by Michele Gillis, Staff Writer
George Garcia of First Beaches Insurance in Jacksonville Beach knew from a young age that he wanted to be an insurance agent, just like his father.
He even went to school dressed like an insurance agent on career day when he was in preschool.
"My friend's dad was a police officer, so he dressed like his dad," said Garcia, who carries "IV" behind his name. "I said, 'Well, I'll just dress like my dad the insurance agent'. I wore a tie and a State Farm button. I always thought I'd work with him one day."
Working with your father can have its challenges, but the Garcias seem to have it all figured out.
"It's real easy," said Garcia IV. "I mean we have our moments, I mean he's my dad. But, we are best friends. We are both University of Florida alumni, so we go to Gator games, surf trips and do stuff outside of the office together a lot, so we must get along pretty well."
He said his father's reputation precedes him and helps make his job a whole lot easier.
"I know the way my dad's done things has been successful, so people seem to be happy to deal with more George Garcias when they are doing their insurance," he said. "They like seeing the recognizable name of a family member to deal with. They say, I've been with your dad for 30 years and are now happy to be with me. There is a certain comfort level people have with us."
For Garcia III, he's happy to work with his son because he knows he can depend on him.
"There is a trust factor there and I can depend on him to get it done," he said.
Their office is located on Beach Boulevard.
"It's an easy location to get in and out and there is some walk-in traffic, but most of our business comes from customer and Realtor referrals," said Garcia III. "Realtors are very important to us. The Realtors need to know if they refer someone to us, we will handle it up to the closing without any hiccups."
You may have seen Garcia IV at various Northeast Florida Association of Realtor events as he has been getting more involved while marketing the company and letting Realtors know what the company can offer.
Garcia IV is also in the NEFAR Leadership Academy this year, learning all the intricate parts of how the association works.
"I have been getting involved in NEFAR because everyone had known my dad and Don Chao were State Farm agents, but since State Farm was no longer insuring at the beach, many of those past customers don't think they can find insurance through them," said Garcia IV. "What we are trying to do is get back out there and let them know that we have companies now that insure at the beach. Many people still don't know it's available."
Chao and Garcia III were very active with the Realtors in the 1980's and 1990's, but Hurricane Andrew changed that involvement.
"We have 'Before Hurricane Andrew' and 'After Hurricane Andrew'," said Garcia III. "New restrictions came on after Hurricane Andrew and we really didn't want to go to Realtor meetings and tell them 'no' all the time."
But now things are better and First Beaches Insurance has something to offer.
The office, which is an independent agency, can find homeowners insurance, small business, boat, motorcycle and auto insurance; personal liability umbrella insurance and flood insurance via many different companies offering coverage in the Jacksonville area.
A few companies they write policies with are Federated National, Florida Peninsula, Sawgrass Mutual, Security First and Frontline.
Garcia IV said a challenge they face is the rising age of homes and roofs in the Beaches area.
"There are a lot of older homes and every insurance company has a different standard they will insure," said Garcia IV. "Some companies won't insure a home over 30 years old. Some companies won't insure a home within a mile of the ocean no matter how new it is. So we have a number of companies that we write policies with. We have a lot of options now which is good."
When customers come to them, they assess the need they have and find the perfect matches for them to choose from.
The Garcias have worked together for about five years, first under the State Farm umbrella and now at First Beaches Insurance.
Garcia III has worked in the insurance business for 41 years. He got his start under Tom Petway, who most also know as one of the key players in Jacksonville getting a National Football League team. There's a family connection: Garcia's grandmother and Petway's mother were sisters.
He left Petway after eight years and started his long association with Chao, who was also with State Farm, and is his partner at First Beaches Insurance. Their combined experience in the First Beaches Insurance office is 92 years, impressive in such a tough industry.
All the experience helps Garcia IV in his journey as a lifetime insurance agent.
"He gets to see what you have to do for a lifetime because between my experience and Don Chao's years, he has two decent mentors," said Garcia III. "We try to teach him the right way to do it."
Garcia IV's wife Ashley also works in the office as well as agent Dena McDaniel.
The family name goes way back. Garcia Sr. was a state employe and politician who became president of Jacksonville's City Council in 1926. The family has a memory, too: during Garcia Sr.'s time in politics, the National Guard Armory was built and his name is on the plaque as a board member. (The armory is still city-owned but unoccupied.)
The "George" part skips a generation. III's grandfather was named Max, who had a land surveying business and brought his son, George Jr., in with him.