Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Second Florida City Pays Hackers As Third City Faces Breach
Jun 28 2019 // A second small Florida city this month has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to hackers who took over most of its computer operations, an official said Wednesday, while a third Florida city said its data was...
XS Brokers Hires Delmonico-Long, Hall to Florida Business Development Team
Jun 28 2019 // XS Brokers (XSB), an independent insurance underwriting and wholesale brokerage group, has hired Michelle Delmonico-Longo as Business Development manager and David Hall as senior vice president, Business Development for...
What Passed, What Didn’t: New Florida Laws Taking Effect July 1
Jun 27 2019 // The Florida Legislature looked at and passed many pieces of legislation in the 2019 session that will impact the insurance industry. The following are summaries of what passed — and what didn’t. What Passed HB 7065...
Florida Keys to Receive $21M for Hurricane Irma Recovery
Jun 26 2019 // Officials say the Florida Keys will receive $21 million for Hurricane Irma recovery, along with $35 million for affordable housing. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the money during a Thursday news conference in Marathon. The...
Sinkhole Shuts Down Part of Major Florida Interstate
Jun 25 2019 // Parts of busy Interstate 75 was shut down in Florida after a sinkhole opened up. The southbound lanes were shut down just in time for rush hour traffic Friday. The Ocala Star-Banner reports the sinkhole is growing rapidly...
How the Florida ‘Omnibus’ Insurance Bill Will Impact Insurer Duty to Defend, Appraisal
Jun 24 2019 // While most of the news out of the 2019 Florida Legislative Session surrounding insurance has focused on House Bill 7065 and the wide-spread assignment of benefits (AOB) reform it promises, another piece of legislation that...
Florida City Pays $600K to Hackers to Save Computer Records
Jun 21 2019 // A Florida city agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses. The Riviera Beach City...
2 Injured, Multiple Structures Destroyed by Fire on Alabama-Florida Line
Jun 21 2019 // An overnight fire near the Alabama-Florida state line has destroyed multiple condominiums near the beach at Perdido Key and injured a resident and a firefighter. Escambia County officials say the blaze broke out early...
Florida’s Citizens Revises 2019 Rate Filing; Will Request 2.3% Statewide Rate Increase
Jun 20 2019 // Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s Board of Governors has approved a revised 2019 rate proposal that the company said reflects recent legislative changes that targets the ongoing abuse of assignment of benefit...
10 Arrests Made in Florida Unlicensed Contractor, Workers’ Comp Fraud Sting
Jun 19 2019 // Ten individuals have been arrested in a three-day unlicensed contracting and workers’ compensation fraud sting in Pinellas County, Fla., according to a statement from Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis. The joint operation...
What to Expect from Florida’s AOB Reform Law Taking Effect July 1
Jun 18 2019 // The countdown is on for Florida assignment of benefits (AOB) reform that will take effect July 1, and the insurance industry is getting ready to respond to new requirements as a result of the law as well as evaluating how...
Florida Hopes to Lure Autonomous Car Companies Under New Law
Jun 17 2019 // Self-driving vehicles with no humans on board will be able to operate in Florida – once they’re finally ready for prime time – under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis said he hopes to...
Kochilaris Joins Florida Homeowners Insurer Olympus as Sales Manager
Jun 17 2019 // Florida-based Olympus Insurance Co. has added Nathan Kochilaris as the company’s new Southwest Florida Sales manager. Kochilaris will work under Vice President of Sales and Marketing Crystal McInnis. Kochilaris has...
CoreLogic: Texas, Louisiana Among States Most at Risk for Storm Surge
Jun 17 2019 // Some 7.3 million U.S. homes with an estimated reconstruction cost of $1.8 trillion are at risk from storm surge, Irvine, California-based data analytics provider CoreLogic said in its 2019 Storm Surge Report, issued days...
Business Moves
Jun 17 2019 // National Ryan Specialty, Atlantic Specialty Ryan Specialty Group has acquired the assets and operations of Atlantic Specialty Lines Inc. The ASL team is now a part of R-T Specialty, the wholesale brokerage unit of Ryan...
Former Florida Association for Insurance Reform Expands Nationally, Will Focus on Flood
Jun 13 2019 // The Federal Association for Insurance Reform (FAIR), formerly the Florida Association for Insurance Reform, is expanding nationwide with a focus on reducing uninsured flood risk across the United States. FAIR is a...
Florida Insurer American Integrity Appoints Ritchie as COO
Jun 12 2019 // Tampa, Fla.- based American Integrity Insurance has appointed Executive Vice President Jon Ritchie as chief operating officer. He will continue to report to Bob Ritchie, president and CEO. In this role, Jon Ritchie will...
New ‘Prepare Florida’ Initiative Offers Hurricane Preparedness Resources
Jun 12 2019 // Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis has launched an initiative designed to encourage Floridians to prepare now before a hurricane makes landfall. According to a statement from the Florida Department of...
Zurich, Vertus Launch Hurricane Deductible Buy-Back Program in Florida
Jun 11 2019 // Zurich has launched Cat4Home, a new hurricane deductible buy-back program through Vertus Insurance Partners. Cat4Home is a supplemental insurance policy available to residential homeowners in Florida and covers 100% of the...
Florida Timber Industry to Receive $480M from Feds for Hurricane Michael Recovery
Jun 10 2019 // Governor Ron DeSantis says nearly half a billion dollars from the federal government will help Florida timber growers recover from the impacts of Hurricane Michael. The governor met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny...
