Sell Your Florida Insurance Agency: A Jacksonville-Based Direct Buyer for Books Under $1M

Atesa Risk Advisors, based in Jacksonville, buys Florida insurance agencies and books of business under $1 million in annual revenue, directly, confidentially and with no broker fee. In our published framework, books from $300,000 to $1 million price at 1.5x to 2.25x, books from $150,000 to $300,000 at 1.2x to 2.0x, and micro-books under $150,000 at 0.8x to 1.2x.

A Jacksonville-based direct buyer for Florida agencies and books under $1M: fixed price at close under $500k, no broker fee, statewide. See your range.

Figures reviewed against Florida Statutes and carrier bulletins on September 27, 2026.

The market nobody serves is the one most owners are in

I'll tell you what the M&A market won't: if your agency does more than $1 million in revenue, you don't need this page. Aggregators will compete for you, a broker's auction will earn its fee, and you'll do fine. Below that line, the phone goes quiet. Listings sit. The buyers with capital don't call back — not because your book is bad, but because their model needs scale on every close. I built this page for the owners in that silence. A direct sale replaces the auction with one confidential conversation: no listing, no 8–12% fee, and your clients keep a Jacksonville agency that answers its own phone instead of a national call center.

Our buy-box, published

Nobody in this market publishes what they buy, which tells you something about how they negotiate. Here is exactly what I'm looking for — if your agency fits, a first call is worth fifteen minutes of your life. If it doesn't, this table just saved you the call.

What we look at	What fits
Size	Agencies and books of business under $1M in annual commission revenue — the segment the aggregators pass over
Lines	Personal lines and small-commercial P&C, Florida clients
Geography	Anywhere in Florida — strongest fit in Northeast Florida: Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and the First Coast
Deal structure	Under $500,000 in revenue: a fixed price, paid at close — no earn-out. $500,000 to $1M: cash at close, with a retention earn-out, seller financing, or SBA 7(a) financing where it fits
Your staff	Service staff often stay — a book runs on the people who know it
Timeline	60–90 days from first call to close is typical for a clean book

Over $1M in revenue? Then the aggregator and broker market genuinely serves you well, and that's where you should sell — I'll tell you the same thing on the phone. This page is for everyone they don't call back.

One number, paid at close.

On any book under $500,000 in revenue, that is the whole deal. No earn-out, no retention true-up, no three-year tail — the diligence sets the price once, and you leave closing with a number that does not move.

A fixed price: Set from three years of carrier production reports and the retention math, inside the published band. It does not change after closing.
Paid at close: The full price on the day. If you want installments for tax reasons, a fixed-schedule seller note does that — nothing is tied to retention.
Sixty to ninety days, first call to close: A fifteen-minute call, an NDA, three numbers, a written range within a week, and a close in sixty to ninety days when the records are clean.
A ninety-day handoff, then you're out: A joint client letter, introductions on your top accounts, the agent-of-record transfers — and after that, a phone number that works for a year. No producer contract, no consulting tail.

Books between $500,000 and $1 million can add a retention earn-out, seller financing, or SBA 7(a) financing where the fit is right; SBA rules make those deals fixed-price by law.

Running something else now? Sell just the insurance side.

Most of the owners who call us are not retiring. They hold a 2-20, moved their working life into tax preparation, real estate, mortgage lending, or another business, and the P&C book they still service on the side has become a chore. That is a clean sale, not a compromise: the book of business is an asset you can sell on its own, your license stays yours, the non-solicit covers the insurance accounts and nothing else, and the price is fixed and paid at close. The whole thing takes sixty to ninety days, and your clients land with a local independent instead of a national service center.

