SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · FLORIDA
Ace Hardware franchise in Florida: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Ace Hardware in Florida have taken 47 SBA loans since 1991 (average $905,348), and of the 26 loans whose story has ended, 11.5% were charged off — versus 12.2% for Ace Hardware nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in FL
47
Resolved
26
Local charge-off
11.5%
National charge-off
12.2%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = FL. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
10,280
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
44
national 39.6
Versus the country
+11%
denser
Every business in Ace Hardware's industry operating in Florida — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in FL | Local charge-off | Units in FL |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIGHTY DOG ROOFING | 20 | thin | — |
| PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION INC FRANCHISE AGREEMENT | 13 | thin | — |
| SAM THE CONCRETE MAN | 12 | thin | — |
| Mr. Electric | 10 | thin | — |
| Mr. Handyman | 10 | thin | — |
| ACE HANDYMAN SERVICES | 9 | thin | 43 |
| Bumble Bee Blinds | 9 | thin | 22 |
| GLASS DOCTOR | 9 | thin | 14 |
| Closets By Design | 8 | thin | — |
| Five Star Painting | 8 | thin | — |
| Mosquito Shield | 8 | thin | — |
| Five Star Bath Solutions | 7 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Ace Hardware compares to the systems a buyer in Florida would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Ace Hardware's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →