Private-equity backed accounting firm Ascend has added Florida Regional Leader firm Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund and California-based Glenn Burdette to its platform, effective June 1.

Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund, based in Pensacola and Tampa, Florida, and Glenn Burdette, in San Luis Obispo, California, are the latest firms to join Arlington, Virginia-based Ascend, which is backed by private equity firm Alpine Investors and ranked No. 29 on Accounting Today‘s 2025 Top 100 Firms list, alongside some of its member firms.

Glenn Burdette formerly operated under an employee stock ownership plan and adds a central California presence to Ascend along with a team of 75 and seven partners, while Saltmarsh marks Ascend’s first Florida footprint and adds a team of 16 partners and 178 total team members to the firm. 

Ascend reported $314.74 million in revenue and 1,464 employees in 2024.

Terms of both deals were not disclosed.

“These are two monumental partnerships for Ascend,” said Ascend president Nishaad in a statement. “Glenn Burdette was founded 60 years ago, and in 2000 became the first CPA firm in California to form an ESOP. That decision marked the firm’s commitment to a set of core values that they still wear on their sleeve today – a desire to provide opportunity for their people, a focus on shared ownership as an enabler of success, and a fierce commitment to hold the pen on their own story.”

Glenn Burdette provides tax, audit, bookkeeping, business consulting and financial management services, primarily to mid­dle-mar­ket and small own­er-man­aged busi­ness­es.

“Partnering with Ascend is the right move at the right time for Glenn Burdette,” said the firm’s CEO David Merlo. “Their forward-thinking approach and shared values make them a natural fit for our next chapter. We chose Ascend because of their strong commitment to reimagining what’s possible — for both our clients and our people.”

Saltmarsh, Cleaveland and Gund is a full-service accounting and advisory firm offering expertise and specialized consulting for many industries and high-net-worth individuals.

“Saltmarsh has an equally proud history, with an 80-year legacy in Florida’s panhandle and central cities,” said Ruparel in a statement. “The firm is synonymous with quality, is a longstanding best-place-to-work, and has a dynamic group of partners that are seen as trusted advisors across disciplines. Less than a year ago, Lee Bell and the Saltmarsh leadership team took the time they needed to articulate a strategic vision that would carry the firm into the next decade and enumerate a plan for achieving that vision. We feel privileged that they decided Ascend is best positioned to help them fulfill those ideals.”

“The success of our business is entirely about putting our people first so they can do what they love, which is helping our clients achieve success,” said Saltmarsh Advisors CEO Lee Bell in a statement. “Ascend’s intense focus on people and their unique concentration on supporting our more than 80-year legacy as Saltmarsh is why we made the decision to partner with them.”

Both Glenn Burdette and Saltmarsh are independent members of the BDO Alliance.

Since Ascend was launched in early 2023, it has made a significant number of investments, including including Opsahl Dawson in Vancouver, Washington, in January 2023; ATKG in San Antonio in May; LMC in New York City in June; Sentient Solutions for Accounting, an offshore services provider in India and Mexico, in July; Goering & Granatino in Overland Park, Kansas, in October; Wilson Lewis in Atlanta in November; LevitZacks in San Diego in March 2024; North Carolina’s Blackman & Sloop and New Hampshire’s TSS in May; and Lucas Horsfall in Pasadena, California, in October; Walter Shuffain in Boston in January 2025; and McGee, Hearne & Paiz in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in February 2025.

Long after being predicted to choose Florida and almost immediately after leaving his official visit, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star interior offensive lineman G’Nivre Carr has announced his commitment to the Gators.

Carr (6-4, 325 pounds) is rated as the No. 39 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 cycle, according to On3.

The three-star announced his commitment after leaving his official visit with the Gators, the first official visit slated for Carr this summer. He had trips to Alabama on June 6, Georgia on June 13 and Tennessee on June 20 planned, but it remains to be seen if those visits will still take place.

Carr is the first offensive line commit and third overall in the Gators’ 2026 recruiting class, joining four-star quarterback Will Griffin, three-star defensive lineman Jamir Perez, who committed two weeks ago after his visit.

He is also the first of the 12 prospects currently predicted to choose the Gators to announce his commitment.

Florida holds predictions to land three-star offensive tackle Javarii Luckas, four-star safety Kaiden Hall, four-star running back Carsyn Baker, three-star offensive tackle Chancellor Campbell, four-star Louisville corner commit Jaydin Broadnax, four-star FSU receiver commit Darryon Williams, four-star linebacker Malik Morris, four-star defensive lineman Valdin Sone, four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland, four-star defensive back CJ Hester and three-star tight end Kekua Aumua.

Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of the Gators’ major recruiting news, from commits to prospects of note to the official visit schedule, on our 2026 Recruiting Tracker.

School’s out for summer a little early.

Patricia Horton, a mother of two in Florida, unapologetically pulled her kids out of the “last couple days” of school because she insisted there was no reason for them to go.

“I don’t see the point,” Horton shared in a viral TikTok video posted on May 22. “Most of the teachers would rather you keep your kids home anyway.”

Horton, whose children are 7 and 12, admitted her parenting style is very different from how she was raised.

“My parents, they made me go to school every single day,” Horton added. “Every single day, all the way to the very last day of school every year.”

Horton revealed that her parents would only let her miss class due to a doctor’s appointment or if she was extremely sick.

The mom argued that kids aren’t learning during the final days of class and implied that they were being put to work cleaning the school.

“I have cleaned a lot of desks,” Horton revealed while talking about her childhood experience during the final days of school. “That is what we did the last week of school when I was a kid. We cleaned desks, and we cleaned classrooms, and I was a professional at cleaning desks.”

“I’m not doing that with my kids,” Horton added. “Stay home, baby, it’s summertime. Time to go.” 

Horton claimed the teachers have no problem with her decision.

“They always say, ‘It’s been great teaching your kid, and I hope you have a great summer,’” Horton told TODAY. “It’s never, ‘Oh no, you’re not going to come?’ They totally understand.”

But Horton said she doesn’t force her kids to stay home and allows the duo the opportunity to attend classes.

“If my kids want to go to school, they are absolutely welcome to go,” Horton added. “If they want to stay home, I’m not going to make them go to school to sit there and maybe watch a movie.”

Horton received mixed reactions when she posed the question to her followers on how they handle the last week of school.

“I’m a teacher, and I hate when kids miss the last few days of school,” one TikTok user wrote. “We as a class have been a family for several months. Kids and teachers would like to say goodbye.”

“My kids would be SO disappointed if they missed the last few days,” another mom commented. “Splash pad, movies, field day, auctions… all on the last days. That’s the fun stuff they’ve waited all year for.”

One mom even joked that she made her kids go because “that’s the last little bit of my break.”

Others agreed that there was no reason to require kids to attend class.

“As a teacher, we aren’t doing anything fun,” a user confessed. “Sorry, we have checklists we have to get done, such as cleaning, seeing what things need repairs, etc. We don’t have parties or anything like that. It’s just babysitting at that point.”

“I did when they were in elementary,” another mom commented. “Middle School and High School don’t even take roll the last week. So they do not go.”