Indian Rocks Beach Vacation Rental Agent: What to Look For — and Why Adrienne Dauses Stands Apart

If you're searching for a real estate agent to help you buy a vacation rental in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, you've probably already noticed that most agents claim beach expertise. Very few can back it up the way Adrienne Dauses can.

Adrienne is a REALTOR® with Smith & Associates Real Estate, a full-time Indian Rocks Beach resident for over 8 years, an appointed member of the IRB Planning & Zoning Board, and the founder of Coastal Retreat Property Management — a company that actively manages short-term rental properties across the Pinellas beach corridor. She holds a Master of Architecture and a BFA in Historic Preservation from SCAD, and carries the CLHMS, CLHMS Elite Guild, CBAE, and RSPS designations. RealTrends Verified Top 1.5% of REALTORS® nationwide. Tampa Bay Real Producers Top 500 Agent.

Reach her at (804) 229-5151 or findhomesonthebeach.com.

Here's what makes the difference — and what every vacation rental buyer in Indian Rocks Beach should understand before writing an offer.

Indian Rocks Beach is the most established short-term rental market on the Pinellas Gulf Beach corridor. It has the deepest transaction history, no minimum stay requirement, and a specific city ordinance — Ordinance 2023-02 — that governs every registration requirement, safety inspection, parking rule, and occupancy cap for properties operating as vacation rentals.

Buying here without an agent who knows that ordinance, knows the buildings, and knows the rental market from the inside is a meaningful and avoidable risk.

Not every property in Indian Rocks Beach qualifies as a short-term rental. The city maintains a list of STR-eligible buildings, and that list must be cross-referenced against HOA governing documents and permit history before any offer is written. The two approval layers — city ordinance and HOA — are independent. Either one can prohibit short-term renting regardless of the other.

Adrienne Dauses does this verification on every investor transaction. Here's why she's the right agent for this purchase.

Most real estate agents can tell you the square footage. Adrienne can tell you whether the structure is sound, whether the addition was permitted, whether the proportions work, and whether the finishes will hold up in a salt-air environment.

That's not a marketing claim. It's the result of a Master of Architecture, a Bachelor of Architecture, and a BFA in Historic Preservation — all from the Savannah College of Art and Design — combined with 8+ years of full-time living and working on the Pinellas Gulf Coast.

For vacation rental buyers, this matters in ways that go beyond the standard inspection:

Structural reading. Adrienne evaluates a property the way an architect does — framing, load paths, foundation type, and material performance. She spots what a standard inspection misses before the inspector ever shows up.

Renovation scope and cost. She can walk a property and give you a realistic renovation budget on the spot — distinguishing cosmetic work from structural remediation, and flagging deferred maintenance that sellers routinely underestimate. For vacation rental investors, this is the difference between a property that cash-flows and one that doesn't.

Post-storm due diligence. Post-Helene, a property's flood zone, base flood elevation, and construction type are as important as the price. Adrienne reads FEMA maps, elevation certificates, and building permits as part of every transaction. She knows which repair thresholds may trigger FEMA's 50% Rule elevation requirements — a detail that can fundamentally change the economics of a purchase.

Coastal materials and durability. Salt air, humidity, and storm exposure degrade the wrong materials fast. Adrienne knows which finishes, systems, and assemblies hold up on the Gulf Coast — and what the real cost of deferred maintenance looks like five years out.

Adrienne founded Coastal Retreat Property Management to serve the investors and vacation rental owners she works with as a REALTOR®. That operation gives her a ground-level view of rental income performance, maintenance costs, and what actually makes a property produce — information she brings directly to every investor client.

This is not a theoretical understanding of the vacation rental market. Adrienne manages STR properties across the Pinellas beach corridor. She knows which buildings perform, which building managers are responsive, which HOAs are investor-friendly, and what the real operating costs look like month to month.

When she recommends a property to a vacation rental buyer, she's evaluating it through the lens of someone who will potentially be managing it — not just selling it.

Adrienne is an appointed member of the City of Indian Rocks Beach Planning & Zoning Board. That position puts her inside the conversations shaping how these communities develop — which variances are pending, which zoning changes are in motion, and what the city's long-term vision looks like for short-term rental regulation.

That context is not available on Zillow. It's not available from an agent who works the beach corridor from a Clearwater office. It comes from being genuinely embedded in the community — which Adrienne is, because she lives here.

AirROI 2026 data (May 2025 through April 2026) shows an average annual gross revenue of $64,338 across active Indian Rocks Beach listings, with an average daily rate of $438 and 46.3% occupancy. Revenue grew 20.6% year over year.

