Car Dealership Security Guards in
Florida, Georgia & Texas
Overnight lot patrols, on-site officers and key control for new and used car dealerships.
A dealership keeps millions of dollars in vehicles parked outside, usually behind a curb and a chain. Most losses happen between closing and opening, or over a long holiday weekend when nobody is on the lot. AK Security Services puts licensed security officers on dealership property in Florida, Georgia and Texas to cover those hours.
We've guarded car dealerships in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Ocala and Tampa, including Toyota, Acura, Hyundai, Ford and Dodge stores, a CarMax location through its construction, and an Enterprise Car Sales lot. Our officers know how a dealership runs at 2 a.m. and on a busy Saturday.
What Car Dealerships Lose, and When
Catalytic converters, wheels and tires
A thief with a battery saw can take a converter in a few minutes, and wheel thieves leave cars sitting on blocks by morning. These crews look for lots with no one on them after dark.
Pickup tailgates and tail lights
In Texas, thieves now go after the parts on new trucks. Tailgates with backup cameras and the LED tail lights on Ford F-Series pickups are being stolen and sold online. A lot full of new trucks is an easy place to shop.
Keys and whole vehicles
Vehicles walk off with stolen keys, fake test drives and break-ins to the key box or sales office. Once a car is gone, getting it back depends on how fast someone notices.
Break-ins for parts and valuables
Thieves smash a window to pull airbags, steering wheels, infotainment screens, key fobs and anything left inside. A single night of break-ins can leave a row of vehicles that need glass and interior repairs before they can be sold.
Customer cars waiting for repair or pickup
Vehicles left on the service lot overnight, or finished and waiting for the owner to collect them, belong to your customers. A break-in or a stolen catalytic converter on one of those cars means an angry customer, an insurance claim and a repair you pay for.
Vandalism and property damage
Keyed paint, broken windows, slashed tires, cut fences, damaged gates and shattered showroom glass all cost money to fix. Trespassers and people sleeping on the lot add to the damage and hurt the impression you make on the next morning's buyers.
Vehicle Theft in Florida, Georgia and Texas
Car thefts have dropped since their 2023 peak, but the numbers in our three states are still large, and parked inventory is an easy target.
-
Texas had 75,269 vehicle thefts in 2025, second only to California. The Dallas–Fort Worth metro alone had 29,340 in 2024. Toyota Tundras and other trucks are hit hardest for catalytic converters because thieves can slide underneath without a jack. (Sources: NICB; local police reports)
-
Florida had 27,142 vehicle thefts in 2025, fourth in the country. The Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach metro accounted for 16,317 thefts in 2024, more than four times the Jacksonville metro. (Source: NICB)
-
Georgia had about 17,200 vehicle thefts in 2025, roughly 11,600 of them in metro Atlanta. (Source: NICB)
Those totals include cars taken from dealership lots, apartment complexes, shopping center parking lots and airport garages. Parts theft such as converters, wheels and tailgates often isn't counted as vehicle theft at all.


Our Car Dealership Security Services
Overnight lot patrols and inventory checks
Officers walk or drive the inventory rows, the perimeter, the service lot and the back fence on a set schedule. Every sweep includes a door check on new and used inventory. Unlocked vehicles are secured or reported according to your post orders, along with open gates, damaged vehicles and anything else out of place, before your staff arrives.
On-site officers during business hours
A uniformed officer at the entrance or on the sales floor gives customers and staff a visible point of contact. Officers can watch the lot during busy sales events and keep an eye on vehicles moving on and off the property.
Key control and test-drive procedures
We can log vehicles leaving and returning, confirm a test drive was approved by sales staff, and monitor the key room or key box. The exact steps go into the post orders we write with your management team.
Service department and customer vehicle security
Officers include the service drive, customer drop-off area, cars waiting for pickup and the parts department in their rounds. They check doors, windows and gates on each pass and report any damage with time-stamped photos, so you know the condition of a customer's car before they arrive.
Holiday, weekend and storm coverage
Dealerships often close for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, and that's when lots sit empty longest. We also cover lots before and after hurricanes and tropical storms, when power and cameras may be down and inventory has been moved or staged.
Officers who work with your cameras
Cameras record a theft. An officer on the lot can walk toward it, call police with a precise location and document what happened. If you already pay for remote video monitoring, our officers can cover blind spots and respond on site to what the cameras flag.