Your 2-20 stays yours — selling the book does not surrender an individual license
Your other business is untouched — the non-solicit is scoped to the insurance accounts you sell
Ninety days of handoffs, then a phone number; no producer or consulting contract
A fixed price, paid at close — the rule on every book under $500,000

What actually moves a small book's multiple

Published 2026 benchmarks put Florida agency sales between roughly 1.2x and 2.5x annual revenue, with the state's median asking multiple near 1.56x. Where your book lands inside that band comes down to five things — the same five I check before I ever say a number out loud:

Client retention: The largest driver by far. A book holding 95%+ earns a premium; one below 85% prices at a discount because the buyer is purchasing a leak.
Line mix: Commercial books price above personal-lines books — higher revenue per account and stickier renewals.
Carrier appointments: What actually transfers in a sale. A book concentrated in 1–3 carriers carries transfer risk; a broad, transferable panel protects value.
Citizens share: Florida-specific: a Citizens-heavy book faces depopulation takeout churn on someone else's schedule, and buyers price that in.
Revenue quality: Recurring commission on renewals is worth more than new-business commission that has to be re-earned every year.

Two tiers sit below the standard 1.5x to 2.25x band. Books from $150,000 to $300,000 in annual revenue price at 1.2x to 2.0x: the same line-mix bases set 0.3x lower (1.4x personal, 1.55x mixed, 1.7x commercial), moved by the same retention, Citizens and carrier factors. Books under $150,000 price as micro-books at 0.8x to 1.2x regardless of line mix; at that size the fixed costs of a deal — legal, diligence, transition — and the owner-dependence of the relationships dominate everything else. The deals still work, and we still do them; the multiple just has to carry the overhead.

Home territory: North Florida, county by county

We buy anywhere in Florida, but the First Coast is home — I already hold appointments with the carriers these books are written with, and I look at them for a living. The books differ more by county than most sellers realize, and an out-of-market buyer prices those differences wrong in both directions:

Duval County — Jacksonville: The region's commercial weight: contractors, trucking, hospitality, and habitational books blended with a personal-lines base. A knowledgeable buyer prices commercial retention and account concentration.
St. Johns County — St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee: Growth-market personal lines with newer construction and cleaner wind profiles. A renewal base that compounds with the county is worth more than the same revenue in a flat market.
Clay County — Orange Park, Middleburg, Keystone Heights: Suburban-to-rural personal lines with a heavier Citizens footprint. Takeout history and documentation decide whether the Citizens share prices as manageable churn or worst-case risk.
Nassau County — Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Wildlight: Coastal legacy books plus a fast-growing new-construction corridor. Flood-heavy composition is an asset to a buyer with flood markets — and a discount from one without.

How a direct sale actually works

A confidential fifteen-minute call. No listing, no paperwork, no obligation. You describe the agency in broad strokes; I'll tell you honestly whether it fits the buy-box — and if it doesn't, where I'd sell it if I were you.
NDA, then three numbers. We sign a mutual NDA before you share anything sensitive. Then we need just three things to talk value: annual commission revenue, retention rate, and your carrier list.
A valuation range and structure options. Within a week you get an honest range. Under $500,000 in revenue it comes with one number — a fixed price, paid at close. Above that, two or three structures — cash with a retention earn-out, seller financing, or an SBA-financed purchase — with the trade-offs of each spelled out.
Letter of intent and diligence. If the range works, we sign an LOI and verify the book: carrier production reports, loss ratios, and retention data. Diligence on a clean small book takes weeks, not months.
Close and transition on your timeline. Purchase agreement, carrier appointment transfers and agent-of-record letters, and a client communication plan we write together — including how your role winds down, on the schedule you choose.

Not selling yet? Most owners aren't.

The best exits start two or three renewal cycles before the sale — retention and documentation take time to move, and they're most of the price. So here's a standing offer with no clock on it: join the quiet list. You'll get our annual Florida Small Agency Market Report the day it publishes, one short check-in a year, and nothing else — no calls, no pressure, no listing anyone. When your moment comes, you'll already know the buyer.

The Florida Small Agency Market Report — 2026 Edition — Our annual report on the market for Florida agencies and books under $1M in revenue — agency counts by county from Census data, the Citizens factor, the 2026 rate environment, national deal-flow data, and the valuation framework we buy against. Every figure from government, carrier, or named-industry sources, cited.

Home territory first, Florida-wide at the right price

We buy anywhere in Florida. Jacksonville, St. Augustine and the North Florida counties are where we already hold the appointments and read the Citizens takeout files every week, so those books get the sharpest price; a book in Orlando, Tampa or South Florida gets the same process and a price that reflects what it costs us to service it well.

