Tampa's Coke Florida named among best-managed companies in US

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida has been named as one of the best managed companies in the country.

The designation comes from consulting firm Deolitte and The Wall Street Journal, which sponsor the annual U.S. Best Managed Company list. This is the fifth year Tampa based Coke Florida, as it’s known, has been recognized.

The only other Florida company to make the list was Seminole Gaming/Hard Rock International in Davie, the parent company of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.

To be eligible, companies must be privately run and have an annual revenue of more than $250 million.

Once nominated, a group of independent judges evaluate the nominees on their strategies, execution, culture and governance/financials.

The four judges this year were Lynn Clarke, a lead or independent director for several private companies and a former executive at PepsiCo as well as a three-time CEO; Bob Rosone, a retired senior managing director from Deloitte; Don Yee, board chair of Aerometals and a director for Lundberg Family Farms and FAT Group; and Jared DiPalma, CFO at Dow Jones.

According to a statement, “This year’s class is making bold investments in digital transformation, including AI capabilities, and demonstrates the ability to drive sustainable growth and maintain resilience during times of volatility.”

Coke Florida says on its website that it employs more than 5,000 people and serves 21 million consumers in 47 counties bottling more than 120 million cases annually. According to Forbes, Coke Florida's revenue was $2 billion in 2024.

It operates 18 sales and distribution centers and four regional manufacturing facilities — Broward, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa.

The company was founded in 2015 and is owned by Chairman and CEO Troy Taylor. It is one of the largest Black-owned businesses in the country.