SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · FLORIDA
GARAGE LIVING franchise in Florida: what the public record shows
Franchisees of GARAGE LIVING in Florida have taken 7 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $553,357). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. GARAGE LIVING has too few seasoned resolved loans nationally for a national ratio. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 7 franchised outlets in Florida (fiscal 2025) — about 0.03 per 100k residents.
Loans in FL
7
Charged off (all years)
0 of 1
Loss ratio in FL
—
Loss ratio nationally
—
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = FL. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
10,280
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
44
national 39.6
Versus the country
+11%
denser
Every business in GARAGE LIVING'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 the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$1,152
Florida, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,252
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-8%
cheaper to staff
What GARAGE LIVING's industry actually pays workers in Florida, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | — |
| 2024 | 7 | — |
| 2025 | 7 | — |
| System | Loans in FL | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in FL | Units in FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget Blinds | 34 | 4 of 18 | — | — |
| The Grounds Guys | 26 | 8 of 11 | — | — |
| U.S. Lawns | 22 | 0 of 10 | — | — |
| MIGHTY DOG ROOFING | 20 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| College Hunks Hauling Junk | 16 | 1 of 11 | — | 14 |
| AMERICA'S SWIMMING POOL COMPANY | 14 | 2 of 8 | — | 76 |
| FCI | 14 | 0 of 1 | — | 35 |
| CERTA PROPAINTERS | 13 | 1 of 4 | — | 24 |
| Two Men and a Truck | 13 | 0 of 6 | — | — |
| SAM THE CONCRETE MAN | 12 | 1 of 2 | — | — |
| MR. APPLIANCE | 11 | 2 of 2 | — | 23 |
| Lawn Doctor | 10 | 1 of 5 | — | — |
Other systems in GARAGE LIVING's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Florida. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing GARAGE LIVING’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.