Buying a fire and security company in Southwest Florida

Southwest Florida has 59 established fire and security companies 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, 75% have been in business 20 years or more, and at least 68% hold a state license. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.

established companies

75%

built over 20+ years

$244k+

a year, earned by the top quarter

68%

hold a state license

What it takes to own one

Fire and security companies in Southwest Florida 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: $120,000 a year
Price about: $354,000
Your cash: $50,000
Could pay you: up to $56,000 a year

A strong company

Top quarter in Southwest Florida

Earns about: $244,000 a year
Price about: $719,000
Your cash: $101,000
Could pay you: up to $114,000 a year

One of the leaders

Top tenth in Southwest Florida

Earns about: $527,000 a year
Price about: $1.6 million
Your cash: $218,000
Could pay you: up to $247,000 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 3.0 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	15
20 to 29 years	34
30 to 39 years	5
40 years or more	5

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

County	Companies
Lee	22
Collier	12
Sarasota	11
Manatee	10
Other counties	4

Town	Companies
Naples	12
Sarasota	12
Fort Myers	9

What the best fire and security companies have in common

Monitoring and inspection contracts that make up a large share of revenue, with few cancellations. Buyers pay most for this part.
Inspection findings turned into repair jobs, quoted and done before the customer calls someone else.
Commercial customers spread across many buildings and property managers, so losing one doesn't hurt much.
Technicians with the right state credentials and the industry certifications that inspections require.
Monitoring contracts that can pass to a new owner, with a reliable monitoring center behind them.
Careful estimates on project work, and little reliance on one general contractor.
Inspection and service records in software, showing every building's schedule and history.

What to check before you buy

Monitoring accounts and inspection contracts in detail: value, terms and cancellations over three years.
Whether the contracts can be transferred to you. That may depend on whether you buy the company itself or only its assets.
The monitoring center agreement: cost per account, and who owns the customer relationship.
Deficiencies (problems found during inspections) not yet repaired, and any liability if a system failed.
Claims or lawsuits after fires or break-ins.
Who holds each license and certificate, and whether they'll stay.
Background checks and training records for every alarm employee, since gaps are a licensing problem for the company.
Older alarm panels that report over phone lines or cellular networks that carriers have shut down.

Questions to ask the owner

How much of your revenue comes from monitoring and inspections, and how has that grown?
How many monitoring accounts and inspection contracts do you have, and on what terms?
Who monitors your accounts, and could that agreement pass to a new owner?
Whose licenses and certificates does the company work under?
How many problems from recent inspections are still waiting on repairs?
How much of your work is new systems bid through general contractors?
Have you ever been sued after a system didn't work as expected?

To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a fire and security company in Florida.

Owning a company in Southwest Florida

The local economy

This region covers Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties on the Gulf coast and Hendry, Glades and DeSoto inland: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, LaBelle, Clewiston, Moore Haven and Arcadia. The coastal economy runs on people who choose to live or spend the winter here: retirees, seasonal residents, and the construction, real estate, health care, financial and home services that follow them. Tourism, golf and boating add to it.

Inland, the economy is agricultural: sugarcane around Clewiston, citrus, cattle and vegetables, with Immokalee in Collier County a center for farm work. The building trades, pool, landscaping and pest control companies, property managers, medical and dental practices, and marine businesses tend to do well along the coast.

What's different about owning a company here

This is one of Florida's most seasonal markets. From roughly January through April, restaurants, shops and service companies run at full speed. Summers are slower, so look at monthly revenue, not only the yearly total. The coast has taken two major hurricanes in recent years: Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa in Lee County in September 2022, and Milton at Siesta Key in Sarasota County in October 2024. Rebuilding brought a wave of work for contractors that won't last forever, so ask how much recent revenue came from storm repairs. Insurance costs and flood zones weigh on every property.

Housing costs near the coast make hiring hard, especially around Naples. New communities east of Interstate 75 in Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Manatee keep service companies busy.