Fire system down? We can often have an Officer on site today. Call (954) 787-3700
You Shouldn't Have to Manage Your Security Company.
Fire Watch, Guard Services, Event Security, and Executive Protection across Florida. Officers who know your site. A supervisor who checks the work. And when you call, a real person picks up. Not a phone tree, not a voicemail you never hear back from.
Licensed & Insured · FL #B1900411 4.7 on Google Veteran-owned & Black-owned
Clients ARDENT Protection works with
Trusted by
CostcoMarriottHiltonPGA of AmericaVirgin VoyagesDPR ConstructionFirstService ResidentialGreystarCamdenSherwin-WilliamsCity of Oakland ParkFlorida Atlantic UniversityThe Florida BarBenihanaRendina HealthcareSanitas MedicalRobins & MortonMiami Symphony OrchestraCostcoMarriottHiltonPGA of AmericaVirgin VoyagesDPR ConstructionFirstService ResidentialGreystarCamdenSherwin-WilliamsCity of Oakland ParkFlorida Atlantic UniversityThe Florida BarBenihanaRendina HealthcareSanitas MedicalRobins & MortonMiami Symphony Orchestra
What we do
What We Can Cover.
On-site Officers
Guard Services
Armed and unarmed Officers for commercial, residential, and retail properties. Post orders, patrols, access control, and a clear escalation ladder so a situation doesn't become an incident.
Professional Fire Watch when your system is impaired or a hazard is present. Continuous foot patrols, documented rounds, and logs filed with the Fire Marshal. One night or ongoing.
Event security isn't a pile of Officers you add at the end. It's a plan you build from the start. Venue walkthrough, crowd flow, credentialing, and a named lead who owns your event.
Risk management built around one person and how they move through their day. Advance work, discretion, and Agents who make the job look uneventful, because that's what success looks like.
Support for terminations, threats, and elevated-risk periods. HR and leadership own the conversation. Our Agents bring presence, readiness, and calm, and know exactly where the line is.
Protection at the door only solves half the problem if your home address is a search result. We find your personal information on data brokers and people-search sites and work to get it taken down.
That's the range, and you may not need all of it. Most people arrive here with one specific week in mind.
The calls we get most
If Any of This Sounds Like Your Week.
Most people call after a security problem or when their provider lets them down. We make the next steps easier with five things that start the day after you sign.
Break-ins, trespassing, or people entering who shouldn't. You've reported it, but it keeps happening. Sometimes another provider is already on site.
How ARDENT helps: We assign licensed Officers with post orders written for your property. An Officer from our Emergency Response Team (ERT), a standing team ready to respond, visits and checks the work.
"Our fire system is down and we can't close the building."
The panel isn't working and the inspector is coming. You can't send everyone home while you wait for repairs.
How ARDENT helps: We provide professional Fire Watch, record each round, and file the logs with the Fire Marshal.
"Our current company keeps letting us down."
Shifts go uncovered, calls go unanswered, and posts go unchecked. You end up managing the service yourself.
How ARDENT helps: ERT Officers make unannounced post checks. You get clear reports, and a person answers when you call.
"We've got 1,200 people coming and one way in."
Crowds, alcohol, VIPs, one entrance, and a fixed date leave little room for error. One incident can put your name on the line.
How ARDENT helps: We plan entry control and build a team around the guest experience, so security doesn't become the story.
"Someone knows where I live."
A threat or a public-facing role can put your home address on a dozen websites.
How ARDENT helps: We provide discreet Executive Protection Agents built around your routine, along with Information Removal to help reduce what's available online.
"I can never get anyone on the phone."
You call with a question, an incident, or an invoice. You reach voicemail or wait for a call back.
How ARDENT helps: Three teams handle client calls. Client Success takes your first call about anything and is available 24/7.
How our way works
Five Steps. One Steady Standard.
We stay involved after placement. These five steps guide every assignment, from one night to year-round coverage.
Written for your property and updated as the site changes.
02
Vetted, Trained Officers
Background-checked and site-matched, with 16 extra training hours. Above-market pay helps keep the same Officer on your post.
03
ERT Site Checks
ERT Officers check each post against its orders and tell you what they find.
04
Clear Shift Reports
Accurate reports for every shift, sent directly to you.
05
A 30-Day Startup
Site assessment, post orders, recruiting, training, and compliance—planned from day one.
Who we serve
Whether It's One Night or Every Night.
A single overnight Fire Watch, or Officers on your site every day of the year. It went into our Promise before there was a company to hold to it: "Whether our contract terms are long or short, we promise to serve you with Passion & Purpose." The small job gets the same standard as the big one.
