The local employer base
The Census Bureau's Statistics of U.S. Businesses for 2022 (released May 29, 2025, and revised July 22, 2025) counts 74,457 employer firms and 1,230,894 paid employees in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. Of those firms, 65,247 had fewer than 20 employees and employed 214,149 people. Another 5,150 firms were in the official 20-to-99-employee class, with 183,236 employees. The metro file does not publish a separate under-50 total, so those are the official size cuts we can cite. Ares' core work is with companies in the 2-to-50 range, which sits across those two Census classes.
Those counts describe the official metro area, which also includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Employers in Pinellas County should also see group health insurance in St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The firm's only office listed on this site is the Tampa address above. We do not operate a second office in Pinellas or claim a local branch there.
What official surveys say about cost here
The federal MEPS-IC 2025 area tables publish premiums for this same official metro area. Across private-sector establishments that offer coverage, the average annual premium was $8,942 for single coverage and $25,808 for family coverage, with average employee contributions of $1,811 (single) and $6,881 (family) (Table IX.A.2). Among establishments in the area, 39.8% offered health insurance (Table IX.A.1).
For firms with 50 or more employees in this metro area, MEPS-IC Table IX.B.2 reports average annual premiums of $8,902 (single) and $25,887 (family), with employee contributions of $1,670 and $6,984. A single-coverage average of $9,118 is also published for firms with fewer than 50 employees. Several other under-50 contribution figures in that table are marked as not meeting the survey's standard of precision, so they are not repeated here.
Statewide, MEPS-IC 2025 puts average annual premiums at Florida firms with fewer than 50 employees at $9,742 (single) and $24,957 (family). National context is on the cost of small-business health insurance. None of these averages is a Tampa quote. A proposal is built from your census.
Florida's small-group rule, and who sells coverage
Florida's Department of Financial Services states that small-group health plans are for employers with one to 50 full-time-equivalent employees. Self-employed individuals and family-only businesses are covered through the individual market, not this small-group list.
For policies effective on or after January 1, 2026, the DFS Small Group Market Carrier List names the marketers that advised the Office of Insurance Regulation they are offering ACA small-group plans. The indemnity/PPO list is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida d/b/a Florida Blue, National Health Insurance Company, and UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company. The HMO list is Av-Med, Inc.; BeHealthy Florida, Inc. (TruLi for Health); Capital Health Plan, Inc.; Florida Health Care Plan, Inc.; Health Options, Inc. d/b/a Florida Blue; Neighborhood Health Partnership, Inc.; and UnitedHealthcare of Florida, Inc. County-level on- and off-SHOP availability is on the Florida OIR tables. Some of those HMO names are regional. We will only compare products the OIR tables show as available for the counties where your people work.
Pages on Florida Blue, UnitedHealthcare, AvMed, and Florida Blue vs UnitedHealthcare describe products. They are not a statement that Ares is appointed with every carrier or that any carrier endorses the firm.
Continuation when someone leaves the plan
Federal COBRA generally applies to employers with 20 or more employees. For many smaller Florida groups, section 627.6692, Florida Statutes — the Florida Health Insurance Coverage Continuation Act — provides continuation when federal COBRA is not available. The statute's basic continuation period is 18 months after the date coverage would otherwise have ended because of a qualifying event, with a disability extension described in the same section. See also COBRA for employers.
How we help a Tampa employer
You send a roster, work locations, what you offer today, and your renewal date if you have one. We confirm whether you sit in Florida's 1-to-50 small-group market, compare a fully insured small-group plan, SHOP, a level-funded design, an ICHRA or QSEHRA, or coverage arranged through a PEO, and put the designs that fit on one recommendation. The method is on how to compare group health plans.
Our agents are licensed in all 50 states, which matters if you also employ people outside Florida. See multi-state workforces. Request a proposal or call (813) 540-1299.Frequently asked questions
Is Ares a Tampa-only broker?
The firm is based in Tampa and works with Tampa Bay employers as a regular part of the practice. Our agents are licensed in all 50 states, so the same engagement can include people who work in other states. The only office address on this site is 5701 E Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL 33610.What does group health insurance cost for a small Tampa company?
MEPS-IC 2025 reports an $8,942 average annual single premium and a $25,808 average family premium for this metro area, among private establishments that offer coverage. Your quote will be built from your census, not from that average. See the cost page for how those surveys are defined.
Which carriers sell small-group plans in Tampa?
Start with the official 2026 DFS list and the OIR county tables for Hillsborough County, not with a national brand list. Florida Blue, UnitedHealthcare, and AvMed appear on that DFS list, and so do other named marketers. We will only compare plans shown as available for your counties.If we have fewer than 20 employees, is there continuation when someone leaves?
Federal COBRA generally applies at 20 employees. Florida's section 627.6692 provides an 18-month continuation period, with conditions, when federal COBRA is not available. We will point you to the statute and to the COBRA for employers page rather than treat that as a substitute for legal advice.
Do we have to offer coverage because we are in Tampa?
No. A company that is not an applicable large employer is generally not required to offer health coverage under the ACA employer shared-responsibility rules, regardless of city. Many Tampa employers with 2 to 50 employees still offer a plan or a defined-contribution arrangement. See the employer coverage requirement page.
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