Best 1031 Exchange Companies in Florida: How to Compare Them in 2026

Florida has no personal income tax, but the federal tax on your gain still applies, and many Florida exchanges involve a seller from another state. We did not find a Florida law that licenses or sets minimum protections for the companies that hold exchange money. Here are the firms that say they have a Florida office, what their sites say, and the questions that separate them.

The short answer

The best 1031 exchange company for a Florida sale or purchase is one that shows you in writing how your money is held and who can move it, carries bond and errors-and-omissions coverage you can see on paper, and gives you one named person through day 180. Location matters less: exchanges run by wire, e-signature and phone.

A few states, such as California and Washington, set minimum bonds or require trust accounts by statute. We did not find a Florida statute that licenses or regulates qualified intermediaries, and there is no federal license. In Florida, the protections are whatever the firm actually has and puts in writing.

Why Florida investors still use a 1031 exchange

"The State of Florida does not have a personal income tax" (Florida Department of Revenue). The federal tax on a sale of investment property still applies: long-term capital gains tax, the 25% maximum rate on unrecaptured depreciation, and for many sellers the 3.8% net investment income tax. A 1031 exchange defers those (26 U.S.C. §1031). To see the federal tax on your own numbers, use the depreciation recapture calculator.

Florida 1031 exchange companies: what their sites say

These firms state on their own websites that they have a Florida headquarters or office. This is not a ranking. Each entry summarizes the firm's own site as read on October 16, 2026; "not stated" means we did not find it there, not that the firm lacks it. Confirm everything in writing with the firm.

Leah Badach, CES (the author of this page) works with Florida buyers and sellers remotely from Brooklyn, New York, including the many New York sellers who buy in Florida. She is a Certified Exchange Specialist with 11+ years of 1031 exchange experience, and the qualified intermediary she works with confirms in writing, before you sign, how your funds are held. Ask her the same questions as everyone else on this list.

How to choose when the state sets no minimum

Questions to ask any Florida intermediary

1. Where will my funds sit, in whose name, and at which bank?
2. Does a withdrawal need my written approval?
3. Can I see the fidelity bond and E&O certificates?
4. Who earns the interest on my funds, and how is it reported?
5. How do I deliver my 45-day identification, and how do you confirm receipt?
6. I am selling in another state: have you handled that state's withholding or reporting rules?
7. Who is my day-to-day contact, and what is their training or certification?

Florida taxes that still apply

• Documentary stamp tax on deeds. Florida's documentary stamp tax applies to deeds at 70 cents per $100 of consideration, or 60 cents in Miami-Dade County (Florida Department of Revenue). The Department's page lists no exemption for 1031 exchanges: the exchange defers income tax, not documentary stamp tax. Deeds to and from an exchange accommodation titleholder in a reverse exchange have been addressed in a Department advisement (TAA 05B4-006); ask your closing agent.
• Selling in another state and buying in Florida. The state you sell in may still have a claim. California requires an annual FTB 3840 filing until the deferred California gain is recognized (California 1031 exchange companies); New York and New Jersey have nonresident seller forms at closing (New York, New Jersey).

The federal clocks are the same as anywhere: 45 days to identify replacement property in writing, and the replacement must be received by the earlier of day 180 or the due date, including extensions, of your tax return for the year of the sale (Treas. Reg. §1.1031(k)-1). See the full timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 1031 exchange company regulated in Florida?

We did not find a Florida statute that licenses or regulates qualified intermediaries, and there is no federal license. Ask any intermediary for its bond and E&O certificates and for the account terms in writing.

Do I need a 1031 exchange if Florida has no income tax?

The 1031 exchange defers federal tax, which applies in every state: capital gains tax, tax on unrecaptured depreciation at up to 25%, and for many sellers the 3.8% net investment income tax. Florida having no income tax does not change that.

Which 1031 exchange companies have offices in Florida?

On their own websites, Atlas 1031 (Naples and Orlando), Florida Exchange (West Palm Beach) and Equity 1031 (Fort Myers) state Florida bases; IPX1031 lists offices in St. Augustine, Tampa and Miami; Gain 1031 lists a Fort Myers office; and Asset Preservation lists a Florida division. Confirm current details with each firm.

Can I sell in New York and buy in Florida with a 1031 exchange?

Yes. Real property in any state is like-kind to real property in any other state. Your intermediary does not need to be in either state, but New York's nonresident estimated tax form at closing and the deadlines still apply.

Does a 1031 exchange avoid Florida documentary stamp tax?

No. Documentary stamp tax is a separate tax on the deed, and the Department of Revenue lists no 1031 exemption. Reverse-exchange accommodator deeds are a special case to raise with your closing agent.

Sources

• Florida Department of Revenue: no personal income tax and documentary stamp tax.
• Florida DOR Technical Assistance Advisement 05B4-006.
• 26 U.S.C. §1031 and Treas. Reg. §1.1031(k)-1.
• Firm details: each firm's own website, linked in the table, read October 16, 2026.

Educational information, not tax or legal advice. Firm details are as stated on each firm's website and may change; confirm them in writing.