Duval and Clay: the Citizens-heavy books

Citizens held 3,163 personal residential multiperil policies in Duval County and 1,081 in Clay at December 31, 2025, plus 302 wind-only policies in Duval; the takeout file behind those numbers is what sets the discount on a Citizens-heavy book.

Clay County's Citizens personal residential multiperil book fell from 2,146 policies at July 31, 2025 to 537 a year later, a 75% drop, as takeouts moved policies to private carriers; statewide Citizens stood at 336,000 policies in March 2026, down 76% from its October 2023 peak.
A takeout offer within 20% of the Citizens renewal premium ends the policyholder's Citizens eligibility (FS 627.351(6)), so the question for a buyer is not how many Citizens policies a book has but where they landed and whether the agency kept them; a seller who can show that history shrinks the discount.
Citizens' approved 2026 HO-3 rates fall 5.0% in Duval and 6.5% in Clay, effective July 1, 2026 for new policies and at renewal for existing ones; a personal-lines book's commission base moves with those numbers before any buyer touches it.
By our count from the Department of Financial Services licensee files dated September 3, 2026, 53,782 Floridians hold a valid resident 2-20 license and 13,845 of them (25.7%) have no active property-and-casualty appointment; a seller who keeps the license has 48 months without an appointment before eligibility in that class ends (FS 626.431), and renewal commissions can still be paid to a former licensee (FS 626.753(1)(b)).

St. Johns, Nassau and the growth corridor

St. Johns County reached 346,328 residents by July 1, 2025, up 26.7% since 2020, with a median owner-occupied home worth $489,200 built in 2004; a book written there renews into a rising market.

St. Johns County authorized 4,735 new housing units worth about $1.20 billion in 2025 and certified about 1,165 acres of agricultural enclaves for homes along SR 207 in August 2026; new-construction credits and cleaner wind profiles make its personal-lines books the easiest to place with private carriers.
Citizens held 1,575 personal residential multiperil policies in St. Johns County and 648 in Nassau at December 31, 2025; its approved 2026 HO-3 rates fall 8.2% in St. Johns and 10.9% in Nassau, and Nassau's multiperil book was already down 59% between July 2025 and July 2026.
A seller's non-compete of three years or less is presumed reasonable under FS 542.335 and anything over seven years presumed unreasonable; we scope it to the accounts you sold, which matters most for the dual-licensed 2-20 holders in these counties (roughly 880 people across 13 North and Central Florida counties also hold an active real estate license, by our September 2026 match of the DFS and DBPR files).
On a book under $500,000 in revenue the price is fixed and paid at close, with a 90-day handoff; larger agencies can use seller notes or SBA 7(a) financing, and the valuation tool on this page shows every adjustment we make.

Citizens personal residential policies and 2026 approved HO-3 rate changes, Northeast Florida

County	Citizens multiperil policies (12/31/2025)	Citizens wind-only policies (12/31/2025)	Approved 2026 HO-3 change
Duval	3,163	302	-5.0%
St. Johns	1,575	231	-8.2%
Clay	1,081	n/a	-6.5%
Nassau	648	177	-10.9%
Flagler	688	382	-8.6%

Policy counts from Citizens' Detail by County report for December 31, 2025; rate changes from Citizens' 2026 Approved Rate Changes by County (OIR-approved March 2026), effective July 1, 2026 for new policies and at renewal for existing ones.

Guides

Data sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is my Florida insurance agency or book of business worth in 2026?

In our framework, books from $300,000 to $1 million price at 1.5x to 2.25x annual commission revenue, books from $150,000 to $300,000 at 1.2x to 2.0x, and books under $150,000 at 0.8x to 1.2x. Retention is the biggest driver inside each band, then line mix, carrier transferability and Citizens exposure. Our valuation tool gives a range, not an offer.

What multiple do small Florida insurance books sell for?

As a planning range, small Florida books trade between roughly 1.2x and 2.5x annual commission revenue, and the state's median asking multiple sits near 1.56x. Personal lines price toward the low end of a band and commercial toward the high end.

Why sell directly instead of listing with a business broker?

