airbnb runs.
The county's nightly-rental category exists only for "Resort Dwelling" parcels in oceanfront and beachside areas on the barrier island, approved case by case. Merritt Island is riverfront, not oceanfront, so in practice this does not apply here.
What is allowed
You can absolutely own a rental here. It just needs to be a longer stay than a nightly booking. These are the plays that work, and Merritt Island's central location, waterfront, and space-industry job base make it a strong long-stay market.
Standard 12-month leases to local tenants. The steadiest option, no lodging tax, and strong demand from the aerospace and defense workforce nearby.
Furnished stays over the winter, often three to six months. Popular with northern visitors who want a quiet, central base on the water.
The shortest stay the county allows in residential zoning. Good for traveling professionals, relocations, and insurance or construction displacement stays.
The Space Coast runs on rotating contract crews. A clean, furnished home on a 90-day-plus term can stay booked without ever touching the nightly rules.
If you want nightly income
If your plan is a true nightly Airbnb or VRBO, these beach cities are a short drive from Merritt Island and each allows nightly rentals with a local registration. I sell in all of them, and I built a plain-English guide for each.
The classic Space Coast nightly market. Register with the city, pass inspection, and rent by the night.
Right by Port Canaveral and the launches. Nightly allowed with the city's vacation rental registration.
Two more incorporated beach towns that allow nightly rentals with registration, a little further south.
The taxes
A 90-day-plus rental is still a taxable short stay if it runs six months or less, so you collect the same 12% as the beach towns. Leases longer than six months are exempt, which is one reason many Merritt Island owners go annual.
Sales tax and the surtax go to the Florida Department of Revenue. The 5% Tourist Development Tax is filed with the Brevard County Clerk of Court. Rentals longer than six months are not subject to these taxes.
Common questions
No, not for nightly or weekly stays. Merritt Island is unincorporated Brevard County, and county residential zoning requires a minimum rental of 90 days. You can rent the home, it just has to be a longer stay.
Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral are incorporated cities that run their own vacation rental registration programs and allow nightly stays. Merritt Island has no city government, so it follows the county's 90-day minimum instead.
Only through the county's "Resort Dwelling" category, which is limited to oceanfront and beachside parcels on the barrier island. Merritt Island has no ocean beach, so in practice that option is not available here. Always verify a specific parcel before you count on it.
Two good paths: run a 90-day-plus, seasonal, or annual rental on Merritt Island, which the county allows and the local job market supports, or buy a nightly rental across the causeway in Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral. I can help you weigh both.
Yes, if the stay is six months or less you collect the same 12% in state and county lodging taxes. A lease longer than six months is exempt from those taxes.
Who to call
Zoning and rental rules for Merritt Island.
(321) 633-2069 · brevardfl.gov
Register and file the 5% TDT on stays of six months or less.
(321) 637-6530 · brevardclerk.us
State sales tax registration.
(877) 357-3725 · floridarevenue.com
State licensing for transient lodging, if applicable.
(850) 487-1395 · myfloridalicense.com
Finding the right rental play on or near Merritt Island.
(321) 212-7676
Let us find the right play
Whether it is a long-term or seasonal rental here, or a nightly property just across the causeway, let me help you buy something that actually fits the rules and the numbers. No pressure, just straight answers.
Rachel Langley, REALTOR · Blue Marlin Real Estate. This page is general information, not legal, tax, or investment advice, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Zoning, rental rules, and tax rates change and vary by parcel; confirm the current requirements with Brevard County, the Florida DBPR, and a qualified attorney or CPA before you buy or rent.