June 23, 2026 — Tampa Bay (Gulf Coast) new business activity

Tampa Bay's seven counties recorded 2,563 new business filings the week of June 2 to 8, down 23% from the week before but 11% above the same week last year.

Almost half of this week's new businesses formed in one county. Pinellas led with 1,243 filings. Hillsborough was next at 692. The other five counties combined for 628. Among cities, St. Petersburg alone had 864 new filings and Tampa had 474.

Most sectors slipped this week. The biggest pullbacks were in management of companies, down 75 to 111, and hospitality and tourism, down 69 to 136. Healthcare fell 53 to 114. Construction and trades dropped 61 to 160. A few areas still grew. Technology and media rose 7 to 125. Finance and insurance rose 7 to 57. Wholesale and distribution rose 6 to 49.

Last week's 3,332 was well above the normal range, so part of this week's drop is a return toward typical. The 13 week trend is easing and now sits below the rolling average of 2,920.5. This is the first week of decline in the current run. Even so, the count beats the same week in 2025 by 259 filings.

Property holding and asset protection stayed the top group at 369 filings, 14.4% of the week. Professional services held up better than most, down only 32 to 345.

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.

Technology & Media grew the most this week, 7 more (up 5.9%). Management of Companies dropped the most, 75 fewer (down 40.3%).

Pinellas led the region this week with 1,243 new filings.

• SESCO Cement opened a new cement import terminal at Port Redwing at Port Tampa Bay in Gibsonton on June 9, 2026. The facility runs the largest wheel mounted cement ship unloader in operation, holds nearly 100,000 tons in storage silos, and uses a mobile conveyor system. At full build out it is set to be the largest cement terminal in Florida. A new cement gateway feeds local construction material supply. Even with construction and trades filings down to 160 this week, those new builders still buy cement and aggregate. The terminal lines up with that ongoing demand. It also opens work for freight haulers and trucking firms (104 new transportation and logistics filings this week), plus terminal maintenance, security, and landscaping crews. Port Tampa Bay Newsroom, 2026-06-09
• Tampa International Airport expects close to 6.1 million passengers over the summer travel period from June through August 2026, with about 65,000 travelers moving through the terminal each day. May 31, June 1, July 5, and August 2 are projected to be among the busiest days. A heavy summer travel season feeds the region's hospitality businesses. With 136 new hospitality and tourism filings this week, the 65,000 daily travelers create demand for staffing, food and beverage supply, commercial cleaning, linen service, and ground transport for restaurants, bars, and lodging. Tampa International Airport Newsroom, 2026-05-21
• BayCare's community benefit report released April 7, 2026 confirmed it broke ground on BayCare Hospital Manatee. The hospital is set to open in 2028 as Manatee County's only not for profit hospital. It also broke ground on the adjacent 45,000 square foot BayCare HealthHub Manatee in Palmetto. That hub is expected to open in 2026 with primary and specialty care, an outpatient lab, and imaging. A new hospital and a 45,000 square foot health hub in Manatee build a base for care providers and their vendors. Healthcare saw 114 new businesses this week. New clinics and care services around this growth need medical billing, liability insurance, equipment supply, clinical staffing, and cleaning. The construction itself feeds local trades and site work. BayCare Health System Newsroom, 2026-04-07

The week was down, but plenty of new owners still formed businesses. Most of them are in Pinellas and Hillsborough, especially St. Petersburg and Tampa. That is where vendors will find the biggest pool of fresh prospects. The cement terminal at Port Tampa Bay points to steady demand from the 160 new construction firms and 104 new transportation firms. The airport's busy summer backs up the 136 new hospitality businesses. The BayCare growth in Manatee lines up with 114 new healthcare entities. Firms selling building materials, freight and trucking services, hospitality staffing and supply, and medical billing and insurance are best placed to act this week.

Counts come from new business filings recorded with the State of Florida for the seven counties in the Tampa Bay (Gulf Coast) region: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota. We count filings for the week of June 2 to 8, 2026 and compare them to the prior week, the same week last year, and the 13 week rolling average. 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. Industry groups use a friendly mapping of standard industry codes, and a share of filings are not yet sorted into a sector.

Frequently asked questions

Did new business activity really drop this week?

Yes. The region had 2,563 new filings, down 769 from 3,332 the week before, a 23% drop. Last week ran well above the normal range, so part of this is a return toward typical. The count is still 11% higher than the same week in 2025.

Where are the most new businesses forming?

Pinellas County led with 1,243 filings and Hillsborough had 692. St. Petersburg was the top city at 864, followed by Tampa at 474. The other five counties combined for 628.