Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Lawmakers Pass Text While Driving Ban, Hands-Free Requirement
May 1 2019 // The Florida House on Monday passed a compromise bill that would make texting while driving a primary offense, as well as create a hands-free area within school zones and construction zones where workers are present. The...
High Net Worth Insurer Vault Expands Into 3 States in Northeast
May 1 2019 // Vault, an insurer focused on the needs of the high net worth market, has received approvals to underwrite in Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This adds to their existing operations in Florida and South Carolina...
Appalachian Underwriters Taps Florida-Based Kidd to Lead Commercial Auto
Apr 30 2019 // Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. has hired transportation broker Mary Kidd to focus on large commercial transportation accounts in its Sarasota, Fla., office. Kidd will work with accounts with more than $25,000 in premium,...
Florida Man Suspected in Multiple Fires Arrested
Apr 30 2019 // A Florida man believed to be responsible for multiple fires in the Umatilla area of Lake County, Fla., has been arrested, according to a statement by Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis. James Anthony Bennett was arrested this...
Florida Officials Call on U.S. Lawmakers to Pass Hurricane Michael Aid Package
Apr 29 2019 // A bipartisan group of Florida Cabinet members and state lawmakers is demanding that U.S. lawmakers pass a disaster-relief package for Hurricane Michael victims. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Attorney General...
Florida Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban
Apr 29 2019 // Texting while driving would become a primary traffic offense along with talking on a handheld cellphone in school and construction zones under a bill passed by the Florida Senate. The Senate’s 33-5 vote on Thursday...
Florida Supreme Court Rules Against Parkland Sheriff
Apr 26 2019 // The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a sheriff who fought his removal from office after the governor claimed he failed to prevent last year’s Parkland school shooting. Florida’s highest court...
New AAIS Florida Homeowners By-Peril Program Approved by State Regulator
Apr 26 2019 // AAIS (the American Association of Insurance Services) has received approval for its new Florida Homeowners By-Peril Insurance Program from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). The AAIS Florida Homeowners...
Florida Governor to Sign AOB Reform Bill; Citizens Plans Rate Review
Apr 25 2019 // Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signaled his support of a property insurance reform bill passed by the Florida Senate Wednesday, saying in a statement Wednesday he will sign the legislation that the insurance industry...
Brightway Insurance Opens New Agencies in Florida, Tennessee
Apr 25 2019 // Brightway Insurance opened new stores in Florida and Tennessee on April 15. The new franchise owners include: Steve Moser Steve Moser who opened Brightway, The Steve Moser Agency of Belle Meade in Nashville, Tennessee....
Update: Florida Legislature Passes Industry-Backed AOB Reform Bill
Apr 24 2019 // After seven years of failed attempts, Florida legislators have passed property insurance reform to address the abuse of a policyholder benefit known as assignment of benefits (AOB). The insurance industry and consumers...
Customers of Florida Spa in Kraft Case File Class Action Suit Against Police
Apr 24 2019 // Nearly three dozen men and women have filed a federal class-action lawsuit accusing Florida authorities of unlawfully videotaping them as they received legal massages at a parlor where New England Patriots owner Robert...
Florida Contractor Accused of $40K AOB Insurance Fraud Scheme
Apr 23 2019 // A restoration contracting company owner was arrested this month in Florida for allegedly stealing more than $40,000 from consumers who assigned their insurance benefits to him through assignment of benefits (AOB)...
Strong Storms Cause Tornadoes, Deaths Across Southeast
Apr 23 2019 // Strong storms roared across the Southeast last week, killing at least two in Mississippi and a woman in Alabama while leaving more than 100,000 people without power across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. A girl...
NOAA Upgrades Hurricane Michael to Category 5
Apr 22 2019 // Hurricane Michael, which devastated a swath of the Florida Panhandle last fall, has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm, only the fourth to make recorded landfall in the United States and the first since 1992. The...
AssuredPartners Acquires Premier Insurance Corp. of Florida
Apr 22 2019 // AssuredPartners, Inc. is has acquired Premier Insurance Corporation, Inc. of Cape Coral, Fla. Premier specializes in property and casualty insurance, workers compensation, employee benefits, and life insurance. Premier and...
Sells Appointed Chief Information Officer for SUNZ Holdings of Florida
Apr 18 2019 // SUNZ Holdings, LLC, based in Bradenton, Fla., has appointed John Sells to the position of chief information officer. John Sells Sells will be in charge of IT initiatives and enterprise systems with a focus on digital...
Florida AOB Reform Bill Passes Final Committee, Heads to Full Senate
Apr 18 2019 // A bill the Florida insurance industry says will help reign in assignment of benefits abuse that is plaguing the state and raising insurance costs has passed its final committee in the Florida Senate and is now headed to...
Florida’s Citizens Says $200M in Reinsurance Needed to Protect Personal Lines Surplus
Apr 15 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...
Closer Look Patrick Stephens
Apr 15 2019 // If Florida’s Stephens Were Not a Broker, He’d Find Another Job in Insurance Being a young insurance broker in Florida is never boring for Patrick Stephens, who started in the industry three years ago....
