How to Sell a Business in Daytona Beach, FL: A Seller’s Guide

Short answer: Selling a business in Daytona Beach or anywhere in Volusia County follows the same path as the rest of Florida: an earnings-based valuation, confidential marketing, buyer screening, due diligence, and closing. The local work is in what buyers ask about here: revenue that rises and falls with the event calendar, a city business tax receipt now that the county one is gone, and flood and storm history.

I’m Ryan C. Winter, Business Broker with Truforte Business Group, based in St. Augustine and working with owners across Florida, including Daytona Beach and the rest of Volusia County.

The Volusia Economy and Your Buyer Pool

Volusia County is growing. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the county at 606,573 residents as of July 1, 2025, up about 9.6 percent from its April 2020 base. The City of Daytona Beach grew faster, from 71,589 to an estimated 88,471, roughly 24 percent, and Deltona remains the county’s largest city at about 100,000 residents.

New households need plumbers, roofers, pool techs, and dentists, and growth brings buyers who would rather own a business than take a job. Volusia County Economic Development’s list of the largest private employers, as of September 30, 2025, shows where the paychecks come from:

• Healthcare. AdventHealth and Halifax Hospital System are the two largest private employers, with 7,198 and 4,811 employees, and Florida Health Care Plans is also on the list.
• Aviation and education. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with 1,992 employees, sits next to Daytona Beach International Airport, and the university reports nearly 8,000 undergraduates on its Daytona Beach campus. Stetson University and Daytona State College are also among the county’s largest employers.
• Logistics, insurance, and manufacturing. Amazon, Brown & Brown, and Brunswick’s Boston Whaler are in the private top ten too, and Team Volusia EDC lists NASCAR among the area’s major employers.

Race Weeks, Bike Weeks, and Beach Season

Daytona Beach runs on events. Daytona International Speedway, an approximately 500-acre complex according to the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, hosts major race weekends in winter and late summer, including the Daytona 500 in February, and the area also draws large crowds for Bike Week in early spring and Biketoberfest in October.

For a business near the events, a handful of weeks can carry the year. Buyers and lenders will want to see:

• At least three years of monthly revenue, so event spikes and slow months read as a pattern, not a surprise.
• Event dates lined up next to your sales, since the dates shift from year to year.
• How you staff peak weeks, and whether that works without you.
• Any event permits, vendor agreements, or sponsorships, and whether they transfer.

My guide to selling a seasonal business covers how to time a listing around your peak months.

Local Paperwork When a Volusia Business Changes Hands

Volusia County no longer issues a business tax receipt. The county says the ordinance requiring one was repealed effective January 1, 2024, and it directs owners to the city where the business is located. The city receipt is the one that matters.

Daytona Beach Business Tax Receipts

The City of Daytona Beach requires a city-issued receipt for every business in the city, including home-based ones, under Chapter 90, Article V of the city code. Receipts expire September 30 each year. The city’s application has a transfer section for ownership changes, and zoning approval is required before a receipt is issued, which matters if a buyer plans to change how the space is used. The city’s business licensing page has the current application.

Under sections 205.033 and 205.043, Florida Statutes, a receipt can transfer to a new owner after a bona fide sale for a fee of up to 10 percent of the annual tax, at least $3 and no more than $25, with the original receipt and evidence of the sale. Ormond Beach, Port Orange, DeLand, and the other cities set their own requirements, so check with the city where your business sits.

Florida Sales Tax and Successor Liability

Under section 213.758, Florida Statutes, a buyer of more than half of a business, its assets, or its stock of goods can be held liable for the seller’s unpaid state taxes from operating it. The usual protection is a certificate of compliance from the Florida Department of Revenue, and the buyer may withhold part of the price and pay those taxes to the state within 30 days. Your Florida attorney or CPA should confirm the steps, and my guide to transferring a business to a new owner in Florida covers the closing documents.

Financing: SBA Loans and the North Florida District

Volusia County is served by the SBA North Florida District Office, which is based in Jacksonville. SBA 7(a) loans can be used for changes of ownership, up to a $5 million maximum, and they commonly finance main street acquisitions here. The buyer applies with an SBA lender; your job is to make the lender’s review easy.

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, including its 7(a) loan program page and its SOP 50 10 lending rules. SBA rules change, so verify current requirements with the SBA or an SBA lender before relying on them.

