FL 2030 Trailblazer Spotlight – Andy Watts, Brown & Brown Insurance
Tell us a little about Brown & Brown Insurance.
Brown & Brown, Inc. delivers risk management solutions to help protect and preserve what our customers value most. Our four business segments—Retail, National Programs, Wholesale Brokerage, and Services—offer a wide range of insurance solutions and services for businesses, government institutions, professional organizations, trade associations, families, and individuals. We have a strong, deeply rooted cultural foundation built on integrity, innovation, superior capabilities, and discipline.
Founded in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1939, Brown & Brown Insurance is one of the industry’s most powerful and influential leaders and is currently the 5th largest insurance broker in the United States. We continue to have strong roots in Florida, including 3,300+ teammates throughout our 54 Florida offices and more than 14,500 teammates in 450+ locations worldwide. We believe in doing what is best for our customers, communities, teammates, carrier partners, and shareholders. The cornerstones of our organization’s guiding principles are people, performance, service, and innovation.
We take pride in our long-standing history of public and community service. Our Culture of Caring is demonstrated by our team’s dedication to the many communities in which we live, work, and play. Our decentralized sales and service model allows our teams to support numerous charitable organizations at the local level to maximize the impact of our contributions. We believe that a commitment to giving back helps to build a better organization, and our team is passionate about serving those in need.
What made you join the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and what would you say to other Florida leaders about the benefit of this partnership?
We/I joined the Foundation’s board as we believe in the efforts of the Foundation to help drive the strategic agenda for the state of Florida. As a large employer and a company founded in Daytona Beach, we believe it is our honor and responsibility to help the State of Florida, its constituents, and communities grow and flourish. If you are passionate about having a voice and being a leader of change, the Foundation is a great organization to network with other leaders and influence the strategic direction of the State.
What are Brown & Brown’s particular areas of interest as they apply to reaching the Florida 2030 Blueprint goals designed to make Florida a top 10 global economy by 2030?
- Improving Florida’s Talent Pipeline for a Better Workforce
- Top state for gross domestic product and top quartile most diversified state economy
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- Top 5 state for manufacturing jobs
- Top 3 state for technology jobs
- #1 state for business startups
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- Preparing Florida’s Infrastructure for Smart Growth and Development
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- Diverse, attainable housing to meet future demand
- All major population and economic centers connected to regional, national, and global markets by high-capacity corridors
- World’s most capable spaceport; top tier airports, seaports, and surface transportation hubs in U.S.
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- Building the Perfect Climate for Business
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- Actuarially sound property insurance rates based on actual risk and competition
- #1 business tax climate in the nation
- Regulatory, labor, and operating risk environments rated among top 5 in the nation
- Environmental permitting and local land use processes rated among top quartile in the nation
- Legal climate improves to top quartile in the nation
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- Making Government and Civics More Efficient and Effective
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- 100% of regional economic development plans aligned with Florida 2030 goals
- Increased size and impact of nonprofit and philanthropic sectors
- Doubling the rate of Floridians who volunteer and participate in civic and public service, moving us from the bottom to the top quartile
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- Championing Florida’s Quality of Life
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- Florida’s brand and reputation as best place to live, work, raise a family, visit, learn, play, relocate, and compete remains top in the nation
- Crime rates rank among the lowest 10 states
- Florida protects and enhances the value of its arts, culture, heritage, and sense of place
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Click here to learn about the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which is uniting Florida businesses for good around the Florida 2030 Blueprint.