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Can you Airbnb in ChampionsGate?

A short-term rental buyer's guide to ChampionsGate, Four Corners, off I-4 at the ChampionsGate Blvd interchange.

By Paul Kim, REALTOR®, Norkis & Co Realty · Last reviewed October 28, 2026

The short answer

Yes, in The Retreat and in the ChampionsGate condominiums, but not everywhere behind the gate. The Retreat's recorded declaration allows rentals with no HOA approval and no minimum stay, and 201 of its lots can legally be used only as short-term rentals. Condominiums 1 and 2 are short-term only; 3 and 4 allow both. The Country Club section and Champions Club condos do not allow short-term rentals, even though county zoning does. Confirm the exact association and lot before you make an offer.

B

STR suitability: B (3.55 out of 5)

How suitable ChampionsGate is for running a short-term rental. It is not a prediction of income. How we grade.

Zoning and the laws that apply

Zoning: Osceola County's official Short Term Rental Listing includes ChampionsGate, Champions Club (Stoneybrook South), Fountains at ChampionsGate, and Stoneybrook South, meaning those subdivisions sit in the county's short-term rental area. Verified

Checked against Osceola County Short Term Rental Listing (entries 31, 32, 79, 212), document revised 2022-05. Verified October 26, 2026. The county list was last revised May 2022. Confirm the parcel with Osceola County Zoning (407-742-0200).

County: ChampionsGate is in Osceola County, even though homes there use a Davenport mailing address and the City of Davenport itself is in Polk County. Neighboring communities can sit on the Polk side, so for any home outside ChampionsGate, check the county on the property appraiser's parcel search. Verified

Sources: ChampionsGate CDD (Osceola County district) · Osceola County, ChampionsGate PD

RuleWhat it isWhat it means for you
Osceola County zoningPD (Planned Development), ChampionsGate PD, county case PD16-00012. Listed in Osceola's short-term rental area.Green lightNo county restrictions on short-term rentals here.
Source
HOA rulesHOAs have their own rules, separate from county and state law.Check thisEven where the county allows short-term rentals, an HOA can restrict or ban them in its area, and can change its rules later. Check the HOA's rules before you buy.
Source
Florida DBPR vacation rental licenseState license required for every short-term rental.About $230 the first year, then about $180 a year to renew.
Source
Osceola County business tax receiptCounty business license for your rental, issued by the Osceola Tax Collector. Applications go through zoning, environmental health, and building review.Apply with your state license (or its application). About $30 a year, renewed July 1 to September 30. Letting it lapse can cost you your zoning approval.
Source
Florida sales tax7.5% on every stay in Osceola: 6% state sales tax plus Osceola's 1.5% county surtax.Airbnb collects and pays this on its bookings. Direct bookings are yours to file. With the 6% tourist tax, guests pay 13.5% in total.
Source
Osceola tourist development tax (6%)County tax on short-term rentals, separate from Florida sales tax.Check thisOsceola doesn't let booking sites collect and pay this tax for owners. You'll have to collect and pay it yourself on every booking, on every channel.
Source

Costs, deadlines, and the order to file in: Florida STR licenses and taxes.

Where rentals are allowed inside ChampionsGate

SectionShort-term rentalsNotes
The Retreat at ChampionsGate (platted as Stoneybrook South Phases I-1, J-1, J-2, J-3 and North Parcel phases)VerifiedAllowedThe recorded declaration says each unit may be used for rental occupancy or for an owner's permanent residence, and units may be rented to the public. Leasing needs no HOA approval and there's no minimum stay. Leases must be written and for the entire unit.

Sources: Retreat Declaration, Exhibit B §17 (OR Book 4426, Page 2611) · Retreat at ChampionsGate HOA

Retreat deed-restricted lots: North Parcel Phase 3, lots 1–127, and Phase 5, lots 1–74VerifiedAllowedShort-term rental ONLY. Stays are limited to 30 consecutive days in any 12-month period, nobody may live there as a permanent resident, and the restriction runs at least 30 years from 2019–2020. No homestead exemption; the owner can't use the unit to register to vote or enroll children in public school.

