June 24, 2026 — Central Florida (I-4 Corridor & Space Coast) new business activity

Central Florida's eight counties logged 2,091 new business filings the week of June 3 to 9, down 19.1% from the week before but still 6% ahead of the same week last year.

Orange County drove most of the week's decline. It fell 208 filings to 846, with Orlando alone down 184 to 603. Orange is still the region's busiest county by far. Its swings move the whole region's total.

A few kinds of business kept growing while the region as a whole slipped. Construction and trades added 21 filings to reach 168. Professional services held the top spot at 272, up 10. Technology and media rose 7 to 64.

Polk County was the only county to hold steady, up 2 to 331. Lakeland led all cities with a gain of 12, reaching 101. Davenport eased just 8 to 76. That stretch of Polk held up while every other county dropped.

Hospitality and tourism saw the steepest sector fall, down 58 to 125. Personal and other services dropped 39 to 117. Healthcare slipped 23 to 101. No single filing agent accounted for 10% or more of the week, so the drop was spread across many filers, not one big batch.

Very little growth over the past 13 weeks with a dip this past week pulling the average down.

The bold line is the 13-week average. Read it for the longer trend. The thin line is each week's count, which swings week to week.

Construction & Trades grew the most this week, 21 more (up 14.3%). Management of Companies dropped the most, 97 fewer (down 70.3%). Several smaller sectors also grew.

Orange led the region this week with 846 new filings. 1 other county also grew from the week before.

• On June 2, 2026, Space Florida's board approved an investment in Seagate Space under a program it calls Project Manta, backing a prototype of an offshore, sea-based rocket launch system. The first prototype is set to be built at the Port of Tampa Bay with Tampa Ship. Space Florida says offshore launch could add to the state's land-based launch sites and spread aerospace work to more parts of Florida. Aerospace engineering firms, marine and shipyard contractors, and specialized fabricators stand to gain, along with the accounting, legal, and IT support new aerospace ventures need. This lines up with professional services holding the top spot at 272 filings and technology firms rising 7 to 64 this week. Space Florida, 2026-06-02
• Space Florida and the Florida Venture Forum named six companies as winners of $150,000 in investment at the 18th annual Early Stage Venture Conference in Orlando on June 3, 2026. The winners can also share in $80,000 of legal services. The event featured 32 companies picked from nearly 300 applicants in fields like aerospace, defense, and emerging technology. Early-stage funding draws founders who then need lawyers, accountants, bookkeepers, and office or lab space. That fits the 272 professional services filings and 64 technology and media filings logged this week. Space Florida, 2026-06-03
• On June 2, 2026, the Orange County commission held public hearings on two road studies. One would widen McCulloch Road from two lanes to four with a raised median between Ken Dixon Way and North Tanner Road. The other covers safety and operations upgrades on Chuluota Road from north of State Road 50 to Lake Pickett Road. Road widening means work for site contractors, paving and grading crews, surveyors, and engineering firms, plus the equipment rental and materials suppliers behind them. Construction and trades filings rose 21 to 168 this week, in step with this kind of roadwork moving through the county. Orange County Government Newsroom, 2026-06-02
• The Osceola County commission approved a development deal with ELSPES, Inc., a South Korea-based semiconductor maker, to invest $470 million and create more than 600 high-wage jobs at the NeoCity technology district east of Kissimmee. The roughly 40 acre site will be NeoCity's largest private footprint so far, built in two phases of about 289,000 square feet each. A build this size feeds construction and site work first, then freight and logistics, commercial cleaning, security, and landscaping once it opens, plus accounting, insurance, IT, and legal help for the plant and its suppliers. Construction filings rose 21 to 168 and transportation and logistics logged 145 this week, the kind of firms that chase work like this. Osceola County Government, 2026-05-05
• The Osceola County commission approved a deal with SRS.Mobility, LLC, a South Korea-based technology company, to set up its U.S. headquarters at NeoCity. The county will convey about 5.8 acres of ready-to-build land. SRS plans to invest more than $53 million in a 110,000 square foot facility and create at least 190 jobs averaging $85,000 a year, focused on radar-based security and sensors. New headquarters and manufacturing space means jobs for builders and trades up front, then logistics, cleaning, and security crews, plus the professional services a 190 person operation needs. It adds to the same construction and logistics demand showing up in this week's filings. Osceola County Government, 2026-04-21
• Port Canaveral won a $20.21 million federal grant to rehabilitate its North Cargo Berths 1 and 2, which mostly serve tankers carrying refined fuel for Central Florida. The total project runs $37.43 million, with the state adding $12.86 million and the port $4.36 million. Design work is underway, with construction set to start in early 2027 and finish about 16 months later. A berth rebuild means work for marine and heavy construction contractors, engineering and design firms, and the trucking and fuel logistics businesses that move product off the docks. This supports the 145 transportation and logistics filings recorded this week. Port Canaveral (Canaveral Port Authority), 2026-04-28
• Orlando International Airport will move Virgin Atlantic from Terminal A to Terminal C starting June 30, 2026, timed to the opening of four new gates numbered 250 to 254 in the Terminal C expansion. The new gates can handle eight narrow-body aircraft or four widebody aircraft. The airport serves nearly 58 million passengers a year. More gate capacity means more work for ground handling, aircraft cleaning, catering and food supply, and airport staffing firms, plus the hospitality businesses that serve arriving travelers. Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (Orlando International Airport), 2026-06-13

The week ran below the recent pace, but the region is still 6% ahead of the same week last year, so the pool of new clients is real. Construction and trades keep growing, and the public record shows why. Road widening in Orange County, the $470 million ELSPES plant and the SRS.Mobility headquarters at NeoCity, and a $20.21 million berth rebuild at Port Canaveral all point to steady building and logistics work ahead. If you sell to new businesses, the best openings this week are with builders, site and trade contractors, freight and logistics firms, and the accountants, insurers, IT, and legal help every new venture needs. Polk County and Lakeland are the steadiest patch of the map right now.

We count new business filings recorded with the State of Florida for the eight counties in this region, then sort them by the kind of business and by county and city. We wait about two weeks after the week ends for the state to finish recording every filing, so these counts are complete and accurate. Industry groups use plain-language categories built from the official business codes.

Frequently asked questions

Why did filings drop this week?

Most of the decline came from Orange County, down 208 to 846, with Orlando down 184 to 603. The region total fell 493 to 2,091. Even so, that is 6% above the same week in 2025.

Which areas held up best?

Polk County rose 2 to 331, the only county that did not fall. Lakeland added 12 to reach 101, the strongest city gain of the week.

Were any sectors still growing?

Yes. Construction and trades added 21 to 168, professional services rose 10 to 272, and technology and media gained 7 to 64.