The first time Sam Nehme mentioned expansion, it was early last spring — a quick heads-up that Broward Motorsports was adding another store. When we reached out to talk about it, his response was straightforward: give it a week or two. A second deal was already in motion.
A couple of weeks stretched into months. Between Nehme’s rapidly growing business and a packed racing and publishing calendar on our end, the conversation kept getting bumped. By the time we finally caught up last week, that expansion — growing Broward Motorsports from six dealerships to eight, with new locations in Orlando and Port Richey — had moved well beyond the tentative early stages, giving the longtime Florida operator a much stronger footprint across Central and West Florida.
In an industry where headlines often swing between doom and optimism, Nehme’s timing raised an obvious question: why expand now?
For Nehme, the answer starts with geography — and ends with discipline.
Florida, he explains, continues to behave differently than much of the country. While parts of the powersports market have cooled elsewhere, his original six stores were trending ahead of the previous year’s numbers. From his perspective, the expansion wasn’t a gamble so much as a continuation of momentum.
“We’re in the right place,” Nehme said. “When I look at our existing stores, they’re above last year. So in my mind, we’re growing — and that’s a good place to be.”
But he’s quick to point out that growth hasn’t come from simply following the same dealership playbook as everyone else. Nehme believes Broward Motorsports succeeds because it refuses to operate like an “average” dealer, leaning instead into creative marketing, unconventional thinking, and a willingness to adapt early rather than react late.
That mindset, he says, matters more now than ever.
Understanding the Modern Customer
Despite his deep roots in watercraft racing, Nehme sees today’s powersports customer less as a racer and more as a family buyer. The majority of people walking into his showrooms aren’t chasing lap times or aftermarket performance gains — they’re looking for reliability, simplicity, and experiences they can share.
“They want a jet ski, a cover, a few life jackets, a trailer — and they want to go have fun,” he said. “They want it to work.”
That shift has shaped how Broward Motorsports does business. While performance parts and race-derived products still have their place, Nehme believes the aftermarket performance segment is far smaller than it once was. Modern four-stroke watercraft are faster, more reliable, and more capable straight off the showroom floor than anything riders saw in the two-stroke era.
As a result, Nehme’s focus has increasingly moved toward volume — selling new watercraft, supporting them through service and warranty work, and building long-term customer relationships. Across all eight locations, Broward Motorsports now sells an estimated 4,000 personal watercraft per year, on top of business in motorcycles, side-by-sides, and other off-road vehicles.
“That’s where the real money is,” Nehme said. “Selling units, servicing them, and taking care of customers over time. That part of the business isn’t going away.”
Passion Helps — But It Isn’t Enough
Nehme doesn’t shy away from the role passion has played in his success. Like many in the industry, he started as an enthusiast long before becoming a business owner. But he’s equally candid about the danger of letting passion blur judgment.
“Passion is huge,” he said. “But if you can’t separate passion from reality and business, you can really hurt yourself.”
He’s seen it happen repeatedly: riders or collectors opening dealerships driven by enthusiasm, only to discover how demanding, time-consuming, and unforgiving the business can be. Success, Nehme argues, requires eventually outgrowing the enthusiast mindset and treating the operation like a true enterprise.
That same clarity influenced his own choices over the years, including when — and how — he chose to step back from certain aspects of the sport he loves. Refocusing on business, he says, directly contributed to Broward Motorsports’ continued growth and eventual expansion into new markets.
Expansion Without Chasing It
Interestingly, Nehme isn’t actively hunting for more dealerships. Most opportunities, he says, come to him.
When owners are ready to sell, manufacturer reps and industry contacts often point them his way — knowing Broward Motorsports is a serious buyer that closes deals cleanly. That’s exactly how the Orlando and Port Richey locations came together, even though acquiring two stores back-to-back wasn’t originally part of the plan.
“It was tough,” Nehme admitted. “I probably wouldn’t do it that way again. But it made sense to enter Central Florida with more than one store.”
The result is a broader regional presence and operational efficiencies that position the company well for continued growth. And if there’s one thing Nehme is certain of, it’s that he isn’t finished.
“Never done expanding,” he said. “Once I sit still too long, I get anxious.”
A Business Still Worth Building
For young riders and aspiring entrepreneurs watching from the outside, Nehme’s advice is direct. Racing success, he says, doesn’t translate into business success — and shouldn’t be mistaken for it. Building a dealership or powersports business requires full commitment, focus, and the willingness to work aggressively toward long-term stability before chasing passion projects.
In Nehme’s view, the opportunity is still there.
“In America, it’s 100 percent viable,” he said. “But it’s not going to be handed to you. You’ve got to believe in yourself and put in the work.”
As Broward Motorsports continues to grow across Florida, that philosophy — more than any single product or trend — appears to be the constant behind Nehme’s success.
Editor’s Note: This interview was originally intended to focus on Broward Motorsports’ expansion, but the conversation quickly widened to the state of PWC riding and racing. We’ll publish that portion of our discussion with Sam Nehme tomorrow in Part 2.
