Comp Ninjas vs. South East Personnel Leasing

South East Personnel Leasing (SPLI, spli.com) is one of the largest privately held PEOs in Florida, founded in 1986 and headquartered in the Tampa Bay area. SPLI offers a full-service PEO bundle: workers comp, payroll, HR, employee benefits, 401(k), and risk management — all as an integrated package. Comp Ninjas is a workers comp specialist that provides PEO workers comp coverage without requiring you to migrate payroll, HR, or benefits to a new platform. SPLI is an excellent company with 39+ years of history; the key question is whether you need the full bundle or just workers comp.

SPLI operates as a full-service PEO, meaning their workers comp is part of an integrated platform that includes payroll administration, employee benefits, safety and risk management, and 401(k). To access SPLI's workers comp, you typically need to enroll in their full PEO service. Comp Ninjas provides workers comp through a PEO arrangement that does not require you to change your payroll provider or HR setup.

SPLI's process is: (1) Request a quote via their website form, (2) Walk through their approach with a dedicated account executive, (3) Enroll and thrive. This is a consultative, relationship-driven process that works well for larger businesses. Comp Ninjas offers an online quote tool that provides a rate in 60 seconds without requiring a sales walkthrough first — better for contractors who need workers comp fast and want to compare options before speaking to anyone.

Yes — SPLI explicitly covers construction including high-risk environments, and their website states "no matter how high-risk the company, its coverage is never too hard to place." SPLI also covers cell tower communications, forestry, marine (with USL&H endorsements), sanitation, staffing, and transportation. Comp Ninjas covers the same hard-to-place trades and additionally covers agriculture, home health, and towing — industries SPLI does not list on their website.

SPLI has Spanish-speaking implementation representatives who can assist clients during onboarding. However, SPLI's website (spli.com) is English-only — there is no Spanish-language website, Spanish blog content, or Spanish self-service quote forms. Comp Ninjas offers a fully bilingual English/Spanish website where contractors can get a quote, read industry guides, and understand their coverage entirely in Spanish without needing to call anyone. For Spanish-speaking contractors who prefer to research and apply online in their own language, Comp Ninjas is the better fit.

SPLI was founded in 1986 and has been operating for 39+ years, making it one of the most established PEOs in Florida. John and Debbie Porreca have owned the company since 1995. SPLI partners with AM Best A-Rated insurers and has been recognized as a top place to work for 12 consecutive years. Comp Ninjas is a newer, specialized competitor focused specifically on hard-to-place workers comp for contractors.

SPLI explicitly covers marine work with USL&H (United States Longshore and Harbor Workers) endorsements for federally regulated maritime work, and cell tower communications — two industries Comp Ninjas does not specialize in. If you are a marine contractor or cell tower crew, SPLI may be the better fit. For roofing, towing, trucking, agriculture, home health, and staffing, Comp Ninjas is the specialist.

SPLI has a certificate request portal on their website (spli.com/certificate-request), but their enrollment process involves a multi-step walkthrough with a dedicated account executive — which typically takes more than one business day. Comp Ninjas issues your Certificate of Insurance the same business day enrollment is complete, which is critical when a general contractor is waiting on your COI to start a job.