Our People, Your Team

Our team of highly skilled insurance professionals has been intricately put together over the last several decades to address our clients’ needs. We have 5 generations of talent working on our team today. Brown & Brown believes in recruiting teammates with high integrity and work ethic. We invest in our team through the utilization of Brown & Brown University as well as industry-leading training and continuing education resources.

Steve Farmer is an accomplished Executive Vice President of Brown & Brown Insurance, the 6th largest insurance brokerage in the nation. With over 24 years of experience in the insurance industry, he currently leads the largest retail branch located at the company’s headquarters in Daytona Beach, FL. Previously, Steve served as Senior Vice President, Sales Leader for the Daytona Beach Retail Operation, and Vice President/ Producer with responsibilties for development and service of new and existing accounts.

In addition to his work at Brown & Brown, Steve actively serves on the Board of Directors for the Volusia/Flagler YMCA, the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce, the FUTURES Foundation, and is a member of the Agents Advisory Council for AmTrust Financial.

Steve graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in Economics in 1986. He is married to Carol Murphy Farmer and resides in Ormond Beach, FL. They have 3 sons, Ryan, Adam and Logan.

Austin Brownlee is a Sr. Vice President / Sales Leader of the Daytona Beach office consisting of 25 P&C producers and 9 Benefits producers.  Prior to his Sales Leader role, he was a Vice Present / Producer with responsibilities of maintaining and growing a large book of business.  Austin has been with Brown & Brown since 2004.  He currently serves as the Treasurer on the SMA Healthcare board and is the outgoing Chair of the Easter Seals board.

Austin graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a B.A. in Business Administration.

Katie Palmer is the Personal Lines Leader of Brown & Brown Daytona Beach. Her team of eight focuses on private client services and insurance needs. Prior to Brown & Brown, Katie spent seven years with SunTrust Bank in the wealth management division. She currently serves on the Board for the Beacon Center ( Domestic Abuse Council, Inc.), The NASCAR Foundation and is an Ambassador for Food Brings Hope organization here in Volusia County.

She was born and raised locally and graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelors in Business Administration and minor in Legal Studies. She also attended Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for an elite designation “CAPI” Certified Advisor of Personal Insurance, where only 40 individuals in the entire country obtained.

Pam Thompson is a Senior Vice President and the Commercial Divisions Leader of our office. Pam is responsible for leading the property & casualty customer service team including our Select accounts in Community Insurance Services; our Healthcare accounts in Professional Care Providers, and our mid to large accounts in our Special Risk Division. We have 45 teammates dedicated to handling the daily service requests of our insureds including claim reporting, certificate issuance and overall policy service needs. Pam has been with Brown & Brown since 1996, serving in various leadership roles. Pam has a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in management from Florida Atlantic University, holds the Florida 2-20 Property and Casualty Agent License and the CIC – Certified Insurance Counselor designation.

Ron is the Commercial Lines Marketing Leader of our office, responsible for account placement as well as property & casualty carrier relationships. Ron has been with Brown & Brown since 2013. Ron obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida State University. Ron holds his Florida 2-20 Property and Casualty Agent License as well as his Florida 1-20 Surplus Lines License. He is a huge fan of the National Football League and an avid poker player.

Dustin Smurdon is the Employee Benefits Leader of our office, responsible for the overall performance of the Employee Benefits Division. The team consists of about 50 teammates focusing on Service, Analytics, Enrollment & Wellness and Marketing. Dustin has been with Brown & Brown since 2015. Prior to Brown & Brown, Dustin spent nearly 12 years with JPMorgan Chase in various operational and leadership roles. He currently serves on the Board of the United Way of Volusia and Flagler Counties as the Resource Development Chair. He is originally from Ohio, where he attended Ohio University and obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and Marketing. Dustin holds his insurance licenses for Life, Variable Annuities & Health along with the General Lines Property & Casualty.

Tyler is the Surety Practice Leader for the Brown & Brown Daytona Beach. He is responsible for all our clients bond-related needs. His experienced team of professionals focus exclusively on surety placement and are up to date on current industry and local market trends through their involvement with the National Association of Surety Bond Processionals (NASBP) and Florida Surety Association (FSA). Tyler and his team manage the surety needs for a vast range of industries, ranging from Construction Companies to Attorneys to Financial Services with Nationwide surety needs, to name a few. Tyler has been with Brown & Brown since 2010 and holds the Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding (AFSB) and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designations along with a General Line Property & Casualty License.

A former collegiate basketball standout, Tyler continues to support his alma mater, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), with his wife and 4 sons.