Sarasota mortgage broker rings up $10M quarter

SARASOTA — Thomas D. Wood and Co., one of the largest independently owned commercial mortgage firms in Florida, surpassed $350 million in closings last year, a milestone led by its two Gulf Coast offices.

The Sarasota office, according to a release, financed nearly $50 million in commercial loans in 2013, while the Tampa office financed nearly $60 million. One of the firm's leading executives, Sarasota-based Senior Vice President Brad Cox, had a stellar 2013 fourth quarter, the firm adds, when he secured more than $10 million in financing.

Cox worked on commercial deals statewide, aided by interest rates that dropped to 4.5%, the release states. One of his more notable fourth quarter transactions was a $3.78 million financing deal for Knightboxx Plaza, a 35,388-square-foot retail center outside Jacksonville.

Coral Gables-based Thomas D. Wood and Co. was founded in 1974. It has branch offices in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tallahassee, in addition to Sarasota and Tampa.