Career Opportunities in Sarasota: Inside Signature Medicare Solutions
Florida is not just for people who are retiring. A lot of younger folks are moving here too, and one of the questions I get more and more often is a simple one: are there actually jobs in Sarasota?
I can assure you there are. To prove it, I sat down with Brad Hannon, President and CEO of Signature Medicare Solutions and a fellow host of the Sarasota Speaks podcast, to talk about his remarkably fast-growing business, what our labor market really looks like, and what he is hiring for. And if you are retiring down here, stick around, because he shares a Medicare tip that a lot of people moving to Florida get wrong.
Number 74 in America
Signature Medicare Solutions is a local Medicare agency serving beneficiaries nationwide while creating jobs right here. They help anyone who is 65 and older or otherwise receiving Medicare benefits.
The company just hit a serious milestone. The Inc. 5000 measures the five thousand fastest-growing privately held companies in America, and Brad says they came in at number 74 nationally, and number one across Sarasota County, Bradenton, Manatee, and North Port.
What makes that more impressive is the timeline. They launched in September of 2022, and last year they could not even apply because you need three years in business to be eligible. Brad calls it a ten-year overnight success story, since he had spent over a decade in the insurance industry before starting this.
His original vision was 40 to 50 agents in the office, and he figured that would take three years on its own. They doubled it.
“Plenty of Jobs, Not a Lot of Career Opportunities”
When I asked Brad directly about our labor market, he gave the most useful answer I have heard on the subject, and it reframed the question for me.
There are plenty of jobs here, he said. What there is less of are career opportunities. That distinction matters enormously if you are thinking about relocating, because the worry people have is not really whether they can find work. It is whether they can find work that supports the life they are moving here for.
So here are his numbers. An agent with his company can expect roughly $60,000 to $80,000 in first-year income. And of the agents who were with them for a full year last year, 70 percent made six figures.
Brad was also candid about why that matters right now. The cost of living here is going up, and the challenge is not only moving to Sarasota, it is being able to stay without getting pushed out to North Port or Palmetto. As he put it, if you want to stay in Sarasota you need a career path and you need to be making more than minimum wage. I broke down that math in my guide to the real cost of living in Sarasota.
Why Sarasota Businesses Grow Their Own Talent
Because Brad also hosts Sarasota Speaks, he talks with business owners across this region constantly, so I asked what he hears from them about finding talent.
His observation: we are not an industry-heavy area. There is no major manufacturing here, no Fortune 500 headquarters, none of the corporate infrastructure you would find in a large metro. That sounds like a limitation, and in some ways it is, but it also creates an opening. The organizations doing well here are the ones developing talent from within.
That is exactly his strategy. Everyone in his organization today started either in an entry-level role or as an agent, with the exception of his executive assistant. They hire on the principle of right person, right seat. Someone might come in as an agent while having skills in marketing or administration, and once they have proven themselves, the company moves them into a role that fits. As Brad says, how you do one thing is how you do everything.
It is the same theme I heard from the Big Top Dreams Foundation, which is funding trade school for local students. Different industry, same idea: this community grows its own.
The Medicare Tip Every Retiree Moving Here Should Hear
Now the part I most wanted to cover, because I think it catches people off guard.
When I moved to Florida four years ago, I had to change my health insurance. So I asked Brad whether Medicare simply follows you when you relocate. His answer was direct: it does not, actually.
There are situations where it travels. If someone has been on a Medicare supplement for a while, that plan will likely move with them. But as Brad said, it is always worth a review, and here is why. When you move, you are finding new doctors. Most people are not flying back to New York to see their physician, so you want your plan to work with the doctors you will actually be seeing here. Plan availability and networks are tied to where you live, which is why your new Florida address genuinely matters.
He made a broader point I appreciated. Retirement is a whole picture, not just turning 65 with some money saved. You need a plan, or you will not stay retired. Part of that picture is making sure your health benefits are structured so you are not carrying more risk than you intend, whether that means ancillary coverage to close gaps or a plan that lets you keep seeing the doctors you want.
And the best moment to sort all of this out is during the transition, while you are already choosing new doctors and your healthcare situation is changing anyway. As I joked with him, right after you buy the house with me, you call Brad.
If you want a broader look at how healthcare fits into a Gulf Coast move, that is one of the topics I cover for relocating clients, and it belongs on your checklist alongside taxes and insurance.
If You Are Looking for Work Here
Signature Medicare Solutions is hiring constantly. You can find them on Indeed, or go directly to their website at signaturemedicaresolutions.com, which has an interest page for careers. Their toll-free number is 866-251-0007.
What stood out to me is that they take people who have never sold insurance and have never held a license. They support you through the licensing process, provide the training, and give you an office and a culture to work in. That is a genuinely low barrier to entry for a career that can pay well.
Brad describes the business as a win-win-win. Clients pay nothing for the service since the agency is paid by the carrier, the agent earns a living, and the carrier gains a client. His point was that it lets his agents put their heads down at night knowing they did right by someone, which is the same standard I hold myself to in real estate.
Moving Here for Work, Not Just Retirement
This conversation matters to me because the story about Sarasota is changing. For decades the assumption was that you came here to retire or to work in hospitality. That is no longer the whole picture, and a company going from launch to number 74 on the Inc. 5000 in three years, in a market this size, is pretty good evidence.
If you are weighing a move and the job question is what is holding you back, talk to me. I know a number of business owners in this community who are hiring right now, Brad included. Housing is my job, but helping people actually land here is the bigger picture, and I am happy to make introductions.
Start with my New York to Florida relocation guide and my communities page, then reach out any time. My honest take on life here after four years is in this guide, and you can watch more conversations with local owners on my video page.
Medicare plan availability, networks, and enrollment rules vary by location and change over time. Nothing here is insurance advice. Review your specific situation with a licensed agent or at Medicare.gov before making changes to your coverage.
