The finding in one sentence
A Florida HVAC company needs more reviews and a higher rating to reach the top 20 than any other home-service trade we measure, and where that bar sits depends almost entirely on which city you are in: 1,236 reviews at the top in Sarasota, 18 in Opa Locka.
If you run an air conditioning company in Florida, we turn these numbers into rankings for you through HVAC marketing and local SEO, and you can score your own site against the signals below with the free local SEO audit.
What we measured
This is the Q3 2026 HVAC edition of the Florida Local Search Index, market layer. On July 29, 2026 we ran the same search phrase, HVAC contractors in each city, through the Google Places API for 91 Florida cities across 67 counties and recorded the top 20 open listings in each: review count, rating, and website. That is 1,772 listings. We then crawled the homepage of up to three top-ranked sites per city, 266 in total, and checked for LocalBusiness structured data.
Four measures come out of that, and every table below uses them:
- Typical reviews: the median Google review count among the top 20 listings in the city.
- Rating floor: the 25th-percentile rating among those 20. Three quarters of the companies on page one rate at or above it.
- Established rivals: how many of the 20 have passed 100 reviews. Twelve or more is what we call heavily contested.
- Schema: the share of crawled top-ranked sites carrying LocalBusiness structured data.
Everything is measured and reproducible. Nothing is an estimate.
HVAC is the most locked-up trade in Florida
We measure 12 trades in every city with the same method, so HVAC can be placed against its neighbors directly.
| Trade | Typical reviews (median of 91 cities) | Rating floor (median) | Schema on ranking sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 1,267 | 4.4 | 67% |
| Dentists | 413 | 4.8 | 78% |
| HVAC | 259 | 4.9 | 85% |
| Auto repair | 154 | 4.6 | 82% |
| Salons | 127 | 4.7 | 66% |
| Plumbers | 115 | 4.7 | 77% |
| Roofers | 76 | 4.8 | 79% |
| Law firms | 62 | 4.7 | 77% |
| Landscaping | 54 | 4.6 | 68% |
| Electricians | 46 | 4.7 | 71% |
| Real estate | 39 | 4.6 | 62% |
| General contractors | 17 | 4.7 | 65% |
Among the home-service trades, HVAC stands alone. The typical top-ranked AC company carries more than twice the reviews of a plumber, three times a roofer, and five times an electrician in the same city. Its rating floor is the highest of the twelve. And its websites are the most likely to carry structured data. A plumber can reach page one in most Florida cities with 100 reviews and a clean site. An HVAC company in the same city is competing against a field where the median has 259 and three quarters of the field rates 4.9 or better.
Air conditioning in Florida is a year-round emergency service with a large ticket, so companies have collected reviews for longer and asked harder. Every top-20 field we measured had between 12 and 20 listings, and in 69 of 91 cities the field was saturated at the 20-result cap. There is no thin HVAC market in Florida, only markets with a lower bar.
The statewide bar
- Reviews. The median city has a median of 259 reviews among its top 20 HVAC results; the mean is 317. Fifteen cities sit above 500 and fifteen sit below 100. The spread runs from 18 (Opa Locka) to 1,236 (Sarasota).
- Ratings. The floor is 4.9 in 50 cities, at least 4.8 in 88, and 5.0 in one (Miramar). Only Key West, at 4.1, has a floor below 4.7. A company rating 4.6 is below three quarters of page one almost everywhere in the state.
- Established rivals. The median city has 14 companies past 100 reviews among its top 20. Thirteen cities have 18 or more. Twelve have 8 or fewer. Sixty-six cities are heavily contested, 23 moderate, and 2 minimal (Key West and Opa Locka).
- Schema. 85% of the 266 crawled sites carry LocalBusiness markup. In 58 cities every crawled site had it; in 6 cities a third or fewer did.
Where the bar is highest and lowest
The twelve deepest markets, by typical review count among the top 20:
| City | County | Typical reviews | Rating floor | Established rivals | Schema |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota | Sarasota | 1,236 | 4.9 | 20 | 100% |
| Tampa | Hillsborough | 1,170 | 4.8 | 19 | 67% |
| Fort Myers | Lee | 1,141 | 4.8 | 19 | 100% |
| Orlando | Orange | 1,131 | 4.8 | 20 | 100% |
| Safety Harbor | Pinellas | 709 | 4.8 | 15 | 67% |
| Palm Springs | Palm Beach | 683 | 4.9 | 18 | 100% |
| Daytona Beach | Volusia | 669 | 4.8 | 17 | 100% |
| Gainesville | Alachua | 612 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
| Madeira Beach | Pinellas | 571 | 4.9 | 15 | 67% |
| Port Orange | Volusia | 551 | 4.8 | 15 | 50% |
| Indian Harbour Beach | Brevard | 546 | 4.8 | 12 | 67% |
| Melbourne | Brevard | 545 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
Four metros, Sarasota, Tampa, Fort Myers, and Orlando, have a typical top-20 review count above 1,100. In those cities a company with 300 reviews is in the bottom half of page one.