Lenders want three years of tax returns that tie to your financials, a current profit and loss statement, a recast that explains each add-back, and a lease with enough term left. For an event-driven business, include the monthly history so the underwriter sees a full year, not one great quarter.

Storms, Flooding, and Insurance in Volusia Due Diligence

Storm risk in Volusia is not limited to the beach. According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ian brought 21.49 inches of rain to Daytona Beach in September 2022, destroyed 40 buildings in Volusia County, and damaged 1,378 more, with inland flooding largely driven by rainfall. In November 2022, Hurricane Nicole’s beach erosion damaged beachfront structures in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, just south of Daytona Beach. In October 2024, Hurricane Milton dropped 17.20 inches of rain near Ormond Beach, and Ponce Inlet recorded a peak gust of 86 knots. Have these ready:

• Property, wind, and flood insurance declarations, with premiums, deductibles, and claims history.
• Your flood zone, even if you are miles from the ocean, and an explanation of any past water in the building.
• For beachside locations, records of erosion, seawall, and structural repairs since 2022.

Industries That Commonly Change Hands in Volusia

A growing county keeps home services in demand: HVAC, plumbing, roofing, pool service, pest control, landscaping, and cleaning. Restaurants, hotels, and retail near the beach and the Speedway, healthcare practices, automotive shops, marine businesses, and aviation services also come up often. Buyers pay most for recurring revenue, a team that runs the day to day, and books that tie to the tax returns.

In a licensed trade, the state license usually belongs to the qualifying individual, not the company. Under section 489.119, Florida Statutes, a business that loses its only qualifier has 60 days to replace that person and may not contract in the meantime, except to finish incomplete contracts under a temporary certificate. Settle who will qualify the business before you sign.

How the Sale Works, Step by Step

1. A confidential valuation based on your tax returns and recast earnings, with event months broken out.
2. Preparation: clean financials, storm records, and your receipt and licenses.
3. Blind marketing with a confidential information memorandum.
4. Buyer screening: a signed NDA and proof of funds or lender prequalification before anyone learns who you are.
5. Meetings and offers. Some buyers open with a letter of intent; I usually go straight to a purchase agreement with contingencies.
6. Due diligence and, for most buyers, SBA underwriting.
7. Closing, with your attorney handling the documents and the receipt, license, and lease transfers.

Most main street businesses take six to twelve months from listing to closing. My guide on how to sell a business in Florida walks through each stage.

How I Work With Daytona Beach Owners

I’m based in St. Augustine, up the coast, and represent sellers throughout Florida, including all of Volusia County. We can meet in person or by video, away from the business. After a confidential valuation, I market the business blind through the BBF MLS, where member brokers across Florida cooperate on listings, and through national business-for-sale networks. Buyers sign an NDA and show they can close before they learn your name, and I work alongside your attorney and CPA through closing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need a Volusia County Business Tax Receipt to Sell My Business?

No. Volusia County repealed its business tax receipt requirement effective January 1, 2024. If your business is inside a city such as Daytona Beach, the city receipt is the one a buyer will transfer or replace, so make sure it is current before closing.

How Do Buyers Look at a Business That Depends on Race Weeks or Bike Week?

They look at full years, not peak weeks. Three years of monthly revenue next to the event calendar shows whether the spikes repeat and how the slow months are covered, and a team that handles peak weeks without the owner makes the business easier to finance.

Which SBA Office Covers Daytona Beach?

Volusia County is in the SBA North Florida District, based in Jacksonville. Buyers apply directly with an SBA lender.

Will Buyers Ask About Hurricane and Flood History?

Yes. After Ian, Nicole, and Milton, buyers, lenders, and insurers ask about flood zones, claims, and closures early, including for inland locations, so have those records ready before you list.

How Long Does It Take to Sell a Business in Daytona Beach?

Most main street businesses take six to twelve months from listing to closing. Clean books, a lease with term left, and a clear picture of seasonal revenue shorten that time, while SBA underwriting and storm questions can stretch it.

Do You Meet With Daytona Beach Owners in Person?

Yes. I’m based in St. Augustine and meet owners across Florida in person or by video, whichever keeps the sale confidential and convenient. The first conversation and the valuation are free.

To see what your Volusia County business could sell for, start with a free, confidential business valuation or call me at (904) 789-1276.

• Category: Selling a Business