July 21, 2026 — Tampa Bay (Gulf Coast) new business activity

Tampa Bay recorded 1,619 new business filings in a week cut short by the July 4 holiday, when the state office did not record filings on several days.

The state office that records new business filings was closed over the July 4 holiday and did not produce filing data on several days of this week. So the 1,619 filings Tampa Bay recorded cover fewer recording days than a normal week. This is a short week on the calendar, not a slowdown in the region's economy, and the count should not be compared to a full week.

The clearest sign is how evenly the drop landed. Every one of the region's 20 industry groups and all 7 counties came down together, most of them in a band between 43% and 56%. Pinellas fell 51.3% to 651 filings and Hillsborough fell 49.7% to 468. A real pullback in business formation shows up in some sectors and some places first. A closed office shows up everywhere at once, which is what happened here.

For the honest read on the region, use the longer view. The 13 week average sits at 3,461 filings a week. Over the last 13 weeks Tampa Bay recorded 44,991 filings against 47,205 in the 13 weeks before that, so the underlying pace is easing slightly. Step back further and the year is running ahead of recent ones. June brought 15,369 filings across the region this year against 13,587 last year and 11,981 the year before.

Composition still reads clean even in a short week. Property Holding and Asset Protection led with 280 filings at 17.3% of the week, followed by Professional Services at 268 and 16.6%. Construction and Trades held 118 filings at 7.3%. Those shares track close to a normal week, which is another sign the week was shortened rather than changed.

Muy poca baja en las últimas 13 semanas con una caída esta última semana que bajó el promedio.

La línea gruesa es el promedio de 13 semanas. Léela para ver la tendencia más larga. La línea delgada es el conteo de cada semana, que cambia de una semana a otra.

• 2025-26
• 2024-25
• 2023-24
• 2022-23
• 2021-22

La formación de negocios nuevos suele ser más alta alrededor de Mar y más baja alrededor de Nov, y se mantiene cerca de 12,500 al mes a lo largo de los años.

Cada línea es un año, que termina en el mes actual a la derecha, así puedes leer el año pasado de izquierda a derecha. El Día de Año Nuevo queda fuera porque la oficina estatal está cerrada, así casi ningún negocio se registra ese día.

Professional Services dropped the most this week, 225 fewer (down 45.6%).

Pinellas led the region this week with 651 new filings.

