FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · FLORIDA

Pearle Vision franchise in Florida: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Pearle Vision in Florida have taken 25 SBA loans since 1991 (average $374,688), and of the 17 loans whose story has ended, 23.5% were charged off — versus 6.6% for Pearle Vision nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.

SBA loan outcomes · Floridavs national

Loans in FL

25

Resolved

17

Local charge-off

23.5%

National charge-off

6.6%

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.

Market density · Florida vs nationalDense market

Businesses in this industry

3,461

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

14.8

national 11.6

Versus the country

+28%

denser

Every business in Pearle Vision'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.

Labor cost · Florida vs nationalHigh wage pressure

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$1,000

Florida, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$806

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+24%

costlier to staff

What Pearle Vision'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 is a real cost signal 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Florida12 systems

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Pearle Vision compares to the systems a buyer in Florida would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Pearle Vision's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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