Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
4 Arrested in Theft of $500K in Tequila from Truck Stop in Florida
Jan 2 2019 // Sheriff’s deputies in Florida have recovered a half-million dollar truckload of stolen tequila. Hillsborough Sheriff’s spokesman Danny Alvarez said in a statement that a truck driver hauling the load of tequila...
Timber Farms in Florida, Georgia Suffering After Hurricane Michael
Jan 2 2019 // Strewn in gnarled piles from Florida’s Gulf Coast up through South Georgia, the livelihood of timber farmers is on the ground. And, after the ravaging buzz saw of Hurricane Michael in early October, it will be a...
Florida Regulator Calls on Insurers to Handle Hurricane Michael Claims
Dec 31 2018 // Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier is urging Florida insurers to close the more than 42,000 Hurricane Michael claims that remain open nearly three months after the storm. In a Dec. 19 memorandum to all property...
Insurance Journal Southeast’s Top Stories for 2018: Fraud, Hurricanes, Data Security Law
Dec 31 2018 // It was a busy year in the Southeast with two major hurricanes that wreaked havoc on the region, an escalating insurance crisis in Florida, and a new industry-specific cybersecurity law in South Carolina that takes effect...
Florida County Wants Hurricane Michael Named Category 5 Storm
Dec 28 2018 // Some officials in one Florida Panhandle county are pushing for Hurricane Michael to be labelled a Category 5 storm. The News-Herald reports that some in Bay County – which was hit hard by the fierce October storm...
McCarty Elected Chair of FAIR Board; Hartford Exec Larkin-Thorne to Co-Chair
Dec 28 2018 // The Florida Association for Insurance Reform (FAIR), a non-partisan insurance consumer advocacy association, has elected former Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty as the chair of its Board of Directors and Sonja...
70 Mobile Homes Damaged by Mid-December Tornadoes in Central Florida
Dec 27 2018 // A tornado damaged more than 70 homes in a mobile home park and a 90-year-old woman was taken to a hospital after a roof fell on her head after a day of wild weather in central Florida Dec. 20. Officials in Pasco County,...
Florida Man Gets 8 Years for Hurricane Irma Fraud
Dec 21 2018 // A Florida man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for taking advantage of people who suffered property damage last year during Hurricane Irma. Collier County prosecutors says 44-year-old Daniel Lawrence Ohleyer was...
Florida Panhandle City Borrows $50M for Hurricane Cleanup
Dec 20 2018 // Officials in Florida’s Panhandle have agreed to take out a $50 million loan to help pay for Hurricane Michael-related bills until federal reimbursements are received. The Panama City Commission approved the measure...
Aloisi Opens Brightway Insurance Agency in Florida
Dec 18 2018 // Lucas Aloisi has opened a Brightway Insurance Agency located in Parkland, Fla. Brightway, The Aloisi Agency is located at 6600 Parkside Drive, Unit 6680 in Parkland, Fla. The agency offers customized home, condo, renters,...
Florida Construction Worker Killed After Being Trapped Under Crane at Marina
Dec 17 2018 // Authorities say a construction worker was killed and another worker injured when a crane toppled at a marina on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Other construction workers attempted to free the trapped employee Thursday when he...
Hurricane Michael Recovery Goes On for Florida Agents