Florida M&A Market Report 2026: Multiples, Rates & Buyer Demand

If you own a business in Florida worth between $3 million and $50 million in revenue, the question you keep circling back to is simple: what is the market actually doing right now? Not what it did in 2024. Not what some national report says about the Midwest. What is happening in Florida, in your industry, with real buyers and real deal flow, as of September 2026? This report is built from the deal activity, buyer conversations, and closed transactions we see at CBH Business Group across Central Florida, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Sarasota, and Palm Beach. It is not a survey. It is what is actually trading, and at what price. ## The Macro Picture: Florida Is Still the Market Everyone Wants Into Florida added more business relocations and formations in 2025 than any other state for the fourth consecutive year. Population growth, no state income tax, and a business-friendly regulatory environment continue to pull both operators and capital south. For sellers, that translates into a buyer pool that is deeper than any point in the last decade. But depth does not mean prices are going up across the board. Two forces are pulling in opposite directions right now: - **Buyer demand is high.** Private equity groups, family offices, search fund operators, and strategic acquirers are all active in Florida. We are seeing more qualified buyers per listing than at any point since 2021. - **Lending standards have tightened.** SBA 7(a) loan approvals are taking longer, equity injection requirements are being enforced more strictly, and lenders are scrutinizing seller-adjusted EBITDA harder than they did 18 months ago. The net effect: well-run businesses with clean financials and a defensible market position are selling at strong multiples. Businesses with customer concentration, owner dependency, or messy books are sitting longer and taking haircuts. ## Current EBITDA and SDE Multiples by Industry in Florida The table below reflects what we are seeing in closed transactions and active LOIs for Florida businesses in the $1M to $10M SDE/EBITDA range. These are not national averages. They are Florida-specific and weighted toward the deal sizes where most owner-operated businesses trade.

Industry	Valuation Basis	Low Multiple	Mid Multiple	High Multiple	Trend vs 2025
HVAC	SDE	3.5x	4.5x	6.0x	Stable
Plumbing / Electrical	SDE	3.0x	4.0x	5.5x	Stable
Roofing	SDE	2.5x	3.5x	5.0x	Up slightly
General Construction	EBITDA	3.0x	4.5x	6.5x	Flat
Landscaping / Lawn Care	SDE	2.5x	3.5x	5.0x	Up (PE interest)
Pest Control	SDE	3.0x	4.0x	6.0x	Up (roll-ups active)
Pool Service	SDE	2.5x	3.5x	4.5x	Stable
Manufacturing	EBITDA	4.0x	5.5x	7.5x	Stable
Healthcare (non-physician)	EBITDA	5.0x	7.0x	10.0x	Up
IT / MSP / SaaS	EBITDA	4.0x	6.0x	10.0x	Stable to up
Professional Services	SDE	2.5x	3.5x	5.0x	Flat
Insurance Agencies	Revenue	1.5x	2.2x	3.0x	Flat
Restaurants (non-franchise)	SDE	1.5x	2.5x	3.5x	Down slightly
Title Companies	SDE	2.5x	3.5x	5.0x	Tied to RE volume

