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Liberty Atlantic Advisors
Stephen O. Florence established Liberty Atlantic Advisors in 2006 as a single-family office based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Liberty Atlantic Advisors
Stephen O. Florence established Liberty Atlantic Advisors in 2006 as a single-family office based in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm operates with a mandate centered on capital preservation and income generation, deploying across asset classes that produce durable cash flows and tangible collateral. Florence, a Georgia State alumnus who built his career in real estate finance, structured the office to function as both a principal investor and a direct lender — a posture that appeared well before the post-GFC rush into private credit. The firm's investment activity spans three primary lanes. In real estate, Liberty Atlantic acquires multifamily, hospitality, and mixed-use properties, primarily across the Southeastern United States, with a focus on markets such as Atlanta, Nashville, and Charleston. The hospitality portfolio includes limited-service and extended-stay hotel assets operated under national flags. In private credit, the office originates bridge loans, mezzanine financing, and preferred equity positions secured by commercial real estate, often filling gaps left by regional banks on middle-market transactions. In private equity, Liberty Atlantic takes minority or control positions in operating companies, concentrated in service-oriented businesses and industrial firms where real estate often anchors the balance sheet. The firm maintains a lean structure typical of a single-family office, with a small team executing both acquisitions and asset management from its Atlanta headquarters. While total assets under management are not publicly disclosed, the office has completed transactions across Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Florida. In September 2024, Liberty Atlantic provided a $4.2 million bridge loan secured by a 72-unit apartment complex in Macon, Georgia, continuing its pattern of originating short-term, collateralized debt in secondary Southeast markets. Liberty Atlantic's structural distinction lies in its dual-track deployment: the office is simultaneously a real estate owner-operator and a private credit funder, an integration that generates asset-level intelligence for its lending decisions. When underwriting a bridge loan, Florence's team can value the underlying real estate with owner-operator granularity — a capability that pure credit funds typically outsource to third-party appraisers. This architecture creates an information advantage in the sub-$20 million deal segment where the firm operates, a band largely ignored by institutional capital.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
2006
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Atlanta
Corporate office
Atlanta, GA, United States
Principals
Stephen O. Florence
Founder & CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Liberty Atlantic Advisors?
Stephen O. Florence, the founder and CEO, oversees all investment activity. He built his career in real estate finance before establishing the family office in 2006 and remains the central decision-maker on acquisitions, loan originations, and portfolio strategy. The firm does not operate with a separate investment committee or external advisors.
How does Liberty Atlantic originate its private credit deals?
The firm sources bridge loans and mezzanine financing primarily through relationships with regional and community banks, commercial real estate brokers, and direct borrower outreach across the Southeast. Its concurrent role as a real estate owner-operator gives the team direct market intelligence on property values and rental dynamics, which informs loan underwriting. Most originations are in secondary markets where institutional lenders are less active.
What type of real estate does the firm target?
Liberty Atlantic focuses on multifamily apartment complexes, hospitality assets including limited-service and extended-stay hotels, and mixed-use properties. The geographic concentration is the Southeastern United States, with transactions recorded in Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Florida. The firm prefers value-add and income-producing properties with in-place cash flow.
Does Liberty Atlantic invest in venture capital or technology startups?
No. The firm's strategy is anchored in hard assets and cash-flowing businesses, avoiding venture-stage technology and growth equity. The private equity book consists of control or minority positions in service-oriented and industrial operating companies, not startup investments — a posture consistent with a family office prioritizing capital preservation over high-velocity returns.
How is the firm's hospitality strategy structured?
Liberty Atlantic acquires hotel properties and operates them under franchise agreements with national brands. The portfolio leans toward limited-service and extended-stay formats which generate consistent occupancy and require lower staffing overhead than full-service hotels. These assets are held directly rather than through separate fund vehicles, aligning the holding period with the family office's multi-generational timeline.
Does Liberty Atlantic accept outside capital or function as a multi-family office?
No. The firm is structured as a single-family office and does not manage capital for external investors or operate a multi-family-office service model. All transactions are funded from the family's own balance sheet, which allows Liberty Atlantic to close bridge loans and real estate acquisitions without the fundraising cycles or LP consent requirements that constrain private funds.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The specific origin of the family wealth has not been publicly disclosed. Stephen Florence's professional background is in real estate finance and investment, and the office's concentrated focus on real estate and private credit suggests the capital base was built through real estate operations and related financial services, though Altss has not confirmed a definitive wealth-origin event or liquidity date.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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