Florida merger activity up 191%

Florida companies participated in 86 mergers and acquisition-related deals during the first six months of 2011, according to the latest research issued by Mergermarket. Those 86 deals represented $10.8 billion in transactions, up 191% over the year.

Four deals exceeded the $1 billion mark in terms of deal value, including NBC Universal Inc.'s acquisition of a 50% ownership stake in Universal Orlando Resort, valued at roughly $1.02 billion.

Gulf Coast companies were involved in their fair share of merger deals as well, although most of them involved much less than $1 billion in deal value. Earlier this month, for example, Tampa's Masonite Inc. acquired Marshfield DoorSystems Inc., which posted $100 million in revenues in 2010.

In March, Coleman Cable Inc. (symbol: CCIX) acquired Technology Research Corp. (symbol: TRCI) for $51.5 million in cash.

The most recent of the larger merger deals involving Gulf Coast companies took place at the end of 2010, when Walter Energy (symbol: WLT) acquired Western Coal Corp. for $3.3 billion.