August 23, 2026 — Northwest Florida (Panhandle & Capital) new business activity

• construction material suppliers: City of Tallahassee, City of Panama City, Walton County
• concrete and masonry contractors: City of Panama City, City of Panama City
• landscape contractors: City of Panama City, City of Panama City
• site work and grading crews: City of Panama City, City of Panama City
• surveyors: City of Tallahassee, Walton County
• traffic control companies: City of Tallahassee, Walton County
• accountants: City of Panama City
• bookkeepers: City of Panama City
• bridge and structural crews: Walton County
• business compliance services: City of Panama City
• civil engineers: City of Tallahassee
• concrete and paving crews: City of Tallahassee
• electrical contractors: City of Tallahassee
• electricians: City of Pensacola
• framing and finish carpenters: City of Pensacola
• heavy civil contractors: Walton County
• heavy equipment operators: City of Tallahassee
• homebuilders: City of Pensacola
• hospitality businesses: City of Panama City
• park and recreation suppliers: City of Panama City
• paving and asphalt contractors: City of Tallahassee
• plumbers: City of Pensacola
• real estate agents: City of Pensacola
• tax preparers: City of Panama City
• title and lending services: City of Pensacola
• traffic signal installers: City of Tallahassee

Northwest Florida recorded 557 new business filings the week of August 2 to 8, down 19.6% from the week before and 11% below the same week last year.

Northwest Florida filed 557 new businesses the week of August 2 to 8, a drop of 136 from the prior week's 693. That is a 19.6% decline, and it lands 69 filings below the same week a year ago, down 11%. The 13 week moving average has eased to 627.8, and the trailing 13 week total slipped to 8,161 from 8,322. It is the first straight week of decline in the momentum read, but it is a pullback, not a collapse: the region still cleared 550 filings in a single week.

The decline was broad but uneven. Professional, scientific and technical services fell hardest, from 97 filings to 55, a 43.3% drop. Real estate and rental and leasing fell 29% to 49, and management of companies fell 26.6% to 47. Construction held steadier, easing only 7 filings to 61 and staying the region's largest single industry.

A few categories grew against the grain. Other services rose 34.2% to 51, finance and insurance nearly doubled from 7 to 15, and educational services climbed from 7 to 13. Property holding stayed the largest friendly category at 76 filings, and within it short term and vacation rental holdings rose 38.5% to 18, a sign of continued interest in the beach counties.

The geography shifted too. Bay County climbed to the top spot with 106 filings, and Panama City rose 28% to 64. Leon County fell hardest, down 31.2% to 99, and Okaloosa dropped 25.4% to 88. The week's activity rotated toward the Panama City and Pensacola corridor.

A steady slowdown over the past 13 weeks.

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.

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

New business formation usually runs highest around Mar and is quietest around Nov, holding near 2,500 a month across the years.

Each line is one year, ending at the current month on the right, so you can read the past year left to right. New Year's Day is left out because the state office is closed, so almost no businesses register that day.

Personal & Other Services grew the most this week, 14 more (up 37.8%). Professional Services dropped the most, 42 fewer (down 43.3%).

Bay County led the region this week with 106 new filings.

• The City of Tallahassee announced construction beginning July 20 to modernize traffic signals and improve pedestrian safety at intersections on W. Tharpe Street and Northwood Boulevard at MLK Jr. Boulevard, including replacing strain pole signals with mast arms and adding sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.

  Signal and pedestrian upgrades are public works contracts that put electrical, concrete, and paving crews to work, and the mast-arm and sidewalk scope means several trades are hired for the same corridor.

  Who this helps

  • electrical contractors
  • concrete and paving crews
  • traffic signal installers
  • surveyors
  • civil engineers

  City of Tallahassee, 2026-07-17

• The City of Tallahassee announced that a resurfacing project along Sixth Avenue from Thomasville Road to Magnolia Drive would begin July 27, with work hours generally 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

  A street resurfacing job is direct work for paving and asphalt crews, and the daytime schedule means the surrounding businesses stay open while the road is rebuilt.