The twelve markets with the most room:
| City | County | Typical reviews | Rating floor | Established rivals | Schema |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opa Locka | Miami-Dade | 18 | 4.7 | 3 | 100% |
| Key West | Monroe | 19 | 4.1 | 2 | 100% |
| Miami Beach | Miami-Dade | 34 | 4.8 | 5 | 100% |
| Cooper City | Broward | 37 | 4.9 | 7 | 33% |
| Homestead | Miami-Dade | 39 | 4.9 | 6 | 67% |
| North Miami | Miami-Dade | 43 | 4.9 | 5 | 100% |
| Cutler Bay | Miami-Dade | 53 | 4.9 | 8 | 100% |
| Hialeah | Miami-Dade | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 67% |
| Sweetwater | Miami-Dade | 66 | 4.8 | 7 | 100% |
| Doral | Miami-Dade | 66 | 4.8 | 7 | 67% |
| Miramar | Broward | 71 | 5.0 | 7 | 100% |
| Plantation | Broward | 81 | 4.9 | 9 | 100% |
Eleven of the twelve are in Miami-Dade or Broward. The rating floor is just as high there as anywhere else, so the room is in review depth, not in quality. Broward also shows how one operator can own a cluster: the same company sits in the top five of Sunrise, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Weston, Davie, and Cooper City. An HVAC company in Homestead or North Miami that reaches 150 reviews at 4.9 stars has cleared the whole top 20 on both counts.
The regional picture
Grouping the 91 cities by region makes the South Florida gap plain.
| Region | Cities | Typical reviews (median) | Established rivals (median) | Schema |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest coast (Lee, Collier, Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte) | 6 | 461 | 19 | 94% |
| Tampa Bay (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco) | 10 | 378 | 15 | 74% |
| North Florida and Panhandle | 9 | 319 | 15 | 93% |
| Orlando metro (Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake) | 11 | 277 | 13 | 82% |
| Palm Beach County | 6 | 264 | 15 | 92% |
| Space Coast (Brevard) | 12 | 225 | 15 | 89% |
| Miami-Dade and Broward | 26 | 106 | 10 | 87% |
The Southwest coast is the hardest HVAC region in Florida on every measure: the deepest review counts, the most established rivals, and near-universal schema. Miami-Dade and Broward, with more than a quarter of the cities in the index, run at less than a quarter of the Southwest's review depth. Tampa Bay has the deepest reviews of the big metros and the lowest schema adoption of any region, which is the one place in the state where structured data is still an edge rather than a requirement.
The Space Coast in detail
Brevard County is where this index started, so the 12 Brevard cities get their own table.
| City | Typical reviews | Rating floor | Established rivals | Schema |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Harbour Beach | 546 | 4.8 | 12 | 67% |
| Melbourne | 545 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
| Viera | 545 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
| Rockledge | 524 | 4.8 | 17 | 100% |
| Space Coast (regional query) | 439 | 4.9 | 18 | 100% |
| Palm Bay | 289 | 4.9 | 14 | 100% |
| Titusville | 160 | 4.9 | 13 | 100% |
| Cocoa Beach | 160 | 4.8 | 15 | 67% |
| Cocoa | 160 | 4.8 | 15 | 100% |
| Merritt Island | 153 | 4.9 | 15 | 100% |
| Cape Canaveral | 149 | 4.9 | 13 | 33% |
| Port St. John | 120 | 4.9 | 12 | 100% |
Brevard splits in two. Melbourne, Viera, Rockledge, and Indian Harbour Beach sit above 500 typical reviews. Titusville, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, and Port St. John sit between 120 and 160 with 12 to 15 established rivals. One company appears in the top five of eight of the twelve Brevard results, from Cape Canaveral to Viera. A local AC company in North Brevard is competing against county-wide firms on every city page, not against its neighbors.
Of the 455 top-ranked HVAC websites we recorded across the state, 144 (32%) link from their Google Business Profile with a tracking tag in the URL. Nearly one in three of the companies that rank are measuring how many calls and visits the profile sends them. Most of the companies that do not rank are not.
What this means for a Florida HVAC company
- Find your city's number before you set a review goal. The bar is 1,236 in Sarasota and 18 in Opa Locka. The 91-city table below has yours.
- Rating is not negotiable. Three quarters of page one rates 4.9 or better in 50 cities and 4.8 or better in 88. Fix the service issues behind any 4.6 before spending on marketing.