Construction & Fire Watch
Fast, professional Fire Watch and site security. Our Officers complete your Fire Watch logs and submit them to the Fire Marshal, because the log is the proof.
Core service
Condo, HOA & Residential
A steady, professional presence for associations, communities, and buildings. Residents notice, and so do the people you'd rather keep out.
Commercial & Retail
Deterrence, access control, and a calm response for stores, offices, and warehouses.
Events, Venues & Hospitality
Planning and on-site teams that protect the guest experience from doors to close, without becoming the thing people remember.
Healthcare & Senior Living
Coverage that respects patients, staff, and compliance, from medical centers to senior communities.
Government & Education
Cities, campuses, and public institutions. We're veteran-owned and Black-owned, which matters when it's a bid.
Six different kinds of property, and about six versions of the same bad week. Here's how it sounds from the people already living it.
In our clients' words
What Clients Say When We're Not in the Room.
70,000+Hours of Fire Watch delivered across Florida since 2020. Invoiced, not estimated.
1,200Guests protected at a single event. From a client's own Google review.
a year ago
I was interested in taking a course on firearms because I am uncomfortable and scared around weapons. After speaking to Darryl I decided on taking a private course with him. The course was informational and Darryl was very knowledgeable and professional. After a few hours of being in the classroom I already felt more comfortable. At the gun range Darryl made me feel very comfortable and I was able to hit the target on my first shot! I was so excited and feel way more comfortable around firearms. I would recommend Darryl Johnson to anyone!
KDKatherine DelgadoGoogle review
5 years ago
I always wanted a firearm to protect my family, but I never felt comfortable enough around a weapon to do so. Upon walking through the door at Ardent, I knew that they were different. Darryl did not treat me different for being a woman or a beginner. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and was never frustrated with my never ending string of questions. Our practice out of the range was so thorough and clear that by the time we got to the range, I was more comfortable with a gun than I had ever been. Ardent Protection is a top of the line organization that truly cares about the student and I would recommend them to anyone looking to do anything with a weapon, and i will be learning with them again.
CRChristine RinconGoogle review
5 years ago
I was seeking professional instruction on how to handle a firearm safely and effectively. I discovered Ardent Protection and it exceeded my expectations. Daryl is my instructor, he was very professional, patient, and is effective in his teaching methods. I left feeling more confident in my ability to safely handle a firearm with a significant difference in my accuracy and proficiency. I am definitely going to continue training with them. Highly recommend!
SSStanislaw SowinskiGoogle review
6 years ago
Took the pistol basic training course and was very glad I did!! Darryl, our instructor, was incredibly knowledgeable, personable and very patient when teaching us and working with us at the range. I’ll definitely be coming back to take other courses with Darryl at Ardent. If you’re considering this, do it! You’ll enjoy it.
Reviews like these tell you about the good days. What you're actually buying is the bad one.
The difference
Two Providers Can Look Identical Until Something Happens.
Same uniform. Same badge. A similar rate on the quote. You can't tell the difference by looking, and the truth only comes out when something gets tested. The line that actually matters isn't the name on the truck. It's whether a company just fills your shifts, or actually manages the post.
Where it shows
Filling the shift
Managing the post
How the job is seen
Fill the shift, send the invoice
Protect the property, and represent you while we do it
Post orders
A blank clipboard, or a generic template
Written for your site, and updated as the site changes
Supervision
Nobody comes back after the contract is signed
Scheduled and unannounced site checks, and you hear what was found. Ours are run by ERT Officers.
Their own Officers
Whoever was available
Trained past the state minimum, paid above market, kept
An 11 p.m. call-out
Phone calls, and hoping somebody answers
A standing bench that was ready before you called. Ours is the ERT.
The worst night
Silence, spin, or blame
Facts, a response, and an honest recap of what changes
There's one question worth putting to every company you're considering. Including us.
"What happens when my Officer calls out at 11 p.m.?"
Every provider has coverage on a normal night. You're trying to learn what happens on a bad one, because that's the night you'll remember. The answer comes fast, and it tells you almost everything. If ours doesn't hold up, you've learned something about us too.
Managing a post only works if somebody is close enough to actually do it. Which is why the person who answers your call knows your county.
Coverage
Florida Operations
We serve all of Florida. Wherever your property is, you're working with Officers who know the area and a local number that reaches people who know your site.
Active across six counties — select a location for contact details
Our founder, Darryl Johnson, started out standing a post. That's why we train past the state minimum, pay above the market, and treat this like a profession instead of a shift you fill.