Sources: Fourth Amendment, Art. XXI (OR Book 5778, Page 2464, recorded 8/21/2020)

ChampionsGate Country Club sectionReportedNot allowedShort-term rentals are not allowed. Lennar's division president has said so publicly, and current MLS listings in the section report "no short term rentals permitted" and a 7-month minimum lease. It shares "Stoneybrook South" plat names with The Retreat, so check the HOA name on any listing.

Sources: GrowthSpotter, quoting Lennar · Stellar MLS listing data (Oct 2026)

ChampionsGate Condominium 1 (condos on Ocean Course Ave)VerifiedAllowedShort-term rentals only: stays of 1–30 days per family, per year. No long-term leases.

Sources: ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)

ChampionsGate Condominium 2VerifiedAllowedShort-term rentals only: stays of 3–30 days per family, per year. No long-term leases.

Sources: ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)

ChampionsGate Condominiums 3 and 4VerifiedAllowedBoth short-term and long-term rentals permitted. Listings report that at least one phase requires association approval for leases.

Sources: ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026) · Stellar MLS listing data (Oct 2026)

Champions Club Condominium (condos on Azalea Sands Ln)ReportedNot allowedLong-term rentals only. Listings report minimum leases of 8 months to 2 years.

Sources: Stellar MLS listing data (Oct 2026)

The Vistas at ChampionsGate (townhomes on Shinnecock Hills Dr) — separate associationReportedNot allowedNot one of the four sub-associations in the ChampionsGate master association's guide; it has its own association and clubhouse. Listings in every phase we checked report long-term rentals only, with minimum leases of 8 months to 2 years.

Sources: Stellar MLS listing data (Oct 2026) · ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)

HOA, club, and CDD fees

SectionChargeAmountWhat it covers
The RetreatRetreat at ChampionsGate Association — 40-ft single-familyVerified$343 / monthSpectrum and irrigation included. Plus the $119 master and $158.29 Oasis fees: $620.29 a month in total.
ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)
The RetreatRetreat at ChampionsGate Association — 50-ft single-familyVerified$345 / monthSpectrum and irrigation included. Plus the $119 master and $158.29 Oasis fees: $622.29 a month in total.
ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)
The RetreatRetreat at ChampionsGate Association — townhomeVerified$402 / monthSpectrum and irrigation included. Plus the $119 master and $158.29 Oasis fees: $679.29 a month in total.
ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)
ChampionsGate Condominium 1Condominium 1 AssociationVerified$302 / monthManaged by FirstService Residential. Plus the $159 master and $158.29 Oasis fees: $619.29 a month in total.
ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)
ChampionsGate Condominiums 2–4Condominium 2 / 3 / 4 AssociationVerified$359 / $364 / $367 / monthManaged by ICON Management Services. Plus the $159 master and $158.29 Oasis fees: $676.29 / $681.29 / $684.29 a month in total.
ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)
Champions Club CondominiumChampions Club Condominium AssociationVerified$382.12 / monthManaged by FirstService Residential. Plus the $158 master and $136.79 Oasis fees: $676.91 a month in total.
ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)
Country ClubCountry Club AssociationVerified$621–$696 / month40-ft $621, 50-ft $626, 60-ft $642, 80-ft $682, villas $696; includes a $75 food payment and golf. Plus the $119 master and $136.79 Oasis fees: $876.79 to $951.79 a month in total.
ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)
The RetreatStoneybrook South at ChampionsGate CDD — townhomeVerified$1,148–$1,540 / year$445.84 operations plus a $702 or $1,094 bond payment, depending on the lot's bond series. Billed on the Osceola property tax bill.
CDD FY2026 adopted budget (gross)
The RetreatStoneybrook South at ChampionsGate CDD — single-family, 40-ft lotVerifiedabout $1,850 / year$548.72 operations plus a $1,300–$1,302 bond payment. Billed on the Osceola property tax bill.
CDD FY2026 adopted budget (gross)
The RetreatStoneybrook South at ChampionsGate CDD — single-family, 50-ft lotVerifiedabout $2,090 / year$685.90 operations plus a $1,404–$1,406 bond payment. Billed on the Osceola property tax bill.
CDD FY2026 adopted budget (gross)
ChampionsGate Condominiums 1–4Stoneybrook South at ChampionsGate CDD — condoVerified$1,331.96 / year$342.96 operations plus a $989 bond payment. Billed on the Osceola property tax bill.
CDD FY2026 adopted budget (gross)

