TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- Short term rental site Airbnb says business is booming in Florida... with its landlords in our state bringing in 2.7 million guests and raking in 450 million dollars. That's a 75 percent increase from last year.
Spokesman Benjamin Breit says that's not happening at the expense of hotels. "It appears, as opposed to taking a piece of the hotels' pie, that Airbnb vacation rentals are making the pie bigger for everyone," he says.
Miami Dade, Osceola and Broward Counties led the way. Pinellas came in fifth and Hillsborough came in seventh.
Communities trying to restrict Airbnb have gotten a lot of attention, but Breit says other towns, such as Orlando, are changing their rules to welcome short-term vacation rentals.
Airbnb has agreed to collect bed taxes in 39 out of Florida's 67 counties. Breit says that means more money for local tourism promotion across the state.