Mobile patrols for smaller and used car lots
Independent and used car dealers who don't need a full-time officer can schedule mobile patrol checks through the night. Each visit is logged with time and GPS location.
Our Car Dealership Security Experience
Dealership work isn't new to us. Over the years our officers have protected:
-
A Toyota dealership and an Enterprise Car Sales location in Jacksonville
-
A CarMax location in Jacksonville for several months during construction
-
Acura and Hyundai dealerships in the Gainesville and Ocala area, for several years
-
Ford and Dodge dealerships in Tampa
That work covered overnight lot patrols, inventory checks, gate and key procedures, and service department rounds. On those posts, our officers found 10 to 20 unlocked vehicles in the new and used inventory every night during their property sweeps. An unlocked car on an open lot is an invitation, and catching it before a thief does is a large part of the job. We bring the same approach to every new dealership client.
How We Set Up Dealership Security
-
Site walk. A manager visits the dealership to look at the lot layout, lighting, fencing, gates, key storage, cameras and the hours when you have losses.
-
Post orders. We write site-specific instructions: patrol routes, patrol frequency, key and test-drive procedures, who to call and when.
-
Coverage starts. Officers are trained on your site before their first shift.
-
Reporting. You get electronic patrol and incident reports, and we adjust coverage when inventory, hours or problems change.
Why Work With AK Security Services
-
20+ years in the security business. Founded in Jacksonville, with offices in Jacksonville and Atlanta.
-
Licensed in three states. Florida (B2600249), Georgia (PSC002300) and Texas (B10503001).
-
Officers who stay. About 75% of our officers have been with us more than 10 years, so the person on your lot learns your property.
-
Patrols you can verify. GPS-tracked patrols, digital tour checkpoints and electronic incident reports.
-
Armed or unarmed officers. Matched to the dealership's risk and your preference.
-
Dealership experience. Toyota, Acura, Hyundai, Ford, Dodge, CarMax and Enterprise locations in Florida.
-
-
Dealership Security in Atlanta and South Florida
-
Metro Atlanta and the Miami–Fort Lauderdale area have more vehicle theft than anywhere else in Georgia or Florida. Our Atlanta office at 245 N Highland Ave NE serves dealerships across the metro, including Marietta. In South Florida we cover dealerships in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Dealers in both markets get the same licensed officers, written post orders and GPS-verified patrol reports as our Jacksonville clients.
-
Car Dealership Security Service Areas
-
We provide dealership security in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville and Tallahassee, Florida; Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia; and Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, Texas.
Car Dealership Security FAQs
Have you provided security for car dealerships before?
Yes. We have protected Toyota, Acura, Hyundai, Ford and Dodge dealerships, a CarMax location and an Enterprise Car Sales lot in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Ocala and Tampa, Florida.
How much does car dealership security cost?
Cost depends on the hours you need covered, whether you want an on-site officer or mobile patrol checks, armed or unarmed officers, and the size of the lot. After a site walk we give you a written quote based on your dealership.
Do you provide armed or unarmed security officers for dealerships?
Yes, both. Many dealerships use unarmed officers during business hours and choose armed officers for overnight coverage. We help you decide based on your location and loss history.
Do we need guards if we already have security cameras?
Cameras record what happens, but they can't walk over to a thief or check that a gate is locked. Many dealerships use both. Our officers can patrol camera blind spots and respond on site when your monitoring service flags activity.
Can you cover only nights, weekends or holidays?
Yes. Many dealerships only need coverage from closing to opening, on Sundays, or over holiday closures such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. We also provide short-term coverage before and after hurricanes and storms.
What does an officer do if they find a theft or break-in?
The officer calls law enforcement, notifies your designated contact, and documents the scene in an electronic incident report. Officers follow the post orders written for your dealership.
Do you work with used car lots and independent dealers?
Yes. Smaller lots often use scheduled mobile patrol checks through the night instead of a full-time officer, which keeps the cost down.
Where do you provide car dealership security?
We cover dealerships in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville and Tallahassee, Florida; Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia; and Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, Texas.
Protect Your Dealership, Inventory and Customer Vehicles
Your lot holds hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in vehicles, plus customer cars waiting for repair or pickup. Most of the damage happens after closing: smashed windows, stolen converters and wheels, cut fences, and cars left unlocked overnight.
Tell us how your dealership runs, which hours you need covered and what problems you’ve had. We’ll walk the property and send you a written security plan and quote for overnight lot patrols, an on-site officer, mobile patrol checks or a mix of all three.
