The move continues a trend of wealth managers bulking up in Florida.

SunTrust Banks has added a team of four wealth management professionals to its business in Naples, Florida, continuing a trend of such firms ramping up their presence in the Sunshine state.

The team will serve high net worth and ultra-HNW individuals and families throughout Naples, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Marco Island. 

The group is led by Amy West, a certified trust and financial advisor with almost 20 years of wealth management experience. Before that, West was senior vice president and managing director, leading the Florida division of Hawthorn, the UHNW segment of PNC Bank.

“Southwest Florida is important to SunTrust and a region we’ve long served, providing investment management, financial planning and banking solutions,” Joe Thompson, head of SunTrust Private Wealth Management, said.

Joining West are Greg Hunter, Tanya Cutrone and Manon Yost.

Hunter CFP®, will serve as a client advisor. His career of more than 30 years in wealth management has included roles at JP Morgan and Wells Fargo. Cutrone, JD, LLM, joins as a client advisor. Cutrone was previously an attorney in private practice and a trust officer. Yost, who joins as client service specialist, has partnered with West to serve affluent families for more than eight years.

As previously reported, SunTrust’s private wealth management team named two new managing directors and advisors, Nathan Chapman and Laura Ryan, serving the Dallas area.

A number of wealth firms have set up offices in Florida offices. In the case of Dynasty Financial Partners, it has moved its headquarters there from New York City. Hamilton Capital, a Columbus-based registered investment advisor with more than $2.5 billion in assets under management, opened an office in Palm Beach. The Glenmede Trust Company, which recently formed a transatlantic pact with a multi-family office, plans to open a new office in West Palm Beach, Florida – the firm’s first office in the state. 

Among other firms expanding in Florida are Goldman Sachs, which recently named its region head for Florida and Latin America, and has added hires in its private wealth management business; Rockefeller Capital Management, which has made a raft of hires in recent weeks, named the first person to join its newly-opened office in Florida; Evercore Wealth Management opened a new office in Palm Beach; Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth Management launched earlier this year in Punta Gorda, Florida; and Boston Private appointed advisors as part of its work with a Florida-based firm.

Recently, personal finance website WalletHub put Florida as one of the states with the highest return on investment in terms of its tax burden and provision of public services.