August 31, 2026 — Southeast Florida (Gold Coast, Treasure Coast & Keys) new business activity

• site work contractors: Coral Gables City Commission, Martin County Board of County Commissioners
• architects: Coral Gables City Commission
• civil engineers: Coral Gables City Commission
• commercial builders: Martin County Board of County Commissioners
• commercial cleaners: City of Pompano Beach
• commercial movers: Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches
• commercial real estate brokers: Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches
• concrete and steel crews: City of Pompano Beach
• dredging contractors: Port Everglades
• electricians: City of Pompano Beach
• freight forwarders: Port Everglades
• general contractors: City of Pompano Beach
• home builders: Coral Gables City Commission
• HR consultants: Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
• IT service providers: Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches
• marine construction firms: Port Everglades
• office fit-out contractors: Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches
• paving crews: Martin County Board of County Commissioners
• payroll providers: Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
• plumbers: City of Pompano Beach
• property managers: City of Pompano Beach
• recruiters: Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
• school facility contractors: Coral Gables City Commission
• staffing agencies: Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
• stevedores: Port Everglades
• surveyors: Martin County Board of County Commissioners
• trucking companies: Port Everglades
• utility contractors: Martin County Board of County Commissioners
• warehouse equipment suppliers: Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches

Southeast Florida recorded 5,838 new business filings the week of August 10 to 16, up 5.9% from the week before but still below the same week a year ago.

Southeast Florida filed 5,838 new businesses the week of August 10 to 16, a gain of 325 over the prior week's 5,513. That 5.9% rise is the first week-over-week increase after a soft stretch, but it is a modest one: the same week a year ago brought 6,434 filings, so this week sits 596 below that mark.

The 13 week moving average is still easing lower, to 5,981. Formation activity is firming back up week to week, but the longer trend is a gentle slide from the spring's higher counts, not a boom.

The week's growth was broad rather than narrow. Transportation and warehousing led the percentage gains, up 24.6% to 304 filings, while construction, real estate, and retail all rose together. Health care and social assistance added 42 filings to reach 439, and the words health and wellness showed up in new business names more often than usual.

Broward County carried the biggest county gain, adding 188 filings to reach 1,580, with Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach both climbing the city rankings. The activity is spreading beyond the Miami core into the Broward 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 Dec, holding near 27,500 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.

Transportation & Logistics grew the most this week, 60 more (up 24.6%). Professional Services dropped the most, 26 fewer (down 3.2%). 6 other sectors shown here also grew.

Miami-Dade led the region this week with 2,798 new filings. 2 of the other 3 counties shown here were also up from the week before.

• Broward County's unemployment rate came in at 4.6% for July 2026, with education and health services adding 3,100 jobs and construction adding 1,000 jobs over the year, according to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.

  A tight labor market with construction and health care both adding jobs means employers in those fields are competing for workers, which opens demand for staffing agencies, recruiters, and the payroll and HR services that support hiring.

  Who this helps

  • staffing agencies
  • recruiters
  • payroll providers
  • HR consultants

  Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, 2026-08-24

• Port Everglades received the MSC Vandya, the largest cargo ship ever to call the port, on August 11, 2026, but water depth limits forced it to arrive lightly loaded, which the port says underscores the need for its PENIP channel deepening project.

  A channel deepening project of this scale means years of dredging and marine construction work, and a deeper channel lets bigger ships call fully loaded, which grows the freight and logistics business around the port.

  Who this helps

  • dredging contractors
  • marine construction firms
  • freight forwarders
  • stevedores
  • trucking companies

  Port Everglades, 2026-08-11

• The City of Pompano Beach and its community redevelopment agency, working with master developer RocaPoint Partners, selected Suffolk to build the new City Hall and parking garage. The project anchors a $2 billion mixed-use New Downtown projected to create 3,080 recurring jobs and 5,752 construction jobs.

  A $2 billion mixed-use build with thousands of construction jobs feeds a long pipeline of site work, concrete, steel, and finishing trades, and the 3,080 recurring jobs that follow bring steady demand for the services those workers and tenants use.

  Who this helps

  • general contractors
  • concrete and steel crews
  • electricians
  • plumbers
  • commercial cleaners
  • property managers

  City of Pompano Beach, 2026-07-30

• National third-party logistics company MyFreightWorld is expanding its West Palm Beach operations, adding 41 jobs at an average income of $94,000. It is moving into a larger 7,296 square foot suite at 2090 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, according to the Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches.

  A logistics firm adding 41 well-paid jobs and taking more space means more freight moving through the area, which creates work for the movers, warehouse suppliers, and commercial real estate and fit-out firms that support a growing operation.

  Who this helps

  • commercial movers
  • warehouse equipment suppliers
  • commercial real estate brokers
  • office fit-out contractors
  • IT service providers

  Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches, 2026-08-26

• The Coral Gables City Commission agenda for August 25, 2026 includes item 26-1695, a resolution seeking mixed-use site plan review and an encroachment agreement for the proposed Crystal Residences project, which would include a private school and live/work units at 110 Phoenetia Avenue.

  A mixed-use project with a private school and live/work units means a full build-out ahead, from site work and vertical construction to the fit-out of school and residential space, plus the services that follow new residents and students.

  Who this helps

  • site work contractors
  • home builders
  • school facility contractors
  • architects
  • civil engineers

  Coral Gables City Commission, 2026-08-25

• The Martin County Board of County Commissioners agenda for August 25, 2026 includes item 26-1048, a request to approve the Martin Commerce Park planned unit development plat infrastructure final site plan, covering Phase 1 and Phase 2 final site plans.

  A commerce park moving to final site plan means the infrastructure and building work is the next step, opening bids for the site work, utility, and vertical construction crews that bring a business park to life.

  Who this helps

  • site work contractors
  • utility contractors
  • paving crews
  • commercial builders
  • surveyors

  Martin County Board of County Commissioners, 2026-08-25

For anyone selling to new businesses in Southeast Florida, this week points to a market that is firming up after a soft stretch, with the strongest signal in freight and logistics. Transportation and warehousing filings rose faster than any other sector, and the concrete developments back that up: a logistics firm adding 41 jobs in West Palm Beach, a port pushing to deepen its channel, and a commerce park in Martin County moving toward construction. The building and property trades are moving too, with a $2 billion mixed-use project in Pompano Beach and new residential and commercial projects working through review in Coral Gables and Martin County. The businesses best placed to act now are the ones that serve freight and construction: trucking and warehousing suppliers, site work and utility contractors, and the professional services that every new tenant and every new hire pulls in behind them.

These counts come from Florida's official business filing records for the eight counties in the Southeast Florida region. We wait about two weeks after a week ends before reporting it, so the state has finished recording all of its filings and the counts are complete and accurate.

Frequently asked questions

How many new businesses filed in Southeast Florida this week?

5,838 new businesses filed the week of August 10 to 16, 2026, up 325 from the prior week.

Which sector grew the fastest?

Transportation and warehousing grew 24.6% to 304 filings, the largest percentage gain among the region's material sectors.

Which county added the most filings?

Broward County added 188 filings to reach 1,580, the largest county gain in the region.

Is the region's formation pace rising or falling?

The week rose 5.9% over the prior week, but the 13 week average is still drifting down and the week sits below the same week a year ago, so the longer trend is a gentle slide.