Hollywood, Florida Business Brokers

Hollywood's economy runs on three distinct anchors that few cities its size can match. HEICO Corporation — the world's largest FAA-approved jet engine parts manufacturer — is headquartered here. Port Everglades, one of the top three cruise ports globally and Florida's #1 seaport by revenue, sits within the city's borders. Memorial Healthcare System, identified as the third largest public healthcare system in the nation, rounds out a triad that drives consistent demand for business services, suppliers, and support firms.

The numbers behind that demand are real. Hollywood's population of 159,072 carries a median household income of $71,067 — squarely mid-market, capable of supporting both consumer-facing businesses and B2B service firms. The top employment sectors confirm it: Retail Trade leads at 11,052 workers, Health Care & Social Assistance follows at 10,523, and Accommodation & Food Services employs 7,232.

Florida led all U.S. states in small-business transaction demand in 2025, according to BizBuySell closed-transaction data. Hollywood benefits directly as a Broward County node in that statewide activity. Its position between Miami and Fort Lauderdale gives it deal exposure well beyond what a city of 159,000 would typically generate — buyers targeting South Florida often evaluate Hollywood alongside both neighbors in the same search. That geographic leverage runs in both directions: sellers here reach a broader buyer pool, and acquirers scanning the corridor rarely skip it.

Retail Trade

Retail Trade is Hollywood's largest employment sector at 11,052 workers. Deal activity in this category spans franchise resales, strip-center specialty retail, and travel retail. Duty Free Americas, one of Hollywood's named major employers, anchors the travel retail niche — a category tied directly to Port Everglades passenger volume and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport traffic. Buyers targeting retail here should account for tourism seasonality, which compresses peak revenue into defined windows.

Health Care & Social Assistance

With 10,523 workers, Health Care & Social Assistance is the second-largest employment sector. Memorial Healthcare System — the third largest public healthcare system in the nation, according to city economic development sources — anchors a broader cluster of medical practices, home health agencies, behavioral health businesses, and ancillary service providers. That anchor creates steady deal flow in sub-$5M medical practice transactions, particularly in primary care, physical therapy, and home services catering to Broward County's older demographics.

Accommodation & Food Services

Hollywood Beach's hospitality strip and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood generate the demand that keeps 7,232 workers in Accommodation & Food Services. The Seminole Hard Rock is a major employer and a pull factor for adjacent F&B and entertainment concepts. Business valuations for restaurants and bars within the Hollywood Beach corridor reflect the premium that oceanfront foot traffic commands — a dynamic distinct from inland Broward submarkets.

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing

This is a niche sector by headcount but commands high valuations and attracts strategic buyers. HEICO Corporation has completed more than 90 acquisitions since the 1990s. In 2024, HEICO's Wencor subsidiary entered an agreement to acquire EthosEnergy Accessories and Components Limited. In 2025, HEICO's Flight Support Group acquired 80% of Sherwood Avionics and Accessories, Inc. That acquisition pace signals an active roll-up environment — and where a dominant acquirer operates, suppliers and adjacent businesses eventually come to market.

Transportation & Logistics

Port Everglades' status as Florida's top seaport by revenue creates downstream deal opportunities in freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and last-mile logistics. Businesses serving the port's import-export pipeline — particularly those with established carrier relationships or licensed customs operations — attract buyers seeking contracted, recurring revenue tied to one of the country's most active cargo and cruise hubs.

Selling a business in Hollywood, Florida moves through a predictable sequence — valuation, deal packaging, confidential marketing, buyer vetting, letter of intent, due diligence, and closing — but Florida's regulatory layer adds steps that can surprise sellers who have only dealt with other states.

Start with credentials. Under Fla. Stat. §475.01(1)(a), Florida defines "business opportunities" as real property, which means anyone brokering a business sale for compensation must hold an active Florida real estate broker license. Verify any broker's license directly through the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) via DBPR before signing anything.

Once you're under contract, the regulatory checklist expands. Asset sales require a Certificate of Compliance or Transferee Liability Certificate from the Florida Department of Revenue (Forms DR-842/DR-843) — this protects the buyer from inheriting your unpaid sales tax liabilities and is a standard closing requirement. Your entity filings with the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) must be current: annual reports, registered agent information, and any pending amendments need to be clean before closing day.

Hollywood's hospitality concentration adds a specific timing risk. If your business holds a liquor license — common in a market anchored by the Seminole Hard Rock ecosystem and a dense F&B corridor along Hollywood Beach — the DBPR Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco must approve a Form 6002 Transfer of Ownership. That approval process can extend your timeline by weeks or months, so factor it into your LOI terms and closing date.

Buyers financing through SBA programs can connect with the SBA South Florida District Office for guidance on 7(a) and 504 loan eligibility. End-to-end, expect the full process to run six to twelve months from signed engagement to funded close.

Three buyer profiles drive most deal activity in Hollywood's market, and they behave differently enough that knowing which one is interested changes how you price and structure a deal.

International and cross-border investors represent a meaningful segment here in a way that is less pronounced in most Florida cities. Hollywood sits at the geographic midpoint between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and Port Everglades — one of the top three cruise ports in the world and Florida's top seaport by revenue — creates deep commercial ties to Latin American and Caribbean markets. Investors already active in import/export, freight forwarding, or logistics along those trade routes frequently look at Hollywood businesses as natural adjacencies. That said, SBA 7(a) and 504 financing rule changes effective March 2026, which restrict those loans to U.S. citizens, are narrowing the international buyer pool and pushing more cross-border deals toward all-cash or seller-note structures.