• Pinellas County commissioners took up a slate of countywide service contracts, including a $2,230,063.80 award for mowing and landscape maintenance shared by Average Joe Landscape, Duval Landscape Maintenance and Rotolo Consultants, Inc., and a $2,389,975.00 countywide exterior painting contract with SESPECA, LLC. These are signed, funded county contracts, so the work is real and dated. A $2,230,063.80 mowing and landscape contract over 36 months means steady route work for crews, mower and equipment dealers, irrigation repair, and fuel and hauling accounts. The $2,389,975.00 exterior painting contract puts three years of surface prep, scaffolding, coatings supply, and pressure washing in play across county buildings. Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, 2026-07-21
• Pinellas County's Joe's Creek Restoration and Greenway Trail carries total funds of $50,346,148.80 from a state grant and county contributions, with $17,120,395.00 in project costs awarded. Design and permitting run through mid-2027, and construction runs from late 2027 to late 2029. A $50,346,148.80 project gives the trades a long runway. Design and permitting run through mid-2027, which is work now for engineering, surveying, environmental testing, and permit expediting. Construction from late 2027 to late 2029 opens earthmoving, channel stabilization, concrete, erosion control, trail paving, landscaping, and the trucking that moves the spoil. Pinellas County, 2026-07-13
• St. Petersburg selected development proposals for the Historic Gas Plant District. One bid covers 86 acres with more than 3,600 units of affordable and workforce housing, new public infrastructure, a park, and a workforce training and small business center. The Pinellas County Housing Authority was selected for a seven story, 80 unit affordable senior housing community. An 86 acre build with more than 3,600 housing units is years of work for site contractors, concrete, framing, electrical, plumbing, and roofing crews, plus the material suppliers behind them. The 80 unit senior building adds elevator, fire protection, and accessibility work. A workforce training and small business center points to future tenants who will need accountants, insurance agents, IT setup, and cleaning contracts. City of St. Petersburg, 2026-07-02
• Tampa began a full rebuild of the Rey Park Center in West Tampa, a nearly $4 million community redevelopment investment covering a 5,082 square foot center plus 2,281 square feet of covered porch on a 1.35 acre park, expected to finish by December 2027. A nearly $4 million rebuild on a 1.35 acre park is a full teardown and build cycle. The 5,082 square foot center plus 2,281 square feet of covered porch means demolition and hauling, foundation and slab work, framing, roofing, glass, and mechanical trades, then the playground, court surfacing, shade structures, and outdoor fitness installs. Completion by December 2027 gives suppliers a schedule to plan around. City of Tampa, 2026-06-24
• Manatee County's development registry for June 27 to July 5, 2026 lists a site plan for The Point Live Local, two apartment buildings totaling 90 units in Bradenton. It also lists a new 9,768 square foot North River Fire District Station 6 in Parrish. A third entry covers tree removal and mass grading of about 23.2 acres for Gamble Oaks in Palmetto. This registry is a forward look at Manatee work before it is built. The 90 unit Point Live Local site plan means apartment framing, utilities, and paving. The 9,768 square foot North River Fire District Station 6 calls for masonry, pre-engineered metal, roofing panels, polished concrete, and full mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection packages. Gamble Oaks at about 23.2 acres is tree removal, grading, and the hauling and erosion control that follow. Manatee County Government Development Services, 2026-07-06
• The Florida Department of Transportation's $177.4 million I-75 and Fruitville Road interchange project in Sarasota County is in construction. It rebuilds the interchange as a diverging diamond, widens about 2 miles of I-75 to six lanes, and adds bike lanes and sidewalks on Fruitville Road. Completion is set for early 2029. A $177.4 million interchange in construction through early 2029 sustains heavy civil work: bridge demolition and rebuild, roadway widening across about 2 miles, signals, lighting, and a noise barrier. It also feeds barricade rental, traffic control, survey, materials testing, and the food and fuel businesses that serve long-running road crews. Florida Department of Transportation, 2026-05-27
• Saint Leo University in Pasco County received state budget funding of $1.2 million to expand its nursing program with three classrooms, a nursing lab and offices, $602,000 to build a security operations center and cyberforensics laboratory, and $995,000 for stormwater infrastructure supporting the proposed St. Leo Town Center. The $1.2 million nursing expansion reconfigures existing space into three classrooms, a lab, and offices, which is interior demolition, partitions, electrical, and casework, plus lab equipment suppliers. The $602,000 security operations center and forensics lab needs low-voltage, data cabling, and specialized fit-out. The $995,000 stormwater work supports a proposed town center, which is site utilities now and retail and restaurant tenants later. Saint Leo University, 2026-07-01
• Hernando County combined its zoning and building customer service lobbies into one location at 789 Providence Boulevard in Brooksville, so contractors and businesses handle zoning and building questions in a single stop. Zoning and building questions now happen at one counter at 789 Providence Boulevard in Brooksville. For builders, remodelers, sign installers, and anyone pulling permits in Hernando County, that is fewer trips and faster answers on projects already in motion. Hernando County, 2026-07-15

Do not read this week's 1,619 filings as a smaller pool of prospects. The week was short because the state did not record filings on several holiday days, and the 13 week average of 3,461 is the number to plan against. The steadier opportunity right now is in the public record rather than the weekly count. Pinellas has a $50,346,148.80 creek restoration moving through design, St. Petersburg has picked builders for an 86 acre district with more than 3,600 housing units, Sarasota County has a $177.4 million interchange under construction, and Manatee's registry shows a 90 unit apartment site plan and a 9,768 square foot fire station in review. Construction and Trades filed 118 new businesses this week and Professional Services filed 268, and those are the firms that will staff, supply, insure, and account for this work. Contractors, equipment and material suppliers, engineering and survey firms, and the accountants, insurers, and IT providers who serve new tenants have a clear reason to reach these projects and these new firms early, before bids and permits are locked.

Counts come from new business filings registered with the State of Florida, grouped by the county and city on each filing, for the business week of June 30 to July 6, 2026. We wait about two weeks after a week ends for the state to finish recording all of its filings, so these counts are complete and accurate. One thing shaped this week. The state office was closed for the July 4 holiday and did not produce filing data on several days. That means this week covers fewer recording days than a normal week, and its total is not directly comparable to a full week. We report it that way on purpose. The 13 week average, the year over year figures, and the industry and county shares are the more reliable ways to read the region this period. Local developments are drawn from government and organization records published by the agencies and organizations themselves.

Preguntas frecuentes

Why are this week's numbers so much lower?

The state office that records new business filings was closed over the July 4 holiday and did not produce filing data on several days. Fewer recording days means a lower count. It does not mean fewer businesses are forming in Tampa Bay.

What number should I plan against instead?

Use the 13 week average of 3,461 filings a week. It smooths out holidays and one-off weeks and reflects the region's real pace.

Is business formation in Tampa Bay falling?

The recent pace is easing slightly. The last 13 weeks recorded 44,991 filings against 47,205 in the 13 weeks before. Over a longer view the year is running ahead of recent years, with 15,369 filings in June against 13,587 a year earlier.