Brothers David and Dan Hodges sold their Jacksonville and St. Augustine Mazda car dealerships to Larry Morgan and his son, Brett, owners of the Morgan Automotive Group, according to a June 25 news release.
Hodges Mazda of the Avenues is at 10681 Philips Highway and Hodges Mazda of St. Augustine is at 1165 Marketplace Drive.
David Hodges was principal owner and Dan Hodges was a minority partner.
The Morgan Automotive Group, based in Tampa, is the largest dealership in Florida and the No. 8 ranked group in the 2025 Automotive News Top 150 Dealership List.
Haig Partners of Fort Lauderdale advised the sellers in the transaction. It is a buy-sell advisory firm specializing in the sale of auto, heavy truck and RV dealerships.
The sale was June 24, according to Kevin Nill, Haig Partners, managing director.
He declined to release the price paid for the two franchises. It also included the dealership property.
The 5.54-acre Philips Highway lot and 8.06-acre St. Augustine lot are owned by Hodges through Real Estate Investments LLC.
Those sales have not been recorded in Duval and St. Johns counties.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to steward our two Mazda franchises over the last decade. After much prayer and consideration, over the past year, it became evident that I was being led to move to the next chapter and exit the automotive business after 35 years,” David Hodges said in the release.
“This was not a decision I took lightly as I am so bullish on the Mazda brand. However, it was clear and evident to me that God was moving me in a different direction.”
The Hodges brothers will concentrate on nonautomotive business ventures, which include ownership in several minor league professional sports franchises; 925 Partners, an independent insurance agency owned by David; and Dan’s farming operation in Georgia.
David Hodges was the former CEO of Scott-McRae Automotive Group of Jacksonville.
He also served as the most recent chairman of the Mazda Dealer Advisory Council, where he helped shape the brand’s strategic direction from a dealer’s perspective.