Strategic and corporate acquirers are a second active segment. HEICO Corporation, headquartered in Hollywood, has completed more than 90 acquisitions since the 1990s — making it a local archetype for the roll-up buyer model. Aerospace component suppliers and defense-adjacent manufacturers in Broward County regularly draw interest from strategic buyers running similar playbooks. Memorial Healthcare System's regional dominance similarly attracts acquirers targeting healthcare practices and ancillary services.

SBA-backed owner-operators — including first-time buyers and South Florida relocators moving from Miami-Dade — round out the pool. Essential-service businesses in healthcare, logistics, and home services command seller-favorable terms with this group. Discretionary lifestyle businesses, particularly restaurants and retail, currently favor buyers given broader market conditions.

Florida's licensing requirement is the right place to start. Every broker you interview must hold an active Florida real estate broker license — not a sales associate license, and not an out-of-state credential. Confirm their status directly through FREC via the DBPR lookup tool before the first conversation goes further. This step is specific to Florida and not required in most other states.

Beyond the license, sector fit matters more in Hollywood than in a more homogeneous market. A broker who specializes in restaurant resales is not the right choice for selling an aerospace component supplier tied to the HEICO cluster. The valuation methodologies differ, the buyer networks are entirely separate, and the due diligence checklists are miles apart. Ask directly: how many deals have you closed in this industry category, and what did those buyers look like?

Geographic reach is also a real factor. Broward County deal flow spills across Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Miramar, and into Miami-Dade. A broker whose buyer database stops at the Hollywood city limits will miss a significant share of qualified acquirers. Ask how they market listings — platforms like BusinessBrokers.net and BizBuySell each reach different buyer segments — and what their average days-on-market looks like for comparable businesses.

Confidentiality protocols deserve specific scrutiny in Hollywood. The healthcare and hospitality professional communities here are tight-knit; a leak about a pending sale can damage employee morale, vendor relationships, and customer confidence before a deal closes. Ask brokers exactly how they screen buyers before releasing financials and whether they use tiered NDA disclosures.

The Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce can provide referrals and help you cross-reference which brokers are consistently active in the local market.

Business broker commissions in Florida typically run 8–12% of the sale price for transactions under $1 million. Larger deals — aerospace component businesses, healthcare practices, or logistics companies — usually shift to a tiered or modified Lehman formula, where the percentage steps down as the deal size increases. There is no single universal rate, and any broker who quotes one without asking about your business size and deal structure deserves a follow-up question.

Most brokers require an exclusive listing agreement running six to twelve months. Before signing, negotiate exit clauses tied to concrete performance milestones — number of qualified buyer introductions, for example — rather than a hard expiration date alone. Some brokers charge an upfront valuation or retainer fee, commonly in the range of $1,500–$5,000, that may or may not be credited against the eventual success fee. Get that in writing either way.

Closing costs in Florida carry line items that don't appear in states without equivalent regulatory structures. Budget for Florida Department of Revenue tax clearance filing fees (Forms DR-842/DR-843), Sunbiz entity transfer and amendment fees, and — for any business holding a liquor license — DBPR Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Form 6002 transfer fees. These add up and are easy to underestimate in Hollywood's hospitality-heavy deal mix.

One structural advantage for individual sellers: Florida imposes no personal income tax, and most S-corps and LLCs face no state income tax on sale proceeds. Federal capital gains rates still apply, but the absence of a state-level tax bite is a real benefit compared to most other states.

Several verified resources serve Hollywood-area sellers and buyers directly.

• [SCORE Broward](https://www.score.org/broward) — The Broward chapter is physically located at 6565 Taft St, Suite 403, Hollywood, FL 33024. It offers free one-on-one mentoring from experienced business advisors, covering exit planning, valuation prep, and buyer negotiation basics.

• [SBDC Fort Lauderdale](http://sbdcfortlauderdale.org/) — Serving Hollywood businesses through the University of West Florida's statewide network, the SBDC provides low-cost financial analysis, business valuation guidance, and exit planning support. A practical first stop before engaging a broker.

• [SBA South Florida District Office](https://www.sba.gov/district/south-florida) — Administers SBA 7(a) and 504 loan programs in the region. With financing rule changes taking effect March 2026, sellers whose buyers rely on SBA loans should contact this office early to understand current eligibility requirements.

• [Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce](https://hollywoodchamber.org/) — Provides local business community connections and can serve as a referral network for identifying brokers and advisors active in the Hollywood market.

• [South Florida Business Journal](https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida) — The primary regional source for tracking comparable transactions, market trends, and deal news across Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

• [Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)](https://dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/) and [Florida Department of Revenue](https://floridarevenue.com/taxes/compliance/Pages/tax_clearance.aspx) — The two state regulatory touch points for entity transfer filings and tax clearance certificates required at closing.

Hollywood's commercially meaningful zones each attract a different buyer profile.

Hollywood Beach / Broadwalk corridor — The 2.5-mile oceanfront promenade generates consistent deal activity in hospitality, retail, and F&B. Seasonal buyer interest peaks around tourism cycles, and sellers here often time listings accordingly.

Downtown Hollywood / Young Circle Arts Park — The redeveloping urban core draws boutique retail, creative services, and independent restaurant concepts. Redevelopment momentum makes this a zone worth watching for value-add acquisitions.

Dania Beach and Hallandale Beach border zones — Industrial and logistics businesses cluster near Port Everglades and the I-95/I-595 interchange. Buyers targeting freight, warehousing, or light manufacturing frequently treat this corridor as a single submarket.

West Hollywood / Broward suburban corridors — Healthcare practices, home services, and professional service firms serving residential density anchor this zone. SCORE Broward, located at 6565 Taft St in Hollywood, provides local advisory resources for buyers and sellers operating here.

Cross-market deals are the norm, not the exception. Buyers and sellers in Hollywood routinely work across Broward and Miami-Dade lines. Brokers covering this market typically serve Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Weston, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton, and Miami within the same practice.