Our History

The year 1947 marked the birth of the Credit Union, as it was organized and chartered by the State of Florida with the name "Pratt Hospital Credit Union". It served the employees of the Veteran's Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida. Within a few years, the name was changed to "VA Hospital of Coral Gables Credit Union". In 1967, the Credit Union relocated into the newly designed VA Hospital in Downtown Miami on Northwest 16 Street and 12 Avenue. Along with its relocation came the new name "VA Hospital Credit Union of Miami", to more properly reflect the members it served.

NCUA federally chartered & insured

The Credit Union's current relationship with the National Credit Union Association (NCUA) began in 1978 when it became both federally chartered and insured. In addition to this charter, the Credit Union was, once again, renamed to "VAH Miami Federal Credit Union". In 1986, the VAH Miami Federal Credit Union was presented with another opportunity to grow and expand its services by merging with Cedars Employees Credit Union. Over the next eleven years, the Credit Union's sound customer care and services helped to establish it as a respectable and promising financial institution.

A period of growth

The historic year of 1997 transformed the Credit Union's reputation of a promising financial institution into a fulfilling reality. This year marked the ground breaking ceremony of the Credit Union's newly constructed building located directly across from the VA Miami Medical Center. Within the next four years, the VAH Miami Federal Credit Union opened its doors to many new members not associated with the VA Hospital. The Credit Union's two mergers with Alterman Employees Federal Credit Union in August of 2000 and with Ahavas Chesed Credit Union in February of 2001 contributed heavily to this rapid growth period. Preceding the merger with Ahavas Chesed Credit Union, the VAH Miami Federal Credit Union realized that its name no longer reflected the members its served. Hence, in June of 2001, the VAH Miami Federal Credit Union was renamed to "South Florida Federal Credit Union". Nearly a month later, South Florida Federal Credit Union launched its online web site, www.SouthFloridaFCU.com.

The creation of South Florida Federal Credit Union's web site was aimed towards providing our members with up to date information and to enhance, not replace, the personal service provided to our members. In an effort to continue to offer our members with access to information, we have embraced technology and continuously improved the online services we provide. With the addition of Online Bill Pay, E-alerts, E-Statements and Secure Remote Check Deposit, managing your account online is more convenient than ever!

In 2012, we received the approval of the NCUA to expand our field of membership to include a designated area of Miami Dade County. Those who live, work, worship, go to school or volunteer in the designated boundaries are eligible to join. To learn if you qualify, please visit or call us at (800) 834-3495.

Merger with Guardians Credit Union

On October 1, 2019, South Florida Federal Credit Union merged with Guardians Credit Union to become South Florida FCU, A Division of Guardians Credit Union. We did not think of this next step as a merger, but more so a partnership with Guardians Credit Union, as SFFCU will keep its brand and identity and will function as a division of Guardians Credit Union. We eagerly look forward to what the next decade has in store!

Meet Our Board

Official Family Nominations

There will be one board position up for re-election during the 2025 Annual Meeting. The nominating committee reports that the one current board member in this position, Brendan Lynch, is seeking re-election. Members interested in serving on the Board of Directors must submit a letter of interest to the nominating committee. If the nominating committee doesn't nominate the member, it would be the responsibility of the member to obtain a petition with the signatures of 1% of the credit union membership (369 members) as reported on June 30, 2024. The petition should include the candidate's name, member's name/signature and purpose of the petition. The petition must be presented to the President of the credit union by November 30, 2024.