FAST of Florida, Inc.
HVAC / Plumbing / Electrical · Clearwater, Pinellas County · Founded 1972 by Eddie Vaughan
About the company
Clearwater-based residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractor founded in 1972 by Eddie Vaughan and later led by his daughter Melissa Vaughan as president. At the time of sale it had roughly 46-50 employees and 42 service vehicles serving the Pinellas County and greater Tampa Bay market.
Ownership history
- Acquisition Southern HVAC / Southern Home Services Corp. (backed by MSouth Equity Partners) · 46 employees
What changed after the sale
General manager David Venier stayed on and told the trade press that Southern Home Services 'expects to continue popular service programs while implementing more automated and efficient business systems.' Southern HVAC CEO Mike Stucky said the acquired operations were 'a natural fit for the Southern HVAC family.' Melissa Vaughan exited, telling the sell-side advisor that the process helped her 'exit my family legacy business gracefully.' The FAST brand was retained; after the deal Southern HVAC comprised seven brands across 12 service locations with 430+ employees in Florida and North Carolina.
Only sourced observations are listed. Customers and employees can add what they saw.
Who really profits
Money paid to FAST of Florida, Inc. now flows to Southern HVAC / Southern Home Services Corp. (Orlando, FL), and from there to its investors — MSouth Equity Partners — whose funds are ultimately owed returns by their limited partners. Orlando-headquartered residential HVAC and home-services roll-up formed in 2016 and backed by Atlanta private equity firm MSouth Equity Partners through the holding entity Southern Air & Heat Holdings. It buys established family-owned contractors, retains their local brand names and consolidates back-office and purchasing. After the January 2018 three-company round that included FAST of Florida, the platform comprised seven brands across 12 service locations with more than 430 employees in Florida and North Carolina, servicing roughly 200,000 households annually. It later expanded into Texas.
Read more: why prices rise after a sale · debt, exits and the 5-year clock.
Frequently asked
Who owns FAST of Florida, Inc.?
FAST of Florida, Inc. is owned by Southern HVAC / Southern Home Services Corp., a private-equity platform headquartered in Orlando, FL, whose capital has come from MSouth Equity Partners. The sale was announced August 18, 2017; the company still operates under its original name.
Is FAST of Florida, Inc. private equity owned?
Yes. FAST of Florida, Inc. is part of Southern HVAC / Southern Home Services Corp., which is backed by MSouth Equity Partners. See the buyer profile for the capital structure.
Is FAST of Florida, Inc. locally owned?
Not in the sense most homeowners mean. Control sits with Southern HVAC / Southern Home Services Corp. in Orlando, FL, although the local brand name is still used.
When was FAST of Florida, Inc. sold?
August 18, 2017 (announcement date).
Did FAST of Florida, Inc. change its name after the sale?
No. Keeping the acquired brand name is standard practice for platforms; it preserves customer trust and reviews while ownership changes behind it.
Sources Verified — primary document
- Southern Home Services Corp. (2017-08-18) — platform site. Buyer's own announcement; Clearwater, 1972, 46 employees, 42 vehicles, Venier quote
- Newswire (2018-01-02) — press release. Wire release; Stucky quote, employee and vehicle counts
- Benchmark International (2018-01-16) — press release. Sell-side advisor; names founder Eddie Vaughan, owner Melissa Vaughan, buyer entity Southern Air & Heat Holdings, MSouth Equity Partners backing
- ACHR News (2018-02-07) — trade press. Trade coverage of the three-company announcement
- FAST of Florida (2026-09-09) — company site. Confirms the brand and Clearwater/Pinellas service area are still active
Researcher notes: Date is contested across sources: Southern HVAC's own blog is dated 2017-08-18, the Newswire release is 2018-01-02, Benchmark International reported completion 2018-01-16 and ACHR News covered it 2018-02-07. Treated here as announced 2017-08-18 by the buyer with wire distribution in January 2018. | Found via Southern Home Services' own brand roster / blog archive, not a Google News hit — the platform's press-release archive was the source. Patrick's Heating (Ocala, Marion County) and Duron Smith A/C & Heat (Melbourne, Brevard County), acquired in the same transaction, fall outside the seven-county Tampa Bay region and were not given company records.
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