A broker process earns its 8-12% success fee when it creates competition, which takes multiple bidders. Under $1M in revenue, listings often sit for months and the fee comes out of a modest price. A direct sale is one conversation under NDA with no fee. If your book could attract an auction, a broker may net you more.

Why not sell to a national aggregator?

Over $1M in revenue, you should talk to them: private-equity aggregators pay competitive multiples for scale. Below that line they rarely return calls, and when they do, your clients typically move to a regional service center and your brand disappears. Selling to a local independent keeps the book in Florida, keeps service local, and usually keeps your staff.

How do you keep the sale confidential?

Nothing is listed anywhere, and we sign a mutual NDA before you share a single number. Your staff, carriers, and clients learn about the sale when you decide they should — usually at close, with a joint communication plan. In a market where everyone knows everyone, no-listing confidentiality is a real reason sellers choose a direct buyer.

What happens to my clients and my staff?

Your clients move to a Jacksonville-based independent agency with 40+ A-rated carrier markets, so they keep local service and gain a deeper market panel at renewal. Service staff often stay on, because a book runs on the people who know it. Producer roles are case-by-case, including sellers who want to keep producing part-time through transition.

My book is heavy in Citizens policies — can I still sell it?

Yes, with honest pricing. A Citizens-heavy book carries Florida-specific risk: depopulation takeouts move policies off the book on someone else's schedule, and eligibility rules limit who can be re-marketed where. Expect the multiple to reflect that. Documentation of pending takeout offers, your historical takeout retention and the private-market alternatives in your area all help.

Do you use earn-outs or seller financing?

Not on small books. Under $500,000 we pay a fixed price at close, with no earn-out and no retention true-up. Between $500,000 and $1 million, part of the price can be paid over two to three years tied to renewals, or through seller financing, and for the right agency we arrange SBA 7(a) financing, which pays the seller at close.

How long does a sale take, and what do you need from me to start?

Sixty to ninety days from first call to close is typical for a clean book. To start, we need a fifteen-minute conversation and, after an NDA, three numbers: annual commission revenue, retention rate, and your carrier list. From there you get a range within a week.

Can I sell my insurance book of business and keep my 2-20 license?

Yes. A book of business is an asset: the client accounts, the right to renew their policies, and the right to be agent of record. Selling it does not surrender an individual Florida 2-20 license, which stays yours as long as you keep it in force. What you sign is a non-solicit covering the accounts you sold.

I run another business now. Can I sell only the insurance side?

Yes. An owner who moved into tax preparation, real estate, mortgage lending or another business can sell the P&C book on its own. We buy the accounts and the right to renew them, and the non-solicit is scoped to the insurance accounts you sold. On a book under $500,000 the price is fixed and paid at close.

Do you buy insurance books outside Jacksonville and Northeast Florida?

Yes, anywhere in Florida at the right price. Jacksonville is home, and Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Flagler are the counties where we already hold the carrier appointments, so those books get the sharpest number and the fastest close. A book in Orlando, Tampa or South Florida gets the same fifteen-minute call and the same fixed-price offer under $500,000.

How do Citizens rate changes affect the price of a North Florida book?

Citizens held 3,163 personal residential multiperil policies in Duval, 1,575 in St. Johns, 1,081 in Clay and 648 in Nassau at December 31, 2025, and its approved 2026 HO-3 rates fall 5.0% to 10.9% across those counties, which changes renewal revenue before a buyer touches the book.

How does a Citizens-heavy Clay or Duval book price in 2026?

On the takeout file, not the policy count. Citizens' personal residential multiperil book in Clay County fell from 2,146 policies at July 31, 2025 to 537 a year later as takeouts moved policies out. We discount a Citizens share in the multiple because of that churn, and reduce the discount when the seller's takeout history shows the policies stayed.

What happens to the agent's commission when Citizens policies are taken out?

A takeout offer within 20% of the Citizens renewal premium ends the policyholder's Citizens eligibility (FS 627.351(6)), and the agent of record is owed the first year's commission on an assumed policy.

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Atesa Risk Advisors · 3119 Spring Glen Rd Suite 101, Jacksonville, FL 32207 · (904) 900-5063

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