About Us

Our Past, Present, and Future...

YEARS IN BUSINESS

0 Years

Since 1968 we have been designing, installing, and servicing sound systems.

COMPETITORS LONGEVITY

0

No local competitors have been in business as long.

INSTALLATION GUARANTEE

0 %

Florida Sound has a one-year installation labor warranty.

We are the premier audiovisual integrators
We are the premier audiovisual integrators

Premier Audiovisual Integrators

+ Progressive

Continually striving for perfection

Our past is important but we donโ€™t live there. We stay on top of new technologies and methods. Our technicians are certified through testing and training.

+ Reliable & Stable

For over half a century

Large and small businesses, churches, and organizations have relied on us to install and keep their system at peak performance for years. Speaking of years and stability, Florida Sound has been around longer than any local competitor โ€“ since 1968.

+ Best-in-class

Leader | Top ๐Ÿถ | โญโญโญโญโญ

Not only have we been around for over half a century, we have spent that time as a leader in state-of-the-art design, installation, and servicing of sound and video systems. We make wise choices on quality of equipment recommendations. We also invest in our team members so they stay at the top of their game and more importantly, we encourage them to lead by example.

Woof! ๐Ÿ•

WHO WE ARE

Audiovisual Integrators

โญโญโญโญโญ

โ€œYour team provided a neat and timely installation and the final product sounds fantastic."

DAVID J. ESTEL

Christ the Rock - Memphis TN

We are problem solvers who are driven to provide the best-in-class audio-video solutions for our customers.

Explore
We are the premier audiovisual integrators

Premier Audiovisual Integrators

+ Progressive

Continually striving for perfection

Our past is important but we donโ€™t live there. We stay on top of new technologies and methods. Our technicians are certified through testing and training.

+ Reliable & Stable

For over half a century

Large and small businesses, churches, and organizations have relied on us to install and keep their system at peak performance for years. Speaking of years and stability, Florida Sound has been around longer than any local competitor โ€“ since 1968.

+ Best-in-class

Leader | Top ๐Ÿถ | โญโญโญโญโญ

Not only have we been around for over half a century, we have spent that time as a leader in state-of-the-art design, installation, and servicing of sound and video systems. We make wise choices on quality of equipment recommendations. We also invest in our team members so they stay at the top of their game and more importantly, we encourage them to lead by example.

Woof! ๐Ÿ•

HOW WE DO IT

We stand for...

Truth, Loyalty, and Integrity

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything" so states an adage that we agree with.

โญโญโญโญโญ

โ€œI would have gotten a little more sleep during our construction process if all the subcontractors conducted themselves like Florida Sound."

GEORGE L. DAVIS

Faith Christian Church - Jacksonville

Explore

We stand for...

+ Truth

Definition of "Truth"

"The quality of being in accord with fact or reality. Truth is a comprehensive term that in all of its nuances implies accuracy and honesty." (thefreedictionary.com)

+ Loyalty

Definition of "Loyalty"

"Faithful to a person, ideal, custom, cause, or duty." (thefreedictionary.com)

+ Integrity

Definition of "Integrity"

"Uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character." (thefreedictionary.com)"

+ Where did "Stand" / "Fall" adage come from?

โ€œIf you donโ€™t stand for something, youโ€™ll fall for anything."

According to Quote Investigator: "An interesting precursor for the saying appeared in a Methodist church announcement in an Iowa newspaper from 1926. The word order and meaning were distinct, but the keywords were the same. In 1927 the same precursor was printed as a โ€œSermonogramโ€ in an Ohio newspaper:  'It is easier to fall for anything than to stand for something.'"

We stand for truth loyalty and integrity

We stand for...

+ Truth

Definition of "Truth"

"The quality of being in accord with fact or reality. Truth is a comprehensive term that in all of its nuances implies accuracy and honesty." (thefreedictionary.com)

+ Loyalty

Definition of "Loyalty"

"Faithful to a person, ideal, custom, cause, or duty." (thefreedictionary.com)

+ Integrity

Definition of "Integrity"

"Uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character." (thefreedictionary.com)"

+ Where did "Stand" / "Fall" adage come from?

โ€œIf you donโ€™t stand for something, youโ€™ll fall for anything."

According to Quote Investigator: "An interesting precursor for the saying appeared in a Methodist church announcement in an Iowa newspaper from 1926. The word order and meaning were distinct, but the keywords were the same. In 1927 the same precursor was printed as a โ€œSermonogramโ€ in an Ohio newspaper:  'It is easier to fall for anything than to stand for something.'"

Some of Our Team

Robert Cole - Portrait
Robert Cole

President

Bob, started working at Florida Sound in 1985 when hired as a technician with sound and video talent. He went on to become the installation manager and in 1999 he and his wife, Diana, bought the company...