That's the number, and a person answers it. Worth knowing who that person is.
Who you actually talk to
Who Picks Up When You Call.
The number one complaint about security companies is that nobody picks up. It's the last place a good standard goes to die, so we split the job three ways and put a real person behind each one.
01
Client Success
Your first call, about anything at all. We hire Client Success out of customer-service backgrounds rather than sales, because we want people who are genuinely good at solving a problem, not closing one.
Reachable 24/7 for anything urgent
02
Operations Leadership
The people who run the coverage in your area. Scheduling, ERT site checks, post orders, incidents, Officer performance. Anything happening on your property right now.
24/7, every day
03
Finance & Admin
Invoices, contracts, certificates of insurance, and the paperwork your procurement team needs. A real person with a real answer, not a portal and a ticket number.
Extended hours, plus weekends when it's urgent
Not sure who to call?
Call Client Success. It's what they're there for. They won't sell you anything and they won't pass you around. They'll either fix it themselves or walk you over to the person who can, and then stay on it until it's actually done.
Those three teams sit behind every job we take. Most of it gets planned weeks ahead of the first shift. Some of it has to start tonight.
Short notice · The ERT
Fire System Down? You Can Probably Have Someone Tonight.
Most companies handle urgent work by grabbing whoever's free. We built a standing Emergency Response Team for it: Officers and Agents kept on the bench for exactly this, so a 2 a.m. problem is a phone call instead of a scramble.
4 hoursOur standard Fire Watch setup
60 minutesOur fastest, and we've done it more than once
24 hoursTypical for short-notice Guard Services
We're fast because the readiness is built before the phone rings, not after. What we won't do is promise you a number before we know your site. Call us and you'll get a real answer about tonight.
Speed is an easy thing to claim in a sales meeting. Fair reason to put a few harder questions to anyone you're considering.
Questions, answered
Before You Hire Anyone
These are the questions we get asked most. They're worth putting to any security company you're considering, and the answers are worth comparing.
What happens when my Officer calls out at 11 p.m.?
An ERT Officer fills it. Our Emergency Response Team is a standing bench kept ready for exactly this, and they're briefed on your post orders before they arrive. A provider without one starts making phone calls and hopes somebody answers. It's a fair question to put to any security company you're considering, and the answer usually tells you most of what you need to know.
Can I see a sample set of post orders before I sign?
Yes, and it's worth asking any provider for them. Post orders are where the standard actually lives. If a company can't show you what they'd write for your site, or hands you a template with another client's name still in it, you've learned something important.
We already have a guard on site. Can't they just do the Fire Watch too?
No, and this one costs people real money. Fire Watch requires dedicated attention. If a Fire Marshal finds your Officer was also handling security duties at the same time, they may determine the property had no compliant Fire Watch at all, which can mean you're treated as though you had none. It needs to be a separate assignment. There's more on this, including what the code actually says, on our Fire Watch page.
How fast can you actually get someone on site?
Our standard Fire Watch setup is four hours, and our fastest was under 60 minutes. Short-notice Guard Services is typically 24 hours. But it honestly depends on your location, the time of day, and how much we know about your site when you call. Be wary of any provider who promises an exact arrival time before knowing anything about your need. That's a sales reflex, not an operational answer.
Are your Officers licensed, and how much training do they actually get?
ARDENT is licensed and insured in Florida, license #B1900411. Every Officer holds a current Class D license. Every ARDENT Officer completes 16 hours of ARDENT training on top of Florida's required 40-hour Class D certification, before they ever stand a post. The state hours are a minimum, not a ceiling.
What does it cost?
Unarmed Guard Services typically run $28 to $40 an hour in this market, armed $38 to $55, and Fire Watch $35 to $55. The full ranges, and the eight things that move a quote inside them, are published on our Pricing page, no phone number required. What we'll add honestly: a cheap Officer who's often missing, unprepared, or unprofessional costs far more than the few dollars an hour you saved. The right question isn't who's cheapest. It's who gives you reliable coverage at a fair price.
Those are worth putting to any company you're considering. And if you'd rather make up your own mind before you talk to anybody at all, that's a good instinct.
Read first, decide later
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Hire Anyone.
Useful whether or not you ever call us, and just as useful with any provider you're considering.
You might come away deciding you don't need us at all. That's a perfectly good outcome. It's the guessing we're trying to put an end to.
Let's Talk About Your Site or Your Situation.
Get a site assessment and you'll get a straight read on what your property actually needs, including when that's less than you were told. If you're in a hole right now, skip the form and call (954) 787-3700. Someone will pick up.
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