Buying a farm, nursery or agricultural service business in Space Coast and Volusia

Space Coast and Volusia has 48 established farms, nurseries and agricultural services by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 90% have been in business 20 years or more. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.

established companies

90%

built over 20+ years

$400k+

a year, earned by the top quarter

38%

built over 30+ years

What it takes to own one

Farms, nurseries and agricultural services in Space Coast and Volusia come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.

A solid company

Earns about: $86,000 a year
Price about: $236,000
Your cash: $33,000
Could pay you: up to $43,000 a year

A strong company

Top quarter in Space Coast and Volusia

Earns about: $400,000 a year
Price about: $1.1 million
Your cash: $154,000
Could pay you: up to $202,000 a year

One of the leaders

Top tenth in Space Coast and Volusia

Earns about: $616,000 a year
Price about: $1.7 million
Your cash: $237,000
Could pay you: up to $311,000 a year

Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 2.8 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.

Age, size and location

Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.

In business	Companies
Under 20 years	5
20 to 29 years	25
30 to 39 years	10
40 years or more	8

Estimated yearly revenue	Companies
Under $1M	13
$2M to $4M	3
$4M to $8M	1
Over $8M	1

County	Companies
Volusia	29
Brevard	11
Flagler	8

Town	Companies
Deleon Springs	8
Bunnell	6
Pierson	6

What the best farms, nurseries and agricultural services have in common

A grower or production manager who knows the crop and plans to stay. In a nursery, much of the know-how lives with that person.
Repeat buyers spread across landscapers, builders and retailers, not one big account.
Inventory that is counted, healthy and in the sizes and varieties that sell in your area now.
Reliable water: wells, pumps and irrigation in good repair, and a water use permit that covers what the business actually pumps.
A clean record with state plant inspectors: no stop-sale orders or quarantines.
Shade houses, greenhouses, tractors and trucks that weren't patched together after the last storm.
Records good enough to show which crops or services actually make money.

What to check before you buy

Land. Is it included, leased or a separate deal? For a leased farm or nursery, the lease's length and renewal terms can matter more than anything else.
Inventory. Count and grade it with someone who knows plants. Buyers and sellers disagree most over what plants in the ground are worth, and pests or disease can lead to a stop-sale order.
Weather. Ask about hurricane and freeze damage, what was lost and what insurance or disaster programs paid.
Labor. How the business finds and pays seasonal workers, whether it uses a labor contractor or the federal H-2A visa program, and whether it follows housing and wage rules.
Water and environment. Compare what the permit allows with what's actually pumped, and look at fuel tanks, chemical storage and old dump spots. An environmental site assessment is common when land is part of the sale.
The building cycle. Nursery demand rises and falls with home and commercial construction.

Questions to ask the owner

Which plants or crops make you the most money, and which do you grow mostly out of habit?
Who are your biggest buyers, and how long have they been buying from you?
How did the place come through the last few hurricanes or freezes, and what did you change afterward?
Who grows the crop day to day, and would they stay on after a sale?
In a dry spring, how much water do you pump compared with what your permit allows?
When did the state plant inspector last come out, and did they find anything?
How do you find enough workers at your busiest time of year?
What would come with the business: the land, the equipment, the plants in the ground and in containers?

To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a farm, nursery or agricultural service business in Florida.

Owning a company in Space Coast and Volusia

The local economy

This region covers Brevard, Volusia and Flagler counties: Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, DeLand, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast. Brevard's economy is built around space. Rockets launch often from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and aerospace and defense manufacturers and their suppliers employ engineers, technicians and machinists across the county. Port Canaveral is a major cruise port.

Volusia depends more on tourism, beaches and big events, with Daytona's motorsports and motorcycle rallies drawing crowds. Health care and a large retired population matter too. Flagler County, around Palm Coast, is mostly residential. Machine shops, electrical and engineering firms, home service companies, marine businesses and restaurants all have a place here.

What's different about owning a company here

Brevard's fortunes follow the space and defense programs. A company that sells to aerospace firms should be able to show you how many customers it depends on and how secure their work is. Business in Volusia spikes around big events and the winter season, so look at revenue by month.

The whole coast faces storm risk. In 2022, Hurricane Ian brought flooding to much of Volusia, and Hurricane Nicole, which came ashore near Vero Beach six weeks later, washed away beaches and seawalls along the Volusia coast. Beachfront property needs careful insurance and structural checks. The Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River make boating and fishing part of daily life, which keeps the marine trades busy. Palm Coast and the Palm Bay area have added many new homes, and companies serving those areas have grown with them.