History
AutoNation's roots trace back to 1996, when current Chairman H. Wayne Huizenga invested in an Atlanta-based waste management company that later became Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Republic Industries, Inc. Republic Industries would go on to acquire most of the more than 321 new vehicle franchises the Company operates today, as well as several waste management and vehicle rental companies, before changing its name on April 6, 1999 to AutoNation, Inc.