Florida Shores Bancorp acquires Shamrock Bank

Florida Shores Bancorp, with an office in Fort Myers, has acquired controlling interest in Shamrock Bank of Florida – its second transaction in two weeks.

Shamrock Bank has two locations in Southwest Florida — Naples and Everglades City — and brings $70 million in assets to Florida Shores, a bank holding company that operates full-service commercial banks under the names of Florida Shores-Southwest and Florida Shores-Southeast. Once approved, Shamrock will operate under the name of Florida Shores-Gulfcoast.

Donald J. York, president of Shamrock Bank, will join Florida Shores-Gulfcoast as vice chairman of its board. Paul R. Roney will continue to serve as chairman of the board, Susanne E. Bartlett as chief financial officer and Robert W. Carney Jr. as senior vice president. Robert Vice will continue as president of Florida Shores Bank, Fort Myers.

“Our goal is to be the best community bank in Florida—bar none,” said Ben Smith, founder and chairman. “We view Naples and Fort Myers as key to our success and so are pleased to find such a strong partner as Shamrock Bank to introduce us to this important market.

The transaction is the second for Florida Shores, which is expanding in the region by adding community banks. Recently, Florida Shores signed an agreement to acquire two branches of Florida Capital Bank, adding locations in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale to its growing footprint.

“This consolidation brings together two solid community banks and an impressive management team of longtime Southwest Florida banking professionals,” Mr. York said. “We have a shared business philosophy to build a strong community bank by helping our clients succeed in achieving their personal and business financial goals. We believe that this decision will benefit all of our stakeholders.” 