For Florida’s Tax Collectors, the short-term rental (STR) market presents a challenge that is entirely distinct from other county departments. While municipal code officers typically focus on stays of less than 30 days, Tax Collectors are tasked with a much broader mandate: identifying and taxing rentals for stays of up to six months (179 nights).
This disparity creates a massive blind spot. A property rented for two or three months might fly under the radar of city code enforcement, but it is still liable for Tourist Development Tax (TDT). Because platforms and property owners often default to the "under 30 days" mindset, Tax Collectors are left to navigate a disjointed system where thousands of taxable dollars slip through the cracks.
"Tax Collectors operate with a completely different set of parameters than code enforcement, yet they are often stuck using tools that don't account for the 179-night tax window," says Stacey Kurtz, Sales Director at Deckard Technologies. "Our role is to help Tax Collectors bridge that gap, giving them visibility into every taxable stay, regardless of the duration."
Deckard Technologies is helping Florida’s Tax Collectors meet that challenge head-on with data clarity, automation, and trusted partnerships through its industry-leading platform, Rentalscape.
Across Florida, STR growth has far outpaced the systems designed to manage it. While many Counties have agreements with major booking platforms to collect taxes, significant revenue leakage still occurs through smaller, niche platforms and direct bookings that do not remit on the owner's behalf.
Deckard’s Rentalscape platform solves this visibility problem by providing address-level identification of active STRs using AI and geospatial data. It continuously monitors the entire ecosystem—including smaller sites and direct listing sources—identifying non-compliant properties and automating outreach.
The result is a data foundation that helps Tax Collectors transform uncertainty into action, ensuring that every property contributing to the local tourism economy—regardless of where it is listed—is fully accounted for.
Nowhere is the impact of this approach clearer than in Marion County, known globally as the "Horse Capital of the World."
Home to the World Equestrian Center and a thriving equine industry, Marion County sees drastic fluctuations in tourism when major shows come to town. The Tax Collector’s office needed a way to ensure they were capturing the revenue generated by these influxes of visitors, many of whom stay in short-term rentals rather than traditional hotels.
When the County partnered with Deckard Technologies, they faced a familiar hurdle: the manual review process simply couldn't keep pace with the volume of listings popping up during peak equestrian seasons.
The results of automating this process were immediate.
“Since partnering with Deckard Technologies, our short-term rental accounts have more than doubled,” says Tammy McCann, TDT Collections Clerk for Marion County. “Their AI-driven system finds listings that would have taken me hours to locate manually, and it’s made compliance so much more efficient.”
Through Rentalscape’s automation, the number of registered STR accounts in Marion County grew from roughly 500 to 1,259, more than doubling in less than a year.
Improved compliance has done more than increase registration counts. It has also brought fairness and transparency to Marion County’s tourism tax system.
“Deckard has created a more even playing field for our hotels and motels by bringing short-term rentals into compliance,” McCann explains. “It’s made the process fairer for taxpayers and helped ensure everyone contributes their fair share.”
By aligning short-term rentals with the same standards that apply to traditional lodging, Marion County has reinforced public trust and strengthened compliance across the board. The result is a more equitable system where tax revenue supports vital local services.
McCann credits much of Marion County’s success to Deckard’s collaborative, hands-on support.
“The team’s responsiveness has been incredible,” she says. “If I have a question, I can reach out directly to Stacey, Eric, or Dana and get a quick, clear answer. That level of collaboration has made a big difference.”
This commitment to partnership is a hallmark of Deckard’s approach. The company works closely with Tax Collectors from implementation through ongoing optimization, ensuring each jurisdiction’s unique regulatory landscape is reflected in its compliance program.
“Our relationships with local governments are built on trust,” adds Kurtz. “We stay involved to help our partners adapt as rules evolve and new challenges emerge. Florida’s environment demands that kind of partnership.”
Reflecting on the success in Marion County, McCann notes that the challenges they faced are mirrored across the state.
“Short-term rental compliance is a statewide issue,” she says. “Many Counties are facing the same challenges we were, and Deckard’s technology can help close those compliance gaps.”
Counties such as Marion, Monroe, Flagler, Nassau and Brevard are already leading the way, proving that accurate data and modern technology can transform revenue collection and transparency statewide.
Florida’s short-term rental market will continue to evolve, but its complexity doesn’t have to be a barrier. With modern, data-driven solutions, Tax Collectors can bring clarity to compliance, protect local revenue, and promote fairness across all forms of lodging.
Deckard’s mission is simple: to empower Tax Collectors with the tools and insight they need to lead.
“Tax Collectors across Florida are leading the way in modernizing compliance,” says Kurtz. “With accurate data and automation, they can move from reactive enforcement to proactive management, protecting both their communities and their bottom line.”