Every ChampionsGate home pays three monthly assessments: the ChampionsGate Master Association (ICON Management), the Oasis Club Association (True Club Management), and its own sub-association. Amounts are the 2026 rates from the master association's resident guide, plus the CDD on the property tax bill. Fees change yearly, so confirm them for any specific home with an estoppel letter.

Sources: ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026) · Retreat at ChampionsGate HOA

Rental rules and guest access

  • Short-term rentals: Allowed throughout The Retreat with no HOA approval and no minimum stay. Required on deed-restricted lots (North Parcel Phase 3 lots 1–127, Phase 5 lots 1–74).Verified Source
  • Lease terms: Every rental agreement must be in writing, for residential use, and for the entire unit. Owners are jointly liable for guest damage to common areas and the clubs.Verified Source
  • Owner club access while rented: While the unit is rented, the owner loses access to the common areas and club facilities except as a guest of another owner or the renter.Verified Source
  • Mail and trash: No individual mailboxes and no USPS delivery to Retreat units; owners need an offsite PO box or a manager to handle mail. Trash goes through a commercial hauler arranged by the HOA.Verified Source
  • Guest access to the Oasis Club: The club lists two access documents for guests: a booking confirmation (on a phone or printed) showing the dates of stay and the home's address, and a ChampionsGate parking pass showing the same. Gate Access app QR codes are not accepted because they don't show an address. Have guests bring both.Verified Source
  • Children at the club: Guests under 16 must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian over 16.Verified Source
  • Club dining: An 18% service charge applies to all dining orders. Outside food, drinks, and personal cups are not allowed.Verified Source

Amenities

  • Oasis Club: 16,000 sq ft clubhouse with a full-service restaurant (indoor and patio dining), fitness center, banquet space, 26-seat movie theater, arcade room, and concierge
  • 82,000 sq ft pool deck: zero-entry heated lazy river, water slide, interactive splash zone, 130,000-gallon heated quiet pool, spa, full-service Tiki Bar, sundries stand, and poolside service
  • Two regulation sand volleyball courts and 16 air-conditioned indoor cabanas with a TV and full bathroom (separate fees apply)
  • Owners and their guests have access to both the Oasis Club and the Retreat Club
  • Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate on site, with two Greg Norman–designed golf courses: the International (7,363 yards) and the National (7,128 yards)
  • Gated entry

