Picture a three-person marketing shop in Fort Lauderdale, a roofing contractor in Hialeah and a solo consultant in Lake Worth Beach, all typing the same three letters into a search bar. SBE, short for Small Business Enterprise, is the label Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties use for firms small enough to qualify for a protected lane into county contracting. What the search results rarely explain is that the three counties wrote three different rulebooks, with different revenue caps, different personal net-worth tests and different ideas of what counts as an office. A firm that clears the bar in one county can miss it in the next.
This guide lays the three programs side by side using each county's own published pages, then maps where different kinds of businesses might begin. It is not a promise of work. Certification opens a door to a defined lane, and winning a contract is a separate contest. Rules differ by county and they change, so confirm current thresholds with each office before you spend a weekend on paperwork.
Three Rulebooks, One Region
Each county runs its own application, its own portal and its own tests. Broward moved certification applications and renewals into a new Business Management System on January 26, 2026. Miami-Dade routes applicants through its Business Management Workforce System. Palm Beach County applicants sign in through the county's vendor self-service account and then open the certification tile. Three counties, three logins, and a very good reason to keep a spreadsheet of passwords and renewal dates.
The one test all three counties share is also the least glamorous: a real address. Broward says a P.O. Box or an address supplied by a business service center does not count, and that a virtual office does not meet the requirement for a physical office in the county. Miami-Dade says no virtual offices and asks home-based firms to meet zoning rules. Palm Beach County says virtual offices that only provide mail and meeting services are not a domicile. Before an owner compares a single dollar figure, the first question is where the lease, the tax receipt and the front door actually sit.
Broward: The Tightest Numbers, a Reserved Lane
Broward's Office of Economic and Small Business Development publishes two programs side by side on one page, and the labels matter. The SBE Reserve covers projects valued at $250,000 or less, and the county's own words are that "100% of the project is reserved for SBEs!" The County Business Enterprise, or CBE, program sits in the second column and covers projects above $250,000. A firm certified in the first column is competing in a smaller pond, which is exactly the point.
The SBE column is the narrower one. Personal net worth per owner must be under $1.32 million, the firm must be independent, and it must have no more than 15 permanent full-time employees. Average gross revenue, calculated over the previous three calendar years, may not exceed $3 million for construction services, $1 million for contractual services or $500,000 for professional consultants. Commodity suppliers are not held to a revenue cap but must still stay within the 15-employee limit. The CBE column shares the net-worth and location tests but allows $9 million for construction and $5 million for contractual services, with 25 full-time employees for commodity suppliers.
Both programs also ask for a Broward business tax receipt, a city tax receipt and a physical Broward address, a full year in business before applying, and a site visit by the office. After applying, owners register as vendors in the county's BPRO procurement system, which the county says is free.
Miami-Dade: Three Doors and a Reform Wave
Miami-Dade offers three SBE doors: Architectural and Engineering (SBE-A&E), Construction (SBE-CON) and Goods and Services (SBE-GS). Certification is valid for three years, though the Small Business Development office may run a random audit inside that window. Every category asks for an active Local Business Tax receipt held for at least one year, a physical location in the county and personal net worth of no more than $3.5 million for each owner.
The revenue ceilings are where the categories split. Goods and services firms may not exceed an average of $8 million in gross receipts over three years, and the goods listing adds headcount limits of 100 employees for manufacturers and 50 for wholesalers. Construction firms are sorted by trade: $15 million for general contractors, $12 million for heavy construction and $8 million for specialty trades. For architecture and engineering firms the page lists $6.5 million, plus $8 million for engineering, surveying and mapping services and for landscape architecture services. Ownership tests apply too: the license holder or qualifier, where one applies, must own at least 10 percent of a goods or services firm, at least 10 percent of a construction firm and at least 25 percent of an A&E firm, and the page allows one active SBE certification per owner or group.
There is a second story running underneath. On September 1, 2026, the Board of County Commissioners gave final approval to four procurement ordinances from the chairman's task force, according to a county news release. The agenda item for the small business piece describes changes to the architecture and engineering, services and goods programs, along with local preference rules. How those changes reach individual certificates is a question for the county's Certification Unit, not for a feature writer.
Palm Beach County: Wider Caps, a 20 Percent Goal
Palm Beach County's Office of Small Business Development grants certification for up to three years and sets its caps higher than Broward's on the services side. Gross revenue averaged over three years may not exceed $13 million for construction, $7 million for goods, $7 million for professional services that require CCNA certification, and $5.7 million for professional services that do not or for other services. Firms in business less than three years are averaged over their time in operation.
The payoff is spelled out in plain terms. The county lists a minimum mandatory goal of 20 percent SBE participation on county contracts where there is availability, preference for SBE primes on goods and services procurements, extra points for SBE primes responding to requests for proposals, and a 10 percent price preference on specified solicitations. The county's Small Business Development ordinance took effect January 1, 2026, replacing the earlier equal business opportunity framework. The county is just as plain about what certification is not: any vendor can bid on county work, certified or not.
