Buying a specialty contracting business in Orlando and Central Florida

• A clear niche and reputation: the company local builders, pool contractors or property managers call first. Narrow specialists often face fewer competitors than general trades.
• A mix of residential and commercial customers, with none dominating.
• Repeat or cyclical work, such as parking lot maintenance or service contracts, alongside one-time jobs.
• Accurate quoting from site visits or measurements, so jobs don't run over.
• Crews that can sell add-ons and handle customers without the owner.
• Good supplier terms on key materials (fence panels, pavers, turf, aluminum, lift parts).
• Equipment suited to the work and maintained, without big replacements looming.
• A steady flow of leads that doesn't depend on the owner's personal network.

• Exactly what work the company does, and whether each kind is properly licensed and permitted.
• Revenue by niche and customer type, and how much depends on new home construction.
• Customer deposits on jobs not yet done, and whether materials already bought cover them.
• Warranty promises (fence posts, paver settling, turf, lifts) and how often crews get called back.
• Equipment and vehicles. In some niches, such as asphalt, scaffolding or marine work, equipment is most of the value.
• Insurance: general liability, auto, workers' compensation, and marine coverage where needed.
• Permits left open on finished jobs. Dock and seawall work usually also needs environmental permits from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) or a water management district, and often from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• Dependence on one supplier whose terms are tied to the owner.
• Seasons and storms: fence and dock work can spike after hurricanes and then fall back.

• What kinds of jobs make up most of your revenue, and which make the most money?
• Which licenses and certifications does the company hold, and who holds them?
• Where do your leads come from?
• What do you guarantee, and how often do you get called back?
• What equipment would a buyer need to replace in the next few years?
• How many crews do you run, and who leads them?
• How did the business do the last time new home construction slowed?

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.