NewBiz Alert Tampa Bay (Gulf Coast) weekly brief
June 9, 2026 — Tampa Bay (Gulf Coast) new business activity
By NewBiz Alert, for the week of May 19 to May 25, 2026, from Florida Division of Corporations filings. How we built this.
New business filings
2,184
Week of May 19 to 25, seven counties
Share that are LLCs
90.4%
1,974 of 2,184 filings
Busiest county
946
Pinellas, down 402 from the prior week
Busiest city
603
St. Petersburg, down 299 from the prior week
Tampa Bay's Gulf Coast counties recorded 2,184 new business filings the week of May 19 to 25, down from the week before.
Almost every county slipped this week. Pinellas and Hillsborough had the largest drops.
The trend
How the region is trending
steady 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.
The week
What is forming
Retail grew the most this week, 33 more (up 33.7%). Administrative & Support Services dropped the most, 48 fewer (down 25.8%).
| Sector | Last week | This week | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Holding & Asset Protection | 310 | 316 | +6 (+1.9%) |
| Professional Services | 286 | 297 | +11 (+3.8%) |
| Construction & Trades | 182 | 161 | -21 (-11.5%) |
| Real Estate | 182 | 151 | -31 (-17%) |
| Hospitality & Tourism | 159 | 149 | -10 (-6.3%) |
| Administrative & Support Services | 186 | 138 | -48 (-25.8%) |
| Retail | 98 | 131 | +33 (+33.7%) |
| Healthcare | 151 | 103 | -48 (-31.8%) |
| Personal & Other Services | 148 | 100 | -48 (-32.4%) |
| Transportation & Logistics | 106 | 89 | -17 (-16%) |
Where
Busiest places this week
Pinellas led the region this week with 946 new filings.
| Top counties | Last week | This week | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinellas | 1,348 | 946 | -402 (-29.8%) |
| Hillsborough | 846 | 623 | -223 (-26.4%) |
| Pasco | 246 | 199 | -47 (-19.1%) |
| Sarasota | 274 | 193 | -81 (-29.6%) |
| Manatee | 186 | 141 | -45 (-24.2%) |
| Hernando | 86 | 69 | -17 (-19.8%) |
| Citrus | 13 | 13 | 0 (0%) |
| Top cities | Last week | This week | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 902 | 603 | -299 (-33.1%) |
| Tampa | 586 | 431 | -155 (-26.5%) |
| Sarasota | 204 | 145 | -59 (-28.9%) |
| Bradenton | 123 | 96 | -27 (-22%) |
| Clearwater | 94 | 68 | -26 (-27.7%) |
| Wesley Chapel | 74 | 55 | -19 (-25.7%) |
| Riverview | 63 | 54 | -9 (-14.3%) |
| Spring Hill | 56 | 44 | -12 (-21.4%) |
Notables
Standouts this week
The two biggest counties ran below their normal pace
Pinellas filed 946 this week, down 402 from 1,348. Hillsborough filed 623, down 223 from 846. Both came in well under their usual weekly pace. They are the two largest county drops in the region this week.
A few sectors grew while most fell
Retail rose 33 to 131. Manufacturing added 5 to 25. Wholesale added 4 to 33. These moved up in a week when most categories moved down.
One filing service handled a big share of the week
The top registered agent was tied to 356 filings, about 16.3% of all 2,184. The next one was tied to 201 (9.2%). A single agent moving that volume is a sign. Part of the count comes in batches, not from owners filing one by one.
Around the region
Local context
- A 19 acre site at 7351 Muck Pond Road in East Tampa will become the Constellation East Tampa Business Center. It will have three buildings totaling 251,162 square feet, built on spec. Work starts in May 2026 and finishes by May 2027. New warehouse and industrial space in Hillsborough could draw construction, transportation, and logistics firms as it gets built and leased. Tampa Bay Business Watch, 2026-04-30
- Sarasota County asks short term rental operators to carry both a state DBPR license and a local certificate. They must register for the tourist development tax. They must follow local occupancy and safety rules. It is one of Florida's more detailed rental rule sets. Owners setting up vacation rental holdings in Sarasota face more paperwork and cost than in lighter-rule counties. That extra burden can slow new short term rental formation there. Avantio, 2026-02-27
- As of March 2026, the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater area passed 5.2 million residents. It ranked among the leading Florida metros for private sector job gains in 2025. Growth came in health care, education, manufacturing, and information services. A growing population and job base give new businesses a larger pool of customers and workers to draw from. Capital Analytics Associates, 2026-03-11
- On March 23, 2026, Sarasota County moved all of its planning and development services into one location, the PDS One Stop at 870 Apex Rd in Sarasota. One counter for planning and permits may make it quicker for Sarasota builders and new businesses to get approvals. Sarasota County Government, 2026-03-23
So what
What it means
If you sell to brand-new businesses, this region still produced 2,184 of them in one week. Most are LLCs (90.4%). Most sit in Pinellas (946) and Hillsborough (623). St. Petersburg (603) and Tampa (431) are the busiest cities. Property holding and professional services are the two biggest pools of new customers. The week came in below the prior week across almost every county. Expect a shorter new-customer list than last week. Retail and manufacturing grew when most categories shrank.
Methodology
How we counted
Why we report a few weeks later
Florida's official business records are often still being updated for up to two weeks after a business first registers.
To give those records time to fully settle, we report on a week of filings about three weeks after it happens. Reporting a little later lets us show complete, accurate numbers instead of a partial early count.
We count new business filings recorded with the state of Florida across the seven counties in the Tampa Bay (Gulf Coast) region: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota. We wait about two weeks after the week ends for the state to finish recording all filings, so the counts here are complete and accurate. Filings are grouped by industry, by a plain language category, by county and city, and by business type. We compare each week with the prior week.
External sources
- Tampa Bay Business Watch (2026-04-30) A 19 acre site at 7351 Muck Pond Road in East Tampa will host the Constellation East Tampa Business Center. It is a three building speculative industrial campus of 251,162 square feet. Construction runs from May 2026 to an expected May 2027 finish.
- Avantio (2026-02-27) Sarasota County asks vacation rental operators to carry both a state DBPR license and a local certificate. They must register for the tourist development tax. They must meet local occupancy and safety rules. These are among the more detailed short term rental rules in Florida.
- Capital Analytics Associates (2026-03-11) As of March 2026, the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater area passed 5.2 million residents. It ranked among Florida's top metros for private sector job gains in 2025. Growth came in health care, education, manufacturing, and information services.
- Sarasota County Government (2026-03-23) On March 23, 2026, Sarasota County combined the planning and development services formerly at 1001 Sarasota Center Blvd into one site, the PDS One Stop at 870 Apex Rd, Sarasota, Florida 34240.
Frequently asked questions
- How many new businesses opened in the region this week?
- There were 2,184 new business filings across the seven Tampa Bay (Gulf Coast) counties, down from the prior week.
- Which areas had the most new filings?
- Pinellas led with 946 and Hillsborough had 623. Among cities, St. Petersburg led with 603 and Tampa had 431.
- What kinds of businesses were they?
- Property holding and professional services were the two largest groups. 90.4% of all filings were domestic LLCs.
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