Updated November 4, 2026
When snowbird season happens
Winter visitors generally arrive in the fall and stay through early spring, so resorts and parks fill early. Resort pages show their own promotional windows: for example, Sun Outdoors listed annual-stay offers that ran through September 30, 2026, and 42-night Park & Play packages with spring and fall 2027 dates. Reserve early if you want a specific site type.
Private resorts: monthly and annual rates
Private resorts are built for long stays. Published numbers from official resort pages (verify current pricing when booking):
- Southern Charm (Zephyrhills): annual sites starting at $477 per month, excluding taxes and fees; electricity is not included on monthly or longer reservations.
- Sun Retreats Crystal River: annual RV sites at $672 per month (Standard) and $731 per month (Elite), excluding taxes and fees; 42-night Park & Play packages listed at $1,028-$1,234 for May 1-September 30, 2027, utilities may be extra.
- Sun Outdoors Sarasota: Park & Play 42-night packages listed from $899 to $1,024 for selected 2027 dates.
- Deposits: two nights or half the stay for stays under 30 nights, and $500 for 30 nights or more.
Several pages advertise weekly discounts (up to 20% for 7 nights or more) and monthly savings; terms change, so confirm at booking.
Know the age rules
Many Zephyrhills and Bradenton resorts are 55+ communities operating under the Housing for Older Persons Act, meaning at least 80% of occupied homes include someone aged 55 or older. All-ages options in our listings include Sun Outdoors Sarasota, Arbor Terrace and Sun Retreats Crystal River. Read the age policy before you plan travel with children or grandchildren; guests under 14 must be supervised at Sun Outdoors resorts.
Public campgrounds: stay limits
Public campgrounds are best for shorter stays. Fort De Soto limits stays to 14 nights in any 30 days. Polk County campgrounds cap stays at 14 consecutive days, then require 28 days away, and limit total use to 100 days per year across all Polk campgrounds. Florida State Parks books up to 11 months ahead for residents and 10 months for non-residents (official page); check each park for stay limits before planning a month-long visit.
Planning checklist
- Decide whether you want a resort with activities or a quiet park setting.
- Ask about electric billing on monthly stays.
- Ask about mail service, laundry, WiFi and cable. Vacation Village lists mail and limited free WiFi; Sun Outdoors pages list WiFi on sites at several resorts.
- Ask about visitor fees. Sun Outdoors lists $10 per visitor per day for short-term guests, with the first 14 days free at annual Florida resorts.
- Ask how the resort handles storm closures, and read its emergency page.
- If you work from the road, check cell coverage; some state parks, like Lake Kissimmee, note limited service.
For hurricane-related planning, see our hurricane-season guide.
Choosing a base
A long stay usually works best when your campground is near the things you plan to do every week. In Pasco County, several Sun Outdoors resorts cluster in Zephyrhills, and Encore resorts such as Forest Lake Village, Silver Dollar and Winter Quarters Pasco are nearby. In Pinellas, Clearwater RV Resort and Encore Vacation Village in Largo sit close to the beaches. In Manatee County, Horseshoe Cove, Pleasant Lake and Arbor Terrace are in Bradenton, and Sun Outdoors Sarasota is in Sarasota. Farther north, Sun Retreats Crystal River serves the Nature Coast.
If you prefer state park surroundings, mix a long resort stay with shorter park visits, for example a few nights at Myakka River or Lake Manatee State Park, booked up to 11 months ahead if you are a Florida resident.
Budget notes
Published figures show how much the cost structure varies. State and county sites are often cheaper per night; Pinellas lists Fort De Soto sites from $40.50 to $47.50 per night plus tax, and Polk County lists $20 per night for water-and-electric sites. Private resorts typically publish annual and Park & Play rates but show nightly pricing only during checkout. Also look at extras: Sun Outdoors lists $10 per extra vehicle per day, $30 for early check-in or late check-out, and fees for golf cart rentals. Add up utilities too, since electricity is separate on monthly stays at several resorts. Ask each resort for a written total before you commit to a season.
Remember that rates and promotions change, and the numbers above come from the pages as we read them on November 4, 2026.