Sunshine Car Wash to hit 10 Tampa Bay sites with Oct. 24 Fowler Ave. opening
The family-owned Florida operator will mark its newest location with a two-week grand opening and a fundraiser for breast cancer research.
By The Car Wash News Staff
3 min read
Sunshine Car Wash, a family-owned operator based in Tampa Bay, expects to reach 10 locations by the end of 2026 after acquiring five additional car washes in the region. The company will open its newest site at 1711 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa on Oct. 24, according to reporting from Professional Carwashing & Detailing.
The Fowler Avenue location sits minutes from the University of South Florida, where Sunshine serves as the official car wash of USF Athletics. The company, founded in 2019, currently runs sites across Clearwater, Largo and Tampa and is growing through a mix of new development, acquisitions and rebranding of existing properties.
A two-week grand opening tied to community events
Rather than a single opening day, Sunshine plans a two-week celebration featuring free washes, food vendors, local businesses and daily themed activations. Scheduled events include a USF Day, Kids Day, Taco Tuesdays, Wellness Wednesday and Food Truck Fridays. The celebration wraps with a community car show featuring live music, food trucks and members of Tampa Bay's automotive community.
Co-founder and CEO Afram Seriani said the company wants each opening to involve the surrounding community rather than just raising a grand opening sign. He described Fowler as a major market for the brand given its proximity to USF.
The opening also coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout October, Sunshine will donate 50% of proceeds from a designated Breast Cancer Awareness wash campaign to Moffitt Cancer Center for breast cancer research.
Growth without losing the local feel
Sunshine's path to 10 locations combines the recent five-site acquisition with new construction and redevelopment of purchased properties. Seriani framed the milestone as secondary to the brand's identity, saying the focus is on building something the region can be proud of while preserving the family-owned feel, customer service and community ties that drove its growth.
The operator's strategy centers on positioning itself as a locally rooted brand with strong community connections, anchored by partnerships such as the USF Athletics tie-in and ongoing local involvement across Tampa Bay.
Why it matters for operators
Sunshine's approach shows how a regional chain can turn an acquisition-driven scale-up into a marketing asset rather than a quiet consolidation. Buying five sites at once creates a rebranding challenge, and Sunshine is answering it with high-visibility grand openings designed to reintroduce each location to its neighborhood.
The extended two-week opening is worth noting. Free washes and daily events keep a new site in front of local customers far longer than a one-day launch, giving the operation time to build membership sign-ups and word-of-mouth before the free period ends. For operators weighing how to convert curiosity into recurring revenue, a longer runway can help capture repeat visits and unlimited-plan conversions.
The Moffitt Cancer Center fundraiser also illustrates cause marketing tied to a specific wash package. Directing a fixed share of proceeds to a well-known local institution gives customers a concrete reason to choose the premium wash during the campaign, while reinforcing the brand's community positioning. Operators expanding through acquisition can study how Sunshine pairs financial scale with hyperlocal engagement to keep a growing footprint from feeling corporate.