A few things to note. The "high" column is not aspirational. It represents businesses with recurring revenue, a management team in place, documented SOPs, and three or more years of consistent growth. If your business does not have those characteristics, you are trading at the low to mid range, period. ## SBA Lending Environment: What Buyers Can Actually Finance The SBA 7(a) program remains the primary financing vehicle for acquisitions under $5 million in total deal value. Here is what the lending environment looks like as of Q3 2026: - **Interest rates:** Prime + 2.25% to Prime + 2.75% for most 7(a) loans. With prime at 8.50%, that puts effective rates between 10.75% and 11.25%. Down from the 2024 peak but still significantly above 2021 levels. - **Equity injection:** 10% minimum remains standard, but many lenders are requiring 15% to 20% for businesses with less than three years of stable cash flow. - **Seller financing:** Nearly every SBA deal now includes a seller note, typically 10% to 20% of the purchase price on a two-year standby. Buyers who cannot get a seller to carry a note are struggling to close. - **Timeline to close:** 75 to 120 days from LOI to funded, assuming clean financials and a cooperative seller. Deals with messy books, environmental concerns, or licensing complications are taking 150 days or more. The practical impact for sellers: if your business requires SBA financing (most deals under $5M do), your buyer pool is rate-sensitive. A clean quality of earnings report, organized financials, and a willingness to carry a 10% to 15% seller note will meaningfully reduce your time on market. ## Buyer Demand: Who Is Buying Florida Businesses Right Now The buyer landscape in Florida has shifted meaningfully over the past 18 months. Here is what we are seeing across our active deals: - **Private equity and platform companies** are the most aggressive buyers in home services (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, landscaping). They are paying premium multiples for businesses that can serve as a platform or tuck-in acquisition. The Florida home services roll-up wave that started in 2022 is still accelerating. - **Search fund operators** are active in the $1M to $3M SDE range across nearly every industry. These are MBA-trained buyers backed by investor capital. They move quickly, structure cleanly, and are generally easier to work with than individual buyers. - **Strategic acquirers** (competitors buying competitors) remain the highest-value buyer type when they show up, but they are opportunistic, not systematic. You cannot plan a sale around a strategic buyer unless you know one is circling. - **Individual buyers** using SBA loans are the largest group by volume, but they are also the most rate-sensitive and the most likely to renegotiate after due diligence. - **Family offices** are increasing their direct acquisition activity in Florida, particularly in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology services. These buyers typically do not need SBA financing and can close faster. ## What Is Selling Fast and What Is Sitting Not every industry and deal size moves at the same pace. Here is a realistic look at time-on-market by category in the Florida market: - **Under 90 days:** HVAC businesses with $1M+ SDE and a service agreement base. Pest control with recurring revenue. Healthcare practices with diversified payor mix. - **90 to 180 days:** Manufacturing with consistent margins. Construction companies with a backlog. Professional services firms where the owner is not the sole rainmaker. - **180 to 365 days:** Restaurants (unless franchised with strong unit economics). Businesses where the owner IS the business. Companies with customer concentration above 25% in a single account. - **Not selling:** Businesses with declining revenue and no clear turnaround story. Companies with unresolved legal or environmental issues. Owners who refuse to provide financials or carry any seller financing. The single biggest factor in how fast a Florida business sells in 2026 is not the industry, the multiple, or even the SDE. It is the quality of the financials. Businesses that come to market with a quality of earnings report, three years of clean tax returns, and a normalized P&L sell two to three times faster than those that do not. ## What Sellers Should Do Right Now If you are a Florida business owner considering a sale in the next 12 to 24 months, here is what the current market data says you should prioritize: - **Get a broker's opinion of value before you do anything else.** You need to know where you stand before you can make any decision about timing, deal structure, or buyer type. - **Clean your financials.** That means working with your CPA to normalize owner add-backs, document one-time expenses, and produce GAAP-basis or tax-basis statements that a buyer's lender can actually underwrite. - **Reduce owner dependency.** If you are the primary salesperson, the primary client relationship, and the primary decision-maker, your business is worth less. Build a management layer, even a thin one, before going to market. - **Lock in recurring revenue.** Service agreements, maintenance contracts, retainers, subscriptions. Any revenue that renews without a new sales effort commands a higher multiple. - **Understand your buyer pool.** A $1.5M SDE HVAC company in Orlando has a very different buyer universe than a $4M EBITDA manufacturer in Jacksonville. Knowing who your buyer is determines how you position, price, and market the business. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What EBITDA multiple should I expect for my Florida business in 2026? It depends on your industry, size, growth trajectory, and how clean your financials are. In the $1M to $5M SDE range, most Florida businesses trade between 3.0x and 5.5x. Businesses above $5M EBITDA with recurring revenue and management in place can see 6.0x to 10.0x depending on sector. The table above provides industry-specific ranges based on current deal flow. ### Is it a good time to sell a business in Florida? Buyer demand is strong, but interest rates remain elevated compared to 2021 levels. The practical answer: if your business is performing well and your financials are clean, 2026 is a strong seller's market in Florida. If your business needs another year of growth to hit its potential, waiting can make sense, but only if the trajectory is real and documented. ### How long will it take to sell my Florida business? A well-prepared business with clean financials, realistic pricing, and an engaged seller typically closes in 90 to 180 days from listing. The median across all deal sizes and industries in Florida is closer to six to nine months. Businesses that go to market without preparation routinely take 12 months or longer. ### Do I need a quality of earnings report to sell my business? For businesses selling above $2M in total enterprise value, a sell-side quality of earnings report is becoming standard. It costs $15,000 to $40,000 depending on complexity, but it typically pays for itself by reducing renegotiation risk and accelerating buyer diligence. Below $2M, clean tax returns and a well-documented SDE normalization schedule are usually sufficient. ### What are buyers looking for in Florida businesses right now? Recurring revenue, a management team that can operate without the owner, geographic density in growing Florida markets, and clean three-year financial trends. Private equity buyers specifically look for fragmented industries where they can acquire a platform and bolt on smaller competitors. Home services, healthcare, and technology services fit this profile. ## Get Your Florida Business Valued If you want to know where your business falls in these ranges, start with a no-cost broker's opinion of value. CBH Business Group provides confidential valuations for Florida businesses in the $3M to $50M revenue range. We have been named a Top 50 Broker in Florida for 2024 and 2025 and the number one Top Dollar Producer in Central Florida for 2025. Get a free valuation estimate at https://cbhbusinessgroup.com/valuation-calculator or schedule a confidential call with Jesse Hastings at https://calendly.com/jesse-cbhadvisory. You can also reach us directly at (407) 908-3845.