March 11, 2025
Fifth Third Bank Expands with Multiple Openings throughout Central Florida
By Gina Horan
Fifth Third Bank Expands with Multiple Openings throughout Central Florida
Fifth Third Bank celebrated the grand opening of its newest branch at Lake Deaton Plaza with a full breakfast and a packed house. Buccaneers mascot Captain Fear was on hand for the ribbon cutting, joined by employees and corporate representatives.
Several local businesses showed their support, including The Toasted Yolk, Mr. Potatoe King, Metal Structures Company USA, and K2 Medical Research. The Leesburg and Lady Lake Chambers of Commerce were also in attendance.
Branch manager Karen Palacios, who spent nearly a decade at the Clermont branch, is excited about the move to The Villages.
“We are excited to be here because for a very long time I managed the branch in Clermont, and we had so many Villagers coming down to bank with us, begging for us to open up here,” Karen says.
She mentioned that a lot of Midwesterners live here part and full time so the convenience of having their own bank here is important.
Karen also said that she is looking forward to working with new clients who have heard about the bank’s reputation for customer service.
Each center features an open-concept environment with the latest technology aimed at delivering a more personalized banking experience.
The three new locations in The Villages and Ocala are part of a larger Southeast expansion plan, with the bank expecting to open 200 branches by 2028. Since 2021, 50 new locations have launched in Florida, with another 50 planned, including a second location in The Villages next month and two additional Ocala branches. The first of several Gainesville locations is set to open this summer.
Fifth Third Bank has been named one of Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies® for multiple years. Forbes has recognized it as “Best Bank” for the second consecutive year, and JD Power recently ranked it number one in customer satisfaction among retail banks.
Gina moved to central Florida in August of 2021 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and spent 10 years as a fashion editor, columnist and food writer for The Knight Ridder Newspaper group. She was also a photo stylist and covered concerts, fashion shows and festivals all over Northern California. In 2000, she joined KSAN radio as a morning show co-host and produced the news and sports content there for 4 years. She also covered travel, events and the restaurant scene for KRON-Bay TV. She is a veteran bartender and has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. Her passions include travel, road trips, history books, baseball, tasting menus and most of all, landing in a new city with no map or guidebook. Gina lives in Oxford with her mom, cats and baby hamster.