Eligibility starts with registration as a vendor with the county Purchasing Department and as a for-profit entity with the State of Florida Division of Corporations. The business must be domiciled in Palm Beach County, independently owned and operated, and provide a commercially useful function. Architects, engineers, surveyors, mappers and landscape architects must hold county CCNA certification before applying. The pages do not list a personal net-worth limit or an employee cap, so owners with those questions should ask the office. The county's FAQ says review can take up to 90 business days from a complete application, and it lists a $300 expedite option tied to an upcoming bid.
The Side-by-Side Table
The table below uses only figures and rules stated on each office's published pages. Where a page does not state a test, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Test | Broward (SBE Reserve) | Miami-Dade (SBE) | Palm Beach County (SBE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross revenue cap (three years) | $3 million construction; $1 million contractual services; $500,000 professional consultants | Goods and services $8 million; construction $15 million, $12 million or $8 million by trade; A&E $6.5 million; $8 million for engineering, surveying and mapping, and landscape architecture | $13 million construction; $7 million goods; $7 million CCNA professional services; $5.7 million other professional and other services |
| Personal net worth per owner | Under $1.32 million | No more than $3.5 million | Not listed on the pages reviewed |
| Employee limit | 15 or fewer permanent full-time employees | Goods: manufacturers 100, wholesalers 50; services: not listed | Not listed on the pages reviewed |
| Location test | Broward tax receipt, city tax receipt and physical Broward address; no P.O. Box or service-center address; no virtual office | Physical Miami-Dade location; no virtual offices | Domiciled in Palm Beach County; mail-and-meeting virtual offices do not count |
| Time-in-business test | One year before applying | Local Business Tax receipt active at least one year | Not listed on the pages reviewed |
| Certification term | Not stated on the page reviewed | Three years | Up to three years |
| Contract hook | Projects of $250,000 or less reserved for SBEs | Not stated on the certification page reviewed | 20 percent SBE participation goal; price preference on specified solicitations |
| Where to apply | Business Management System | Business Management Workforce System | Vendor self-service account |
Where to Start, by Business Type
Construction and trades firms should begin with two documents: the license and the lease. Broward's and Palm Beach County's checklists both ask for licenses and proof of a physical location, and the construction revenue ceilings vary widely, from $3 million in Broward's SBE Reserve to $13 million in Palm Beach County. Miami-Dade sorts trades into three revenue buckets, so a contractor should confirm which bucket the office assigns before comparing numbers. Broward's reserve for projects of $250,000 or less is the most explicit published lane for smaller jobs, open only to firms that meet its headcount, net-worth and Broward-address tests.
Marketing, creative and production businesses face a different puzzle: what the county calls the work. Broward splits contractual services from professional consultants and sets a different cap for each. Miami-Dade places services under its Goods and Services category, and Palm Beach County lists professional services without CCNA and other services at the same ceiling. A studio or agency should ask each office which category its work falls into before trusting a headline number. Owners who want to meet buyers in person can read our guide to the Palm Beach Partners Business Matchmaker, which advises arriving with certification status on paper.
Professional services firms should check whether their license triggers a different track. Architects, engineers, surveyors, mappers and landscape architects have a dedicated door in Miami-Dade and a CCNA prerequisite in Palm Beach County. Consultants outside those fields should look hard at Broward's professional consultant cap, the lowest on its page, and at whether the work lives in Palm Beach County's professional services or other services line. In every case, start in the county where the office, the receipts and the paperwork already live.
Before You Apply: The Folder and the Fine Print
Collect the paperwork once and you can adapt it three ways. The list below draws on Broward's combined application checklist and Palm Beach County's required documents checklist, and Miami-Dade says its online application includes a checklist for each firm.
- Federal tax returns for the past three years, or Schedule C for sole proprietors, with Social Security numbers removed.
- Business tax receipts, including county and city or municipal receipts where they apply.
- State or county competency licenses and permits.
- A current lease for your physical location, or in Palm Beach County a property tax bill.
- Owner resumes, which Broward asks for and Palm Beach County may request.
- Three current contracts, invoices, service agreements or proposals showing date, owner and service.
Palm Beach County also asks for items such as insurance or bonding, an employee list and a vendor registration number whose business name matches the application. Broward warns that incomplete applications will not be processed, and both counties reserve the right to request more documents and visit the business. Owners who keep this folder current are also better placed for local grants, as our guides to Broward small business grants and Boynton Beach's readiness checklist explain.
Certification is a tool, not a guarantee, and each county can revise its thresholds. Confirm current numbers with the office before you apply, and keep the renewal dates on your calendar.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
SBE certification in South Florida is handled separately by Broward County's Office of Economic and Small Business Development, Miami-Dade County's Strategic Procurement Department and Palm Beach County's Office of Small Business Development. Figures here reflect those pages as of October 1, 2026, and each office is the final word.
Published contacts: Broward OESBD, 954-357-6400, with applications through the Business Management System. Miami-Dade Certification Unit, 305-375-3111 or sbdcert@miamidade.gov, with applications through the Business Management Workforce System. Palm Beach County OSBD, 561-616-6840, at 50 S. Military Trail, Suite 202, West Palm Beach, by appointment. Palm Beach County's FAQ page covers eligibility, timing and the expedite fee.
Quick answers: The Broward SBE Reserve covers projects of $250,000 or less. Miami-Dade certification is valid for three years. Palm Beach County lists a 20 percent SBE participation goal. Broward's combined certification checklist lists the documents to upload.
