Vacation rentals on the Space Coast, from Titusville to Melbourne

Florida's Space Coast is the only place in the country where rocket launches are a reason to book. This market runs along Brevard County from Titusville, facing the Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, to Melbourne and the beach towns of Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach. Launch viewers, cruise passengers from Port Canaveral, surfers, families, aerospace business travelers and winter visitors all overlap here. Stock ranges from riverfront homes and small beach condos to mainland pool homes.

County zoning: the 90-day definition

The key rule in unincorporated Brevard County is old and strict. The county code defines a resort dwelling as any house or apartment rented, or advertised, for periods of less than 90 days or three calendar months, and classifies it as a commercial use. Resort dwellings are allowed only in certain districts, some of them as a conditional use, which keeps nightly rentals out of most unincorporated residential neighborhoods, including much of Merritt Island. Florida's s. 509.032(7) blocks new local bans and limits on stays, but not rules in force by June 1, 2011, so ask for a written zoning determination before buying.

Each city decides for itself

Melbourne, Titusville, Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach each have their own codes, and several run registration programs or restrict short stays to certain zones. A Melbourne mailing address does not tell you which one applies; the parcel's jurisdiction does.

Taxes changed hands in 2025

Since October 1, 2025, Brevard's tourist development tax is registered and paid through the Clerk of the Court's portal instead of the tax collector. Owners also need a Florida sales tax account, a county business tax receipt and, for homes or condos rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days, a DBPR vacation rental license.

Our advice

Start with the zoning determination for the exact parcel; that single document decides whether the property is a vacation rental, a monthly rental or neither. Then follow the launch schedule: launch nights sell out quickly and deserve their own pricing, and a view of the Indian River toward the pads is worth highlighting in the listing. We study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.