MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Business is finally picking up for local vacation rentals.

It took time to get the buildings repaired, and for visitors to come back to the island after last year’s hurricanes.

What You Need To Know

  • Officials with Prime Vacations say they are getting more momentum and more bookings, especially for the summer months
  • It took time to get the buildings repaired, and for visitors to come back to the island after last year’s hurricanes

  • Officials say they hope everything will be 90% back online by early May

Eric Pullen, vice president of growth and development for Prime Vacations, says all of the 600 properties on Anna Maria Island that the company manages had to have some kind of work done due to the hurricanes.

“Post-hurricane was a challenge. Just getting out here, obviously right away, trying to just assess for our owners who are located really all over the world, the conditions that we were facing,” he said.

Pullen says the company manages 600 properties on Anna Maria Island and 50 in Bradenton. While they are getting more calls to book people, and demand is high now, their numbers are slightly behind. He says that’s due to effects from the hurricanes.

“January, February was a little bit of a slower start to the year. This March right now, you know, we’re pacing, just over 80% occupancy, which is pretty close to our historic norms. We typically see about 85% for the month of March,” he said.

He says he’s glad to see the island alive again after a lull season.

“It’s just great seeing people back on the island. You see people walking, on their bicycles, on the golf carts,” he explained.

But before there was a slow period where he says they barely had any booking happen in the rentals during October that he attributed to the rental restrictions the island had in place because of the hurricanes. But in the months after that, things began to pick up.

“We make money when guests are in-house. We share in that commission with our owners. By Thanksgiving, we had about 50% of our inventory back online. By Christmas, we had about 70% of our inventory back online,” he said.

Now fast forward to this month, he says momentum is growing…and looking ahead toward the summer months, he says June and July reservations are high.

“We’re pacing very well for 2026, so I think, you know, people are coming down here recognizing that the island’s open,” he said.

As more people book to enjoy the island, the more Pullen and Prime Vacations work to leave each guest wanting to come back.

Pullen says they hope everything will be 90% back online by early May.