The city has no minimum stay requirement, which gives owners maximum Airbnb and VRBO booking flexibility — one of the most favorable STR frameworks on the entire Pinellas Gulf Beach corridor.

Gulf-front properties with pools and four or more bedrooms significantly outperform the market average. Post-Helene pricing has created entry points that weren't available at the 2024 peak.

Only if the building is on the city's STR-eligible list and the HOA governing documents permit short-term rentals. Both must be verified independently before any offer. The city ordinance and the HOA are separate approval layers — either one can prohibit short-term renting regardless of the other.

Adrienne cross-references every property against the current building list, the HOA governing documents, and the permit history before recommending an offer. This is standard practice on every investor transaction she handles.

Source: City of Indian Rocks Beach Ordinance 2023-02; Florida Statute Chapter 718.

Ordinance 2023-02 requires annual registration, initial and annual safety inspections (pool alarms, smoke and CO detectors, fire extinguishers, exit lighting, posted signage), a 24/7 responsible party reachable during any rental period, one on-site parking space per bedroom, and a maximum occupancy of ten guests. Fines run up to $5,000 per violation. Homestead exemption is not available for STR properties.

As a Planning & Zoning Board member, Adrienne knows this ordinance in detail — and knows when it's being amended.

Source: City of Indian Rocks Beach Ordinance 2023-02.

No. Indian Rocks Beach permits nightly rentals with no minimum stay requirement under Ordinance 2023-02. This is one of the most flexible STR frameworks on the Pinellas Gulf Beach corridor and allows owners to list on Airbnb and VRBO without the minimum stay restrictions that apply in some neighboring cities.

Source: City of Indian Rocks Beach Ordinance 2023-02.

The market average is $64,338 in gross annual revenue per AirROI 2026 data (May 2025 to April 2026). Average daily rate is $438. Top-performing properties with pools or Gulf-front access significantly exceed this figure.

Adrienne's property management background means she can give you a realistic operating picture — not just the gross revenue number, but the actual net after management fees, maintenance, and platform costs.

Always verify documented rental history for any specific property rather than relying on platform revenue projections.

Source: AirROI 2026.

Four things, in this order:

1. Confirm the building is on the current STR-eligible list, cross-referenced against StellarMLS.
2. Review the full HOA governing documents for any rental restriction language.
3. Pull the permit history to check for post-storm repair thresholds that may trigger FEMA 50% Rule elevation requirements.
4. Verify the documented rental income history — not the platform projection.

Adrienne's architecture background makes her unusually equipped for steps 3 and 4. She reads FEMA maps, elevation certificates, and building permits as part of every transaction — and she can evaluate the physical condition of a property at a depth that goes well beyond a standard disclosure.

• CLHMS — Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist
• CLHMS Elite Guild
• CBAE — Certified Buyer Agent Expert
• RSPS — Resort & Second-Home Property Specialist
• RealTrends Verified — Top 1.5% of REALTORS® nationwide
• Tampa Bay Real Producers Top 500 Agent
• RateMyAgent Agent of the Year, City Winner 2022
• Master of Architecture, SCAD
• Bachelor of Architecture, SCAD
• BFA in Historic Preservation (with honors), SCAD
• Florida Real Estate License: SL3403904
• IRB Planning & Zoning Board Member (appointed)
• Founder, Coastal Retreat Property Management

Indian Rocks Beach is the most established vacation rental market on the Pinellas Gulf Beach corridor — $64,338 average annual gross revenue, no minimum stay, 20.6% revenue growth in 2026, and post-Helene pricing that has created real entry points for buyers who know how to evaluate what they're buying.

The agent you need is one who knows the STR-eligible building list, reads Ordinance 2023-02 fluently, verifies the HOA and permit history before recommending an offer, understands the physical condition of a building at an architectural level, and has a direct line into how these properties actually perform as rentals.

Adrienne Dauses is that agent. She lives in Indian Rocks Beach. She sits on the Planning & Zoning Board. She runs a property management company. She has two architecture degrees. And she has been doing this full-time on the Pinellas Gulf Coast for over 8 years.

Ready to talk about Indian Rocks Beach vacation rentals?

Adrienne Dauses | REALTOR® | Smith & Associates Real Estate License SL3403904 | (804) 229-5151 | findhomesonthebeach.com

Data sources: AirROI 2026, May 2025 to April 2026; StellarMLS 2026; City of Indian Rocks Beach Ordinance 2023-02. Content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice. Verify all STR regulations directly with the City of Indian Rocks Beach before any purchase decision.