Sources: Oasis Club amenities · Retreat at ChampionsGate HOA · Omni Hotels

Drive times

DestinationTypical driveDistance
Theme parks
Magic Kingdom20–35 min13.6 mi
EPCOT18–35 min13.1 mi
Hollywood Studios18–35 min12.8 mi
Animal Kingdom18–35 min12.4 mi
Universal Studios Florida30–55 min21.1 mi
Universal Epic Universe30–55 min20.4 mi
SeaWorld Orlando26–50 min17.2 mi
LEGOLAND Florida35 min–1 hr 20 min26.4 mi
Sports, events, and travel
ESPN Wide World of Sports18–35 min11.8 mi
Orange County Convention Center28–50 min17.6 mi
Orlando International Airport (MCO)30–45 min27.3 mi
Golf
ChampionsGate Golf Club8–10 min3.7 mi
Reunion Resort & Golf Club14–22 min5.7 mi
Providence Golf Club18–35 min9.4 mi
Southern Dunes Golf & Country Club22–45 min12.5 mi
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club24–45 min15.7 mi
Orange County National22–40 min17.4 mi
Grand Cypress Golf28–45 min17.7 mi
Shingle Creek Golf Club30–55 min19.7 mi
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge35 min–1 hr21 mi
The Club at Bella Collina40 min–1 hr 15 min26.5 mi
Mission Resort + Club45 min–1 hr 30 min36.9 mi
Streamsong Golf Resort1 hr 10 min–1 hr 50 min61.6 mi
Cruise ports
Port Tampa Bay55 min–1 hr 20 min59.4 mi
Port Canaveral1 hr 5 min–1 hr 30 min72.7 mi
PortMiami3 hr 20 min–4 hr 20 min240 mi
Beaches and day trips
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex1 hr 10 min–1 hr 40 min70.7 mi
Cocoa Beach Pier1 hr 10 min–1 hr 40 min74.9 mi
Clearwater Beach (Pier 60)1 hr 25 min–2 hr 20 min83.2 mi
Daytona Beach Boardwalk1 hr 30 min–2 hr 20 min85.1 mi
Cities
Downtown Tampa55 min–1 hr 15 min59.5 mi
Downtown Miami3 hr 20 min–4 hr 20 min239 mi

Measured on Google Maps from The Oasis Club at ChampionsGate: fastest route, typical traffic, departing Tuesday 10:00 AM. Measured October 27, 2026.

What goes wrong in ChampionsGate

The mistakes that cost owners here money, and how to avoid them.

Buying in the wrong village

ChampionsGate is one gate and several neighborhoods. A home can sit inside the county's short-term rental area and still be in a section whose rules prohibit nightly rentals. The developer has said publicly that the country club section doesn't allow short-term rentals while The Retreat was built for them. Listing sites show both kinds of homes side by side under the same name. Get the specific village's HOA declaration before you make an offer, not after.

Sources: GrowthSpotter, quoting Lennar · Osceola County STR Listing

Buying a deed-restricted lot with the wrong plan

201 lots in The Retreat (North Parcel Phase 3 lots 1–127 and Phase 5 lots 1–74) can only be used as short-term rentals for at least 30 years. Nobody can live there full time, no stay can run past 30 consecutive days in a 12-month period, there's no homestead exemption, and the restriction can't be lifted without the school superintendent's consent. That rules out moving in later, renting to a snowbird for the season, or switching to a long-term tenant if the short-term market softens. It also narrows who can buy it from you. Check the lot and phase against the Fourth Amendment before you make an offer. ChampionsGate Condominiums 1 and 2 carry a similar limit: short-term rentals only, with stays capped at 30 days.

Sources: Fourth Amendment, Art. XXI (OR Book 5778, Page 2464, recorded 8/21/2020) · ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026)

Same plat name, opposite rules

In the MLS, The Retreat and the Country Club section both show up as "Stoneybrook South" (North Parcel, Phase 1, Phase 5, and so on). Phase 5 alone holds lots 1–74, which can only ever be short-term rentals, and Country Club lots where short-term rentals are prohibited and leases run at least seven months. The subdivision name won't tell you which rules apply. The HOA name and the lot number will. Check both against the recorded declaration before you write an offer.

Sources: Fourth Amendment, Art. XXI · GrowthSpotter, quoting Lennar

Look-alike condos with three different rules

ChampionsGate's condos look alike and sell in a similar range, but the rules split three ways. ChampionsGate Condominiums 1 and 2 allow short-term rentals only (stays capped at 30 days), so you can't live there or take a long-term tenant. Condominiums 3 and 4 allow both. The Champions Club condos on Azalea Sands Ln, and the Vistas townhomes, require leases of eight months or longer. Confirm which association a unit belongs to before you write an offer.

