Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Gov to Form Opioid Task Force
Apr 4 2019 // Florida’s Office of Drug Control will be re-established in the governor’s office and a state task force on drug abuse will be set up to provide a unified vision for battling the state’s opioid epidemic,...
Hurricane Michael Debris Fueling Wildfire in Florida Panhandle
Apr 2 2019 // Nearly two dozen Florida homes have been evacuated because of a 500-acre wildfire that grew rapidly overnight because of downed trees from Hurricane Michael. Authorities say the fire broke out Saturday in the Panhandle...
Florida Pharmacist Convicted in $100M Pharmacy Fraud Scheme
Apr 2 2019 // A Florida pharmacist was sentenced last month to 120 months in prison followed by three years supervised release for his role in a massive compounding pharmacy fraud scheme, which impacted private insurance companies,...
Florida Serial Arsonist Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison
Apr 2 2019 // A serial arsonist in Florida was sentenced last month to 18 years in prison and 12 years of probation for two counts of arson to an occupied dwelling and one count of arson to a motorcycle, according to a statement from...
Florida Looks to Add Insurance Requirements, Regulations for Cosmetic Surgery Clinics
Apr 1 2019 // Choeun Nuon traveled from her home in California to a Miami-area cosmetic surgery clinic to have a so-called Brazilian butt lift in February 2017. Instead of recovering after the procedure, the 32-year-old mother of two...
Scientists Investigate Recent Earthquakes in the South
Apr 1 2019 // Scientists are sending additional sensors to south Alabama and the Florida Panhandle with aims of solving the mystery of what caused a spate of recent earthquakes. Five earthquakes have been detected in the region within a...
More Than $40M Recovered for Insurance Consumers in 2018
Apr 1 2019 // More than $40.5 million was recovered for Florida insurance consumers in 2018, including $17.4 million recovered for Hurricane Michael victims, by the state’s Insurance Consumer Helpline, according to a statement...
Declarations
Apr 1 2019 // ‘About Damn Time’ “Today’s action to finally allow smokable medical marijuana brings four words to the lips of people across our state: It’s about damn time. It’s long past due that the...
Fire Knocks Out Power to 22K People in South Florida
Mar 29 2019 // Authorities in Florida say a fire at a power utility substation left thousands of people without power in Broward County. News outlets report an explosion at a Florida Power & Light substation in Fort Lauderdale late...
Strong Storm Causes Hail Damage in Central Florida
Mar 29 2019 // A series of hail storms in central Florida dinged up car windshields and blew off pool screens in an unusual sight for the Sunshine State. In tiny Trenton, the streets were covered in so much hail that it resembled a snow...
Miami Insurance Agent Arrested for Stealing $620K in Premiums
Mar 29 2019 // A former licensed insurance agency owner was arrested in Florida after allegedly stealing more than $620,000 in insurance premiums, according to a statement from Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy...
Florida’s Citizens: $200M Reinsurance Buy Needed to Protect Personal Lines Surplus
Mar 28 2019 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp. plans to purchase approximately $200 million in traditional reinsurance coverage for the 2019 hurricane season to protect its Personal Lines Account (PLA) surplus it says is exposed to...
5th Earthquake This Month Strikes Near Alabama-Florida State Line
Mar 27 2019 // Another weak earthquake has struck near the Alabama-Florida state line. News outlets report it’s the fifth small quake in the area this month. There has been no damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said a...
MedMal Direct of Florida Appoints Dupre as VP of Claims
Mar 27 2019 // Jacksonville, Fla.-based MedMal Direct Insurance Co. has appointed Dan Dupre as vice president of Claims. Dupre succeeds Tim Bone, MedMal Direct’s co-founder and chief claims officer, who retired on Jan. 1, 2019....
Florida Insurtech HoneyQuote Rolls Out Real-Time Rating Engine, Adds Heritage to Platform
Mar 26 2019 // HoneyQuote.com has added a new carrier partner and launched its real-time rating engine, which lets Florida homeowners compare multiple home insurance quotes and purchase a policy online. The application is backed by...
BRP of Florida Appoints Galbraith as Chief Operating Officer
Mar 25 2019 // Baldwin Risk Partners (BRP), a Tampa-headquartered insurance distribution and consulting holding company, has appointed Dan Galbraith as chief operating officer. Galbraith joins BRP with more than 15 years’ of...
Florida CFO: More Than $40M Recovered for Insurance Consumers in 2018
Mar 22 2019 // More than $40.5 million was recovered for Florida insurance consumers in 2018, including $17.4 million recovered for Hurricane Michael victims, by the state’s Insurance Consumer Helpline, according to a statement...
9 Insurance Agency Start-Ups: Why and How They Set Out on Their Own
Mar 22 2019 // What motivates people to take a risk in an industry dedicated to managing risk? New independent agencies are born of various circumstances. Sometimes it’s about seizing an opportunity that comes along; other times,...
Main Street American Group Promotes Kusch, Listau in Florida
Mar 21 2019 // The Main Street America Group, a super-regional property/casualty insurance company, has announced the promotions of Jeff Kusch and Chris Listau to president roles of their respective divisions. Kusch, president of field...
Florida Insurance Agent Arrested in $16K Commission Fraud Scheme
Mar 20 2019 // A licensed insurance agent out of Orlando, Fla., was arrested this month for allegedly submitting fraudulent insurance applications to multiple carriers, according to a statement from Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis. Sheila De...
