New property management took over after making deal with previous management on breaking lease early (FL)

Location: Florida, USA

Back in May, we closed on our first home. This was 3 months before our lease was up and on our lease if we broke it early we would have to pay 2 months rent, forfeit our deposit, and pay for any damages/cleaning. We made a deal with the current management that we would only have to pay 1 month of rent, forfeit the deposit and pay for damages/cleaning. We have confirmed this in our email.

Unbeknownst to us, a week before our lease would officially break, the current management sold to a new company. We got a bill for one months rent which we paid and figured it was for the one month agreed upon. A few weeks later we get a text from the new company asking if we were going to renew our lease or not. We explained the situation that we broke the lease and they said there was no note or anything told to them. We provided the emails to them and left it at that.

A week or so later we got a certified mail with a bill that is for 2 months rent and cleaning/damages. I sent them an email and they just sent back saying that that is what the lease said. Weve ignored it until now and haven't heard from them. Last week we got a text from a collections agency trying to get the money for the full amount.

What should our next steps be? Do we go to the collections agency and explain or do we need to lawyer up?