Fourth-largest community bank grows in Sarasota

SARASOTA — A bank branch in a high-traffic location of U.S. 41 in south Sarasota County will get a third life under Florida Community Bank.

Fort Lauderdale-based FCB will take over the branch, on 8444 S. Tamiami Trail, July 1, according to a release. The building was formerly a SouthTrust Bank location, and more recently, it was a LandMark Bank of Florida branch. FCB will close its nearby branch when it moves to the new location, the release states.

“It is our stated goal to be the Florida based bank of choice in every corner of the state,” Florida Community Bank President and CEO Kent Ellert says in the release. “This is a building and refining process and we are constantly assessing our locations and our ability to best reach the community. This relocation places FCB in a superior position to serve the south Sarasota community.”

Florida Community Bank, the fourth-largest community bank in the state and the biggest independent bank that serves Sarasota County, has $3.2 billion in assets. The bank also has a presence in downtown Sarasota, on 1790 Main St., in addition to its south county expansion. Says Ellert: “Having significantly upgraded our banking locations in both downtown and south Sarasota, we will continue to seek opportunities to make FCB an even more convenient banking choice for business and personal banking customers throughout the Sarasota area.”

Florida Community Bank is a unit of Miami-based Bond Street Holdings, a firm founded in 2009 to acquire failed or underperforming banks.