Buying a dry cleaner in Orlando and Central Florida

• Loyal customers who come often, and a growing delivery or commercial business that doesn't depend on office dress codes.
• A plant with modern, well-maintained machines that don't use perchloroethylene ("perc"), the solvent EPA is phasing out of dry cleaning. Newer machines also use less solvent and energy, but they do nothing about what older machines left in the ground.
• A clean environmental record at the site, backed by testing.
• Several revenue sources: wash-and-fold, alterations, household items, commercial work.
• Experienced pressers and spotters who plan to stay. A good spotter saves garments, and customers notice.
• A long lease with a landlord who understands the business and its environmental history.
• Turnaround times customers can count on, with few lost or damaged items.
• Point-of-sale software that tracks customers, orders and garments.

• The site's environmental history: at least a Phase I environmental site assessment (a records and site review), and likely soil and groundwater testing (a Phase II) if perc was ever used there. Cleanup costs can be large; talk to an environmental attorney before you sign anything.
• The plant's DEP registration, whether the site was accepted into the cleanup program before 1999 (and still qualifies), and what DEP's online records show.
• Equipment age, solvent type, boiler condition and maintenance records.
• Revenue for five years, by service.
• Customer counts and delivery routes.
• Utility costs, which run high for boilers and presses.
• The lease, including environmental clauses and who is responsible for contamination.
• Unclaimed garments and customer damage claims.
• Drop-off stores and lockers: leases, volume, and whether they're worth keeping.

• What solvent do your machines use, and how old are they?
• Has perc ever been used here, and has the site ever been tested for contamination?
• Is the plant registered with DEP, and was the site ever accepted into the state cleanup program?
• How has your revenue changed over the last five years?
• How many delivery and commercial customers do you have?
• Who runs the plant day to day?
• What does your lease say about environmental issues, and what does the landlord know?

This region covers Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Sumter and Marion counties: Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Sanford, Clermont, Leesburg, Ocala and the large retirement communities of Sumter and Lake counties. Tourism is what the area is best known for, built on the theme parks, the hotels, the vacation rental homes around Kissimmee and the Orange County Convention Center. It's far from the only business. The University of Central Florida and the military simulation and training offices near it support a technology base, and health care is a major employer.

Marion County is horse country, with thoroughbred farms around Ocala, and it has added warehouses and distribution centers along Interstate 75. Retirees in Sumter and Lake create steady demand for medical practices, home care, home maintenance and auto services. The building trades, restaurants, and companies that serve hotels and rental homes do well across the region.

Central Florida is inland, so storm surge isn't the worry it is on the coasts. Hurricanes still bring wind damage and flooding, though: Hurricane Ian flooded neighborhoods in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties in 2022. Ask whether the business or its customers were affected.

Tourism keeps demand steadier through the year than in markets that depend on winter residents, with busy stretches around school holidays. Hotels, parks and restaurants compete hard for workers, which pushes up wages for any company that hires hourly staff. New homes have spread fast in Osceola, south Lake and southeast Orange counties and around Ocala, so check whether a company's customers are in growing areas or older ones. Traffic on Interstate 4 limits how much ground a service company can cover in a day.