Adt Acquisition Is Called Off

Republic Industries Inc.’s proposed $4.3 billion acquisition of ADT Ltd. was called off Monday in a setback for empire builder Wayne Huizenga, the chairman of Republic.

ADT is the nation’s biggest burglar-alarm company and second in the field of used-car auctions, two businesses targeted by Huizenga before the deal was announced three months ago.

But doubts about the viability of the merger arose after Topeka, Kan.-based utility Western Resources, ADT’s largest shareholder with 24 percent of the stock, came out against the deal.

The disintegration of the merger hurts Huizenga’s image as a dealmaker who establishes national brands out of splintered industries. He built Blockbuster into a video rental giant and Waste Management, now WMX Technologies, into a trash king. He owns three sports franchises.