Miami CPA Firm Sells for $8M in Revenue: What This Deal Tells You About Florida's Professional Services Market

The Deal That's Got Everyone Talking in South Florida

On May 7, 2026, Parlade Schaefer Schortz CPAs — a well-respected South Miami accounting and consulting firm — was acquired by Doeren Mayhew, a Top 50 national accounting powerhouse backed by Audax Private Equity. The firm brought roughly $8 million in annual revenue and 25 professionals to the table.

This wasn't just another quiet handshake deal. It was Doeren Mayhew's fourth acquisition of 2026. And it tells you everything you need to know about where the professional services M&A market is right now.

Translation: the big players are hungry, and South Florida is on the menu.

What Made PSS CPAs So Attractive to a National Buyer?

Let's break down why this deal happened — because understanding the "why" is how you position your own firm for a premium exit.

PSS CPAs had a highly specialized, defensible niche: over 60% of their practice was dedicated to healthcare clients — physicians, dentists, and other providers. That's not just a client list. That's a recurring revenue moat. Healthcare professionals don't switch accountants casually. They're sticky clients with complex needs and long relationships.

The firm's co-founders, Jaime Parlade and Justin Schaefer, joined Doeren Mayhew as principals — a classic retention structure that protects client relationships and signals confidence in the transition. The South Miami office location was kept intact. Smart move.

Buyers pay premiums for businesses that don't fall apart when the owner walks out the door.

The Florida Professional Services M&A Boom — By the Numbers

Here's the thing: this deal didn't happen in a vacuum. Florida's professional services sector is in the middle of a full-blown consolidation wave.

In 2025 alone, approximately 469 professional services M&A deals closed in Florida. Through May 2026, that number is already tracking at 174 deals — and we're not even halfway through the year. The math is pointing toward another record-breaking year.

What's driving it? A few things converging at once:

Private equity is everywhere. Firms like Audax (Doeren Mayhew's backer) and Hellman & Friedman (Baker Tilly's backer) are deploying capital aggressively into professional services roll-ups. They need platforms. They need acquisitions. They need firms like yours.

And then there's the Baker Tilly / Berkowitz Pollack Brant deal — announced in December 2025, Baker Tilly (a top 10 US firm) acquired the Miami-based BPB to establish its first South Florida footprint. Two major national firms planting flags in Miami within six months of each other? That's not a coincidence. That's a market signal.

Why Miami? Why Now?

Look, here's what nobody tells you about selling a professional services firm in Florida: the tax math alone is worth millions.

Florida has no state capital gains tax. Zero. For a business owner selling a firm worth $3M, $5M, or $10M, that's a significant difference in net proceeds compared to selling in New York, California, or Illinois. It's one of the biggest reasons sophisticated sellers are timing their exits to Florida residency.

Miami specifically adds another layer. The city's role as a gateway between North America and Latin America means your buyer pool isn't just domestic PE firms and strategic acquirers. You've got Latin American family offices, international holding companies, and cross-border investors all competing for quality South Florida professional services firms.

More buyers competing for your firm = better terms for you.

What Buyers Are Actually Paying Right Now

So what's a professional services firm worth in today's market? Let's get specific.

Well-documented firms with recurring revenue, reduced key-man risk, and clean financials are commanding 4x to 5x Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE). That's the premium tier. To get there, you need documented systems, cross-trained staff, and a client base that isn't entirely dependent on the founder showing up every day.

Consulting firms — think management consulting, IT consulting, HR advisory — are typically trading at 1x to 2x annual revenue, with the range depending heavily on contract quality and client concentration. A firm with three clients making up 80% of revenue? That's a discount. A firm with 40 clients and long-term retainers? That's a premium.

Real talk: most business valuations are garbage. Here's how to get a real one. Work with a broker who specializes in professional services transactions — not a generalist who also sells restaurants and car washes. The nuances of valuing a CPA firm versus a consulting practice versus an IT managed services company are completely different. Get the right advisor in your corner.

What This Means If You're a Buyer

If you're on the buy side, the PSS CPAs deal is a masterclass in what to look for. Niche specialization, recurring revenue, and a retention-friendly deal structure — that's the trifecta.

The Miami and broader South Florida market still has off-market opportunities if you know where to look. Many professional services owners haven't formally listed their businesses — they're waiting for the right conversation. That's where a connected broker becomes your competitive advantage.

Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables, Boca Raton, and the Brickell corridor are all seeing increased buyer interest right now. Don't sleep on the suburbs — some of the best-run professional services firms in South Florida are operating quietly in Doral, Aventura, and Pembroke Pines, far from the spotlight.

The Real Talk

The PSS CPAs deal is a reminder that Florida's professional services market rewards preparation. The firms getting acquired at premium multiples aren't the ones that decided to sell last Tuesday. They're the ones that spent 12-18 months cleaning up their books, reducing owner dependency, and building a story that a buyer can get excited about.

Whether you're looking to sell a CPA firm, a consulting practice, or any professional services business in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, or anywhere in South Florida — Sun Biz Broker is ready to help you understand what your business is worth and how to position it for a premium exit. Visit sunbizbroker.com or reach out today for a confidential, no-obligation valuation. The market is hot. Don't leave money on the table.