- In the four 1,100-review metros, page one is a multi-year review program, not a campaign. Budget accordingly, or pick the neighboring cities where the bar is a third as high.
- Schema is expected, not special. 85% of ranking sites have LocalBusiness markup. Add it, then add the rating and review fields most competitors leave out.
- South Florida is the open field. Twenty-six Miami-Dade and Broward cities have half the rivals and a quarter of the review depth of the Southwest coast, at the same rating floor.
- Tag your profile link. A third of ranking companies track their Google Business Profile traffic. It is the cheapest measurement in local search.
All 91 cities
Sorted by county, then city. Typical reviews is the median among the top 20 results; established rivals is the count with 100 or more reviews; schema is the share of crawled top-ranked sites with LocalBusiness markup.
| City | County | Typical reviews | Rating floor | Established rivals | Schema |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | Alachua | 477 | 4.9 | 15 | 100% |
| Gainesville | Alachua | 612 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
| Lynn Haven | Bay | 163 | 4.8 | 12 | 100% |
| Panama City | Bay | 216 | 4.9 | 15 | 100% |
| Cape Canaveral | Brevard | 149 | 4.9 | 13 | 33% |
| Cocoa | Brevard | 160 | 4.8 | 15 | 100% |
| Cocoa Beach | Brevard | 160 | 4.8 | 15 | 67% |
| Indian Harbour Beach | Brevard | 546 | 4.8 | 12 | 67% |
| Melbourne | Brevard | 545 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
| Merritt Island | Brevard | 153 | 4.9 | 15 | 100% |
| Palm Bay | Brevard | 289 | 4.9 | 14 | 100% |
| Port St. John | Brevard | 120 | 4.9 | 12 | 100% |
| Rockledge | Brevard | 524 | 4.8 | 17 | 100% |
| Space Coast | Brevard | 439 | 4.9 | 18 | 100% |
| Titusville | Brevard | 160 | 4.9 | 13 | 100% |
| Viera | Brevard | 545 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
| Coconut Creek | Broward | 165 | 4.9 | 13 | 67% |
| Cooper City | Broward | 37 | 4.9 | 7 | 33% |
| Coral Springs | Broward | 346 | 4.8 | 15 | 100% |
| Davie | Broward | 161 | 4.9 | 15 | 67% |
| Deerfield Beach | Broward | 128 | 4.8 | 12 | 67% |
| Fort Lauderdale | Broward | 418 | 4.8 | 17 | 100% |
| Hollywood | Broward | 135 | 4.9 | 16 | 100% |
| Lauderdale Lakes | Broward | 372 | 4.7 | 15 | 100% |
| Margate | Broward | 249 | 4.9 | 13 | 100% |
| Miramar | Broward | 71 | 5 | 7 | 100% |
| North Lauderdale | Broward | 418 | 4.8 | 16 | 67% |
| Oakland Park | Broward | 165 | 4.8 | 11 | 100% |
| Parkland | Broward | 108 | 4.9 | 9 | 67% |
| Pembroke Pines | Broward | 103 | 4.8 | 11 | 100% |
| Plantation | Broward | 81 | 4.9 | 9 | 100% |
| Sunrise | Broward | 409 | 4.9 | 11 | 100% |
| Weston | Broward | 85 | 4.9 | 9 | 100% |
| Green Cove Springs | Clay | 228 | 4.9 | 10 | 100% |
| Pensacola | Escambia | 535 | 4.9 | 19 | 100% |
| Palm Coast | Flagler | 215 | 4.8 | 11 | 100% |
| Plant City | Hillsborough | 138 | 4.8 | 9 | 67% |
| Seffner | Hillsborough | 258 | 4.8 | 13 | 33% |
| Tampa | Hillsborough | 1,170 | 4.8 | 19 | 67% |
| Temple Terrace | Hillsborough | 323 | 4.8 | 9 | 100% |
| Fellsmere | Indian River | 112 | 4.8 | 12 | 33% |
| Sebastian | Indian River | 119 | 4.8 | 14 | 100% |
| Vero Beach | Indian River | 345 | 4.8 | 16 | 100% |
| Mount Dora | Lake | 366 | 4.8 | 15 | 67% |
| Bonita Springs | Lee | 276 | 4.8 | 14 | 100% |
| Cape Coral | Lee | 451 | 4.9 | 19 | 67% |
| Fort Myers | Lee | 1,141 | 4.8 | 19 | 100% |
| Tallahassee | Leon | 319 | 4.9 | 17 | 100% |
| Bradenton | Manatee | 471 | 4.9 | 18 | 100% |
| Ocala | Marion | 375 | 4.8 | 20 | 100% |
| Coral Gables | Miami-Dade | 126 | 4.9 | 12 | 100% |
| Cutler Bay | Miami-Dade | 53 | 4.9 | 8 | 100% |
| Doral | Miami-Dade | 66 | 4.8 | 7 | 67% |
