Sabal Trust Company

Sabal Trust Company

Sabal Trust Company was founded in 1995 in St. Petersburg, Florida, by a group of trust professionals led by Ward J. Curtis Jr. and John C. Leavitt. It was established as a non-depository trust company under Florida law, meaning it takes fiduciary custody of assets but does not lend. The firm's footprint spans the Gulf Coast, with additional offices in Tampa and Sarasota. Sabal constructs bespoke equity and fixed-income portfolios for individuals, families, nonprofits, and retirement plans. The firm favors direct ownership of individual securities over packaged products, and its investment committee sets a house macro view that drives asset allocation across large-cap domestic equities, municipal and corporate bonds, and select alternative exposures. Portfolio construction emphasizes current income and principal preservation, reflecting a client base that includes retirees and multi-generational Florida families. Estate settlement, trust administration, and tax-aware custodial services sit alongside the investment management function — the trust charter allows Sabal to serve as executor and trustee, closing the loop between investment management and succession planning. Sabal Trust employs a team of professionals across its three Florida offices, all operating under the same state charter. A notable operational continuity: John C. Leavitt remains President and CEO as of 2024, nearly three decades after co-founding the firm (per the firm's official communications). His son, G. Cameron Leavitt, serves as Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager, indicating a deliberate second-generation transition embedded in daily operations. The firm does not publicize precise AUM; Altss estimates managed assets in the $1.0 billion to $5.0 billion range based on its regional office footprint and disclosed trust custody capacity. The structural differentiator is its charter: Sabal Trust Company is a regulated Florida trust institution, not an RIA or broker-dealer. That subjects it to state trust law and regulatory capital requirements that most wealth managers avoid. For clients, it means the firm can serve as a corporate fiduciary — acting as trustee, executor, and guardian — creating a relationship that is legally bound rather than simply advisory. This fiduciary structure, paired with a second-generation owner-operator in a key portfolio role, produces a governance posture that blends institutional permanence with family-office continuity.