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Can any of you awesome agents out there suggest an insurance network? We are looking at SIAA but I don't particularly like their exit fees. Seems extremely high. I am coming from the captive world and it's giving me a little déjà vu. Needles to say I am staying away from the independent franchises as well; Brightway, We Insure, etc.. Thank You all in Advance. We will be selling 70% Personal and 30% Business. Looking to make a decision pretty quickly.

I am not a Florida Agent, but a big priority if I were in your shoes would be someone that is local to the State, both for assistance but also having a local relationships with the companies. I am not sure if there are any partnerships based out of Florida, but that is where I would start.

Next would be ownership of the appointment. I have talked with a few different people who tell you that you own the business, but the commission is coming from the Aggregator and not the carrier. In that situation, you're pretty much at 1099 Producer for that Aggregator in my opinion.

Finally, I would look for Aggregators that offer some form of a formal support program. Captive vs Independent is different, having access to someone that is familiar with the independent model, and has hopefully operated an Independent in your state would be helfpul.

Good luck!

we are in a similar situation, any luck picking a cluster in Florida? Thanks.

@NCInsuranceAgent So far outside of the franchises (Brightway, we-insure, Great Florida, etc..) SiAA and Smart Choice seem to be the ones that are willing to work with new agencies and have a good footprint in Florida. SIAA has the feature where you do get the commission from the carriers but their exit fees are bigger than I feel comfortable with. Smart Choice, is like you said, they get paid from the carrier and then they pay you. I'm trying to get direct appointments from the auto carriers now but no luck as of yet.

Good afternoon,

I am the Business Development Manager for Halcyon Underwriters, an admitted wholesale brokerage out of Maitland, Florida.

Unlike SIAA and some of the other franchises brokerages, our office does not charge you fees to access some of the top nationwide carriers. You are in control of your book of business. We build relationships with our retail agents and have built a successful model since 1986 by giving you access to the top, admitted markets nationwide.

We are a next-gen, hybrid wholesaler. Halcyon Underwriters’ relationship-based model has cast a nationwide footprint with both our retail and carrier partners. For over 34 years, Halcyon has and continues to perform as more than a traditional intermediary, offering a variety of coverages in the P&C and Personal Lines industries on a monoline or package basis. Halcyon provides market access, specialty program availability, and competitive pricing through A-Rated, Admitted as well as Non-Admitted Carriers.

I encourage you to visit our website at www.halcyonuw.com for additional information or contact us at marketing@halcyonuw.com on any specific questions. We do not block markets and our underwriters are trained to pre-underwrite and deliver an underwritten submission to our carrier underwriters so you receive a quality proposal to deliver to your insured. Here are some of our underwriters talking about the importance of building relationships and why it is important to choose Halcyon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYUzffen5kg

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jason Mata
marketing@halcyonuw.com
321-527-2180

hello Josh
i read your post today. did you find anyone to work with ?
i'm now in the same boat . after deep studying the industry . im still looking for a good company to sign up with after getting the license in Florida
please i hope you can reply soon. cheers !

Florida is truly a tough market right now & the potential downgrading of select carriers is not helping the situation. If you're in the Fort Myers area we may have a few options there. You can reach me at the following site or the phone below. Cheers!

Jason
888-938-4197
www.pacificcrestservices.com