SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · FLORIDA
The Grounds Guys franchise in Florida: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Grounds Guys in Florida have taken 26 SBA loans since 1991 (average $146,153), and of the 11 loans whose story has ended, 72.7% were charged off — versus 40.4% for The Grounds Guys nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in FL
26
Resolved
11
Local charge-off
72.7%
National charge-off
40.4%
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
8,332
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
35.6
national 26.7
Versus the country
+33%
denser
Every business in The Grounds Guys'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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVPRO (UNIT) | 52 | 9.4% | 165 |
| U.S. Lawns | 22 | 0.0% | — |
| MOLLY MAID | 13 | thin | 39 |
| WINDOW GENIE | 13 | thin | 11 |
| Lawn Doctor | 10 | thin | — |
| SERVICEMASTER CLEAN | 9 | thin | 18 |
| Fish Window Cleaning | 8 | thin | — |
| Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning | 8 | thin | — |
| JUNK KING | 6 | thin | 14 |
| Maid Brigade | 6 | thin | 9 |
| Chem-Dry | 5 | thin | — |
| One-Hour Martinizing | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how The Grounds Guys 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 The Grounds Guys's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →