The longtime managing partner at one of Boca Raton’s top brokerages left the company to join Douglas Elliman’s Exclusive Group, The Real Deal has learned.
Kelly Brooks joined the Elliman team as a partner, according to a news release. The group is led by Nick Malinosky and Devin Kay, and is ranked Elliman’s top medium-sized team in Florida.
Brooks has been a licensed agent since 2006, state records show. Her license was moved to Douglas Elliman on Jan. 9.
Brooks was managing partner of Boca-based Royal Palm Properties, a firm led by David Roberts, the top-ranked real estate agent in Palm Beach County, according to TRD’s 2025 ranking of agents based on on-market sales. Brooks worked directly with Roberts for 15 years, where she focused on the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club community.
Royal Palm, a gated golf community, is Boca Raton’s most expensive neighborhood. The 450-acre development has fewer than 700 homes, and it includes a private club by the same name as a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and a marina.
The firm brokered more than 420 sales totaling over $3.3 billion in dollar volume between 2021 and 2025, according to the release. In a statement, Roberts said that Brooks’ contributions “were instrumental to our success, and I have no doubt she will continue to thrive at the highest levels of the industry.”
Brooks will focus on markets that include Delray Beach and Boca Raton, according to the release.
Malinosky and Kay formed the Exclusive Group in 2023 with former Elliman agent Gary Pohrer, who left the brokerage last year to join Ryan Serhant’s expansion into Palm Beach, though they still work together on deals. Last year, the Exclusive Group also brought on Michael Merrill to expand into the Vero Beach market.
This marks an expansion of The Exclusive Group’s mission to deepen its bench of expert advisors across South Florida’s most sought-after luxury markets. Last year, the group welcomed Michael Merrill, a leading force in Vero Beach’s high-end real estate market, further strengthening its presence along the coast.
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