Buying a marina or marine service business in Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay has 63 established marinas and marine service businesses 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, 76% 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

76%

built over 20+ years

$291k+

a year, earned by the top quarter

29%

built over 30+ years

What it takes to own one

Marinas and marine service businesses in Tampa Bay 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: $105,000 a year
Price about: $278,000
Your cash: $39,000
Could pay you: up to $55,000 a year

A strong company

Top quarter in Tampa Bay

Earns about: $291,000 a year
Price about: $770,000
Your cash: $108,000
Could pay you: up to $152,000 a year

One of the leaders

Top tenth in Tampa Bay

Earns about: $502,000 a year
Price about: $1.3 million
Your cash: $186,000
Could pay you: up to $262,000 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 2.6 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	30
30 to 39 years	10
40 years or more	8

Estimated yearly revenue	Companies
Under $1M	17
$1M to $2M	2
$2M to $4M	4
$4M to $8M	3

County	Companies
Pinellas	24
Hillsborough	15
Pasco	10
Polk	8
Citrus	6

Town	Companies
Tampa	6
Palm Harbor	5

What the best marinas and marine service businesses have in common

Full slips and storage racks, tenants who have stayed for years, and a waitlist.
Docks, seawalls, forklifts and lifts in good repair, with inspection and maintenance records.
A state submerged land lease in good standing, if the docks sit over state-owned water bottoms.
Fuel tanks that are registered, insured and tested on schedule.
Factory-trained technicians who have been there for years, and a service manager who isn't the owner.
Good water access: enough depth at low tide, and no low fixed bridges for the boats you serve.
Revenue spread across storage, fuel and service, so one slow line doesn't sink the year.
A hurricane plan that has worked: haul-out procedures, tie-down rules, and insurance that paid when it mattered.

What to check before you buy

Have a marine engineer survey the docks, pilings, seawall, travel lift and dry stack racks. Waterfront repairs are slow to permit and expensive to build, and they can't always wait.

Get the submerged land lease, its term, the rent history and any compliance letters, and ask DEP's Division of State Lands what it would take to transfer the lease to you. Pull fuel tank registrations, leak detection records and any past discharge reports. A boatyard that has done years of bottom painting and engine work deserves an environmental assessment before you buy the land or sign a long lease.

Get your own insurance quotes early, including windstorm and flood, rather than relying on the seller's policy, and ask what past storms cost in damage and lost months. Review the slip and storage agreements: rates compared with nearby marinas, deposits, and any abandoned or unpaid boats, which can be slow to remove. Finally, check that zoning allows every use on the site, from fuel sales to boat repair.

Questions to ask the owner

How many slips and racks are rented right now, and how long is the waitlist?
When were the docks, seawall and forklifts last inspected or rebuilt?
What happened here in the last few hurricanes, and what did insurance pay?
Is the submerged land lease current, and has DEP raised any issues?
Which engine brands are your technicians certified on, and would they stay?
How much of your revenue comes from storage, how much from fuel and how much from service?
Are there any abandoned boats or unpaid storage accounts on the property?

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

Owning a company in Tampa Bay

The local economy

Tampa Bay, as we draw it, runs from Citrus County south through Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough, and east into Polk: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Wesley Chapel, Brooksville, Inverness, Lakeland and Winter Haven. Tampa is the business center, with Port Tampa Bay, Tampa International Airport, the University of South Florida and MacDill Air Force Base, home to the headquarters of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. Financial services, insurance and health care employ many people, and the Gulf beaches of Pinellas bring tourists and seasonal residents.

Polk County sits on Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando and has become a center for warehouses and distribution, alongside its older citrus and phosphate industries. To the north, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus are more suburban and rural, with many retirees. Home service companies, the building trades, medical practices and auto businesses all have a deep customer base across the region.

What's different about owning a company here

Hurricane Helene's storm surge in September 2024 and Hurricane Milton two weeks later both hit the region hard. Flood zones and insurance costs now matter in any deal near the water. Ask how the business came through those storms, what it claimed, and whether its building sits in a flood zone.

The labor market is deep by Florida standards, though skilled tradespeople can still be hard to find. New homes have pushed north and east into Pasco and eastern Hillsborough, and along Interstate 4 in Polk, bringing demand for services with them. Coastal Pinellas is more seasonal than inland Tampa or Lakeland. The bay itself shapes a service company's territory: crossing a bridge at rush hour can turn a short distance into a long drive, so look at where the customers actually are.