Diana Cole | Vice President
Diana Cole

Vice President

Diana started in 1999 when she and Bob bought the company. Formerly, she worked meticulously at Merrill Lynch excelling in the financial /

investment market and in supporting clients. She has broughtโ€ฆ

Neil Cooper - Senior Project Manager
Neil Cooper

Senior Project Manager

Neil started in 2007 as a technician and now oversees operation of technicians as Senior Project Manager. An audio-video superhero, Neil does system design, coordinates project and service scheduling...

*One-time, automated, 5 second browser security check for team member profile section. This is to help cut down on mean bots with bad intentions. ๐Ÿ˜’

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Florida Sound's History

Our Start


Florida Sound had its start back in 1950 when Warren Coughlin started a small family business on the Southside of Jacksonville known as Florida Wired Music. It began to flourish and later in 1968 became Florida Sound Engineering Company which represented the vision of Mr. Coughlin better.

Florida Sound's Historical Brochure Collage

Picture: Brochures from the 70's and 80's

At the Helm


When at the helm, Warren was a hands-on kind of guy and stood behind the work his company did. For many years, Florida Soundโ€™s brochures had statements like: โ€œPlease do not hesitate to write or telephone me, personally, if we can be of service.โ€ Warren also never showed reluctance when it came to describing Florida Soundโ€™s accomplishments, which were many. No longer was Florida Sound a small music company piping in โ€˜wiredโ€™ music. The name change was appropriate, because Florida Sound now was engineering and installing sound systems in buildings such as Independent Life, Southern Bell, the original Gator Bowl and Florida Field in Gainesville.

โ€œOur reputation and our position of leadership demands no less."

Warren Coughlin Signature

WARREN COUGHLIN

Past President of Florida Sound

Like Father, Like Son


As Warren raised his family, his son Mark took an active interest in the company, and after college he began to work as an installer. It wasnโ€™t long before Mark was showing his Fatherโ€™s zeal and business acumen. Mark became the Vice President and later, President of Florida Sound. This was not overnight, as Warren wanted to make sure that his company would be handled the right way, a way that had brought him dignity and success in the community.

Mark was also known for his hands on philosophy and by the early 1990โ€™s Florida Sound had grown into a major player of sound system design and installation. Not just in Jacksonville, but Mark found himself being asked to bid on jobs all over the southeastern United States. The Orange Bowl in Miami; Charleston Coliseum in South Carolina and the enlarged Florida Field at the University of Florida in Gainesville, to name a few.

Tragedy Strikes, Then "Outside" Management


At the peak of this growth, tragedy struck. A calamity that would pierce Florida Sound to its core occurred when Mr. Warren Coughlin called a company meeting to let his extended family know that his son, Mark, had cancer. After a recovery period, Mark appeared fine, but later it was discovered that the cancer had re-occurred and surgery was not an option. Mark Coughlin died leaving behind his wife, three sons, one daughter and his Mother and Father. But he also left behind many employees that viewed him as a friend. Mark is truly missed.

Mr. Warren Coughlin and his wife took an active interest in the company again, but in 1996 after much debate, sold Florida Sound to a larger corporation. Many of the employees stayed on, like Kenny Niblick and an enterprising installation manager named Bob Cole. They had both been working with Warren and Mark since 1985. Bob witnessed the chaos of โ€œoutsideโ€ management and he longed for that family-owned business atmosphere again.

Family Owned Once Again


It came true when the large corporation that had purchased Florida Sound, lost interest in the sound business and offered Bob the company. It was a dream come true. Now Bob and his devoted wife Diana had to make a decision. It was YES! Once again Florida Sound carries on Mr. Coughlin and his Sonโ€™s vision and zeal for business. The kind of business where the heart and soul can be felt, seen and heard. Where the customer is not just a number. That would be a family-owned business. Florida Sound is prospering and is carrying on the tradition of two pillars in the sound business. And as the past words of Warren Coughlin sum up so nicely: โ€œOur reputation and our position of leadership demands no less.โ€

โ€œMy grandfather was a self-made businessman who started with nothing and became successful in the automobile repair business. I know he would not want me to give up the opportunity that was given to us in 1999, so weโ€™ve stayed a private family business.โ€

Robert Cole Sig

ROBERT COLE

President

Florida Sound Timeline

1950

Florida Wired Music

1968

Florida Sound Engineering

1985

Robert Cole hired as tech

1985

Started video system design

1996

Sold to a large corporation

1999

Purchased by Robert & Diana

Today

2023 and still going...

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Design | AV System Integration

AUDIOVISUAL DESIGN WITH YOU IN MIND

Puzzled at the prospect of finding the right company to handle your design needs?

Before a system is installed, it has to be designed. A properly designed audiovisual system can make the difference between dull and muddled or bright and clear. Sound systems especially are affected by the acoustics of a room. If that isnโ€™t taken into account, you can throw all the money and premium electronic gadgets at a job, and you will still not achieve the clarity of a less expensive system that has been properly designed. Even things like air conditioning systems can affect the intelligibility of a sound system.

If you are in the market for a new audiovisual system, make sure that it is properly designed before any equipment is ever proposed, let alone installed. We can help make the pieces fit.


Picture: San Juan Del Rio Church | Equipment Rack | Design