  Who this helps

  • paving and asphalt contractors
  • traffic control companies
  • construction material suppliers
  • heavy equipment operators

  City of Tallahassee, 2026-07-21

• The City of Panama City and the Panama City CRA celebrated completion of the majority of the $1.5 million Millville Waterfront Park project, funded through the Millville CRA's FY2024, FY2025, and FY2026 budgets.

  A $1.5 million waterfront park build means the finishing trades and site work are already underway, and the completed park draws visitors that nearby restaurants, shops, and service businesses can serve.

  Who this helps

  • landscape contractors
  • site work and grading crews
  • concrete and masonry contractors
  • park and recreation suppliers
  • hospitality businesses

  City of Panama City, 2026-07-15

• The City of Panama City reminded businesses that Business Tax Receipt renewals are now open for all businesses operating within city limits, with a September 30 deadline and late penalties for failure to renew.

  A renewal deadline touches every business operating in the city, which is a recurring moment when bookkeepers, accountants, and compliance services get called on to keep local firms current and avoid late penalties.

  Who this helps

  • bookkeepers
  • accountants
  • business compliance services
  • tax preparers

  City of Panama City, 2026-07-27

• The City of Panama City celebrated a groundbreaking at Joe Moody Harris Park marking the start of improvements, with the project primarily funded through a Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant.

  A park groundbreaking is the start of site work, which puts grading, concrete, and landscaping crews on the job and keeps the suppliers that feed a public project busy through construction.

  Who this helps

  • site work and grading crews
  • concrete and masonry contractors
  • landscape contractors
  • construction material suppliers

  City of Panama City, 2026-08-04

• The City of Pensacola and Pensacola Habitat for Humanity are advancing an attainable housing project on East Jackson Street to build nine affordable homes through the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust.

  Nine new homes is a small but steady pipeline of work for the homebuilders and trades that frame, wire, and finish each house, plus the title, lending, and real estate services that close each sale.

  Who this helps

  • homebuilders
  • framing and finish carpenters
  • electricians
  • plumbers
  • real estate agents
  • title and lending services

  City of Pensacola, 2026-08-20

• Walton County issued a Walton-Okaloosa construction traffic advisory detailing state road construction and maintenance activities in both counties, including the Western Lake Bridge replacement project on County Road 30A.

  A bridge replacement and ongoing road maintenance across two counties is sustained work for the heavy civil contractors, bridge crews, and traffic control firms that keep state roadways moving, and it runs for months rather than days.

  Who this helps

  • heavy civil contractors
  • bridge and structural crews
  • traffic control companies
  • construction material suppliers
  • surveyors

  Walton County, 2026-08-21

A down week in filings does not mean a quiet market. The pullback was concentrated in professional services, real estate, and management companies, while construction held steady and personal services, finance, and education grew. For someone selling to new businesses here, the openings are concrete. Road and bridge work across Leon and Walton counties, plus a run of park and housing projects in Bay and Escambia counties, all point to contractors, trades, and the professional services that follow them. The beach counties' short term rental growth keeps property managers and the services around vacation rentals busy even as the headline count dips.

These counts come from Florida's state business filing records for the week of August 2 to 8, 2026, grouped by county and industry. We wait about two weeks after a week ends for the state to finish recording all of its filings, so the counts are complete and accurate. The industry and property categories are assigned from the filing records, with a portion enriched by an automated property review.

Frequently asked questions

How many new businesses filed in Northwest Florida this week?

557 new businesses filed the week of August 2 to 8, 2026, down 19.6% from the prior week and 11% below the same week last year.

Which county led the region in new filings?

Bay County led with 106 filings, climbing from fourth to first, while Leon County fell hardest, down 31.2% to 99.

Which industries grew despite the down week?

Other services rose 34.2%, finance and insurance nearly doubled, and educational services climbed 85.7%. Short term and vacation rental holdings also rose 38.5%.

Why do the counts lag the calendar by about two weeks?

We wait about two weeks after a week ends for the state to finish recording all of its filings, so the counts are complete and accurate rather than provisional.