| Hialeah | Miami-Dade | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 67% |
| Homestead | Miami-Dade | 39 | 4.9 | 6 | 67% |
| Miami Beach | Miami-Dade | 34 | 4.8 | 5 | 100% |
| North Miami | Miami-Dade | 43 | 4.9 | 5 | 100% |
| Opa Locka | Miami-Dade | 18 | 4.7 | 3 | 100% |
| Sweetwater | Miami-Dade | 66 | 4.8 | 7 | 100% |
| Key West | Monroe | 19 | 4.1 | 2 | 100% |
| Niceville | Okaloosa | 255 | 4.9 | 13 | 100% |
| Apopka | Orange | 241 | 4.8 | 13 | 100% |
| Belle Isle | Orange | 363 | 4.8 | 13 | 100% |
| Ocoee | Orange | 184 | 4.9 | 12 | 67% |
| Orlando | Orange | 1,131 | 4.8 | 20 | 100% |
| Winter Garden | Orange | 259 | 4.9 | 14 | 67% |
| St. Cloud | Osceola | 106 | 4.9 | 10 | 67% |
| Boynton Beach | Palm Beach | 341 | 4.9 | 15 | 50% |
| Greenacres | Palm Beach | 83 | 4.9 | 7 | 100% |
| Jupiter | Palm Beach | 173 | 4.9 | 14 | 100% |
| Lake Worth | Palm Beach | 244 | 4.8 | 12 | 100% |
| Palm Beach Gardens | Palm Beach | 284 | 4.9 | 16 | 100% |
| Palm Springs | Palm Beach | 683 | 4.9 | 18 | 100% |
| Dunedin | Pinellas | 93 | 4.9 | 9 | 100% |
| Largo | Pinellas | 382 | 4.9 | 17 | 100% |
| Madeira Beach | Pinellas | 571 | 4.9 | 15 | 67% |
| Pinellas Park | Pinellas | 373 | 4.8 | 17 | 67% |
| Safety Harbor | Pinellas | 709 | 4.8 | 15 | 67% |
| St. Pete Beach | Pinellas | 430 | 4.8 | 16 | 67% |
| Lakeland | Polk | 457 | 4.9 | 16 | 67% |
| Winter Haven | Polk | 392 | 4.9 | 15 | 67% |
| Crescent City | Putnam | 457 | 4.9 | 16 | 33% |
| North Port | Sarasota | 394 | 4.9 | 15 | 100% |
| Sarasota | Sarasota | 1,236 | 4.9 | 20 | 100% |
| Altamonte Springs | Seminole | 484 | 4.9 | 14 | 100% |
| Oviedo | Seminole | 184 | 4.8 | 13 | 67% |
| Sanford | Seminole | 277 | 4.8 | 14 | 100% |
| Winter Springs | Seminole | 370 | 4.9 | 11 | 67% |
| St. Augustine | St. Johns | 382 | 4.9 | 17 | 33% |
| Daytona Beach | Volusia | 669 | 4.8 | 17 | 100% |
| Port Orange | Volusia | 551 | 4.8 | 15 | 50% |
Methodology and honest limits
- What it is: measured primary data. One search phrase, HVAC contractors in the named city, run through the Google Places API on July 29, 2026 for each of 91 cities, top 20 results recorded, permanently closed listings removed (1,772 remained). Up to three top-ranked websites per city crawled for LocalBusiness structured data (266 sites). Every figure above is computed from those records.
- What it is not: it is not a census of every HVAC company in Florida, and it is not a ranking of who is best. It describes the field a new entrant would face on page one of Google in each city on that date.
- Sample per city: 20 listings. The Places API caps text search at 20 results, and 69 of 91 cities filled the cap. The rating floor is a 25th percentile across 20 values, so it moves in 0.1 steps.
- Schema crawl scope: homepage structured data only, from up to three sites per city. Six cities had two or fewer sites respond. Sample sizes are stored with the data.
- No AI-assistant layer yet: the roofing and plumbing editions include what ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Claude recommend, cross-referenced against these review leaders. That instrument run has not been done for HVAC. It is scheduled for Q4 2026 and will be published as a companion to this report.
- Refresh cadence: the market layer is re-measured quarterly. The Q2 2026 collection is preserved alongside this one.
Want to know where your business stands?
This report is the market layer for one trade across the state. The same measured check runs for any HVAC company in any Florida city, and the free local SEO audit scores your site on the signals above in minutes. If you want the work done, HVAC marketing and local SEO starts at $350 a month, month-to-month, with no long-term contracts.