Sources: ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026) · Stellar MLS listing data (Oct 2026)

Planning on mail delivery

There are no individual mailboxes in The Retreat and no USPS delivery to the units. Owners need an offsite PO box or a manager who picks up and forwards mail. Guests ordering packages to the house is a common source of complaints; say so in the listing and the check-in message.

Sources: Fourth Amendment, Exhibit B §35

Assuming Airbnb pays the tourist tax

In Osceola County it doesn't. The county is not contracted with Airbnb, VRBO, or any booking platform for its 6% tourist development tax, so the owner or manager has to collect and remit it on every booking. Owners who assume the platform handles it build up an unpaid liability month after month.

Sources: Osceola County Tax Collector

Letting the county business license lapse

Osceola ties your rental's zoning approval to your short-term rental business tax receipt. The Tax Collector's own instructions say failing to maintain it may result in loss of zoning approval. The receipt costs about $30 a year and renews between July 1 and September 30, so it's an easy one to forget and an expensive one to miss.

Sources: Osceola County Tax Collector

Underwriting the HOA fee instead of the full stack

Every ChampionsGate home pays three monthly assessments to three different management companies, plus a CDD assessment that shows up on the property tax bill. For a 40-ft Retreat home in 2026 that's $343 + $119 + $158.29, about $620 a month, plus roughly $1,850 a year in CDD. The master association's own resident guide warns that buyers often overlook this and some new owners fall delinquent shortly after closing. Add up every layer before you run the numbers.

Sources: ChampionsGate Master Association Resident Information Guide (Oct 2026) · Stoneybrook South at ChampionsGate CDD FY2026 budget

Guests turned away at the club

The Oasis Club is the reason most guests book here, and the club checks access. Its rules list two documents: a booking confirmation showing the dates and the home's address, and a ChampionsGate parking pass showing the same. The gate app's QR code doesn't count. A guest who shows up without the right paperwork gets turned away at the one amenity they came for, and that turns into a bad review. Put the access instructions in your check-in message, tell guests to bring both, and don't bury it in the house manual.

Sources: Oasis Club rules

Competing on price with identical homes

The resort side is full of similar vacation homes with the same club access and the same amenity pitch. When the main selling point is the shared club, every home has it, and the easiest lever left is price. A home without a clear reason to be chosen over the one next door ends up discounting.

Rules can change after you buy

Florida law lets an HOA amend its rules to prohibit rentals shorter than six months, or to cap rentals at three per year, and that kind of amendment applies to every owner, including people who bought before the vote. Most other new rental restrictions only bind later buyers, but a short-term rental ban does not. Read the declaration's amendment section and ask the HOA whether any rental votes are pending.

Sources: Fla. Stat. 720.306(1)(h)

Trusting the listing's fee and CDD fields

Agents type these fields in, and in ChampionsGate they're often incomplete. We've seen Retreat listings show a single lumped HOA figure with the master and club fields blank, and "CDD: No" on lots the CDD's own budget assesses. Get the property tax bill and the HOA's estoppel letter before you run the numbers.

Sources: Stoneybrook South at ChampionsGate CDD FY2026 budget

What trip it suits, and what could stand out

ChampionsGate's resort side suits trips where the amenities are part of the vacation, not just a place to sleep between park days.

Trips it fits

  • Large and multi-family groups who want resort pools and dining without booking several hotel rooms
  • Families planning rest days between park days, where the club's pools and lazy river are the day's plan
  • Golf trips: two Greg Norman courses on site, Reunion about 15–20 minutes away, and seven more courses within an hour (Providence, Southern Dunes, Waldorf Astoria, Orange County National, Grand Cypress, Shingle Creek, and Bay Hill)

Concepts that could stand out

  • The rest-day home: built around the days off between parks, with the club as the centerpiece and the house set up for recovery (shade, quiet bedrooms, laundry, an easy breakfast)
  • The golf group base: set up for a group of adults on a golf trip rather than a family, with club storage, separate bedrooms, and an early-tee-time routine
  • The resort base on a budget: a 2- or 3-bedroom ChampionsGate Condo unit for couples and small families who want the resort amenities without the cost of a pool home
  • The multigenerational stay: layout and accessibility for grandparents and young kids in the same house
  • Note for deed-restricted lots: long-stay concepts (snowbird seasons, month-plus stays) aren't possible there. Stays are capped at 30 consecutive days.

Why the concept matters more than the community: Concept, not theme.

What homes like these charge

We don't publish occupancy or income for individual communities. What a rental earns depends far more on its concept, its execution, and its location within the community than on the community's name.

How we scored ChampionsGate

CriterionScoreWhy
Regulatory certainty4/5On the county's STR list, and The Retreat's recorded declaration permits rentals with no HOA approval; 201 lots are locked into short-term rental use for 30 years. Village-by-village rules elsewhere behind the gate still add risk.
HOA rental friendliness4/5Rentals are the intended use on the resort side. Club access requires guest documentation, which is manageable with good check-in instructions.
Cost burden2/5Three monthly assessments plus a CDD: about $620–$680 a month all-in for Retreat homes and STR-eligible condos, before the CDD.
Guest draw5/5The Oasis Club, an on-site Omni resort, and two Greg Norman golf courses.
Location4/518–35 minutes to all four Disney parks, 18–35 to ESPN Wide World of Sports, and 30–45 to MCO, with direct I-4 access.
Competition & differentiation2/5Large supply of similar resort homes with identical club access; differentiation has to come from the home itself.

Weighted per our published rubric. Overall 3.55/5 → B.

Homes for sale in ChampionsGate

Want the current list, filtered to the villages that actually allow short-term rentals?

I'll send it, with the HOA and CDD numbers for each.

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Questions about ChampionsGate

Can you Airbnb in ChampionsGate?

Yes in The Retreat and in ChampionsGate Condominiums 1–4. No in the Country Club section or the Champions Club condos, even though county zoning permits it. 201 Retreat lots and Condominiums 1 and 2 are short-term rental only. Confirm the specific association and lot before buying.

Does Airbnb collect the tourist tax in ChampionsGate?

Not for the Osceola County portion. Osceola is not contracted with Airbnb, VRBO, or any platform for its 6% tourist development tax, so the owner or manager must collect and remit it.

What are the HOA fees in ChampionsGate?

Every home pays three monthly assessments: the master association, the Oasis Club, and its sub-association. In 2026 that's about $620 a month for a 40-ft Retreat home, $619 to $684 for a ChampionsGate condo, and $877 to $952 in the Country Club section, plus a CDD assessment on the property tax bill.

How do vacation guests get into the Oasis Club?

The club lists two access documents: a booking confirmation showing the dates of stay and the home's address, and a ChampionsGate parking pass showing the same. Gate Access app QR codes are not accepted. Guests should bring both.

Can an HOA in ChampionsGate ban short-term rentals after I buy?

Yes. Under Fla. Stat. 720.306(1)(h), an HOA can amend its rules to prohibit rentals shorter than six months or limit rentals to three per year, and that amendment applies to all owners, including existing ones.

What is a deed-restricted unit in The Retreat at ChampionsGate?

One of 201 lots (North Parcel Phase 3 lots 1–127 and Phase 5 lots 1–74) that can only be used as a short-term rental, with stays capped at 30 consecutive days per 12 months, for at least 30 years. Nobody can live there permanently, and it isn't eligible for homestead exemption.

Can you Airbnb a condo in ChampionsGate?

Depends on the association. ChampionsGate Condominiums 1 and 2 allow short-term rentals only (stays up to 30 days), Condominiums 3 and 4 allow both short- and long-term rentals, and Champions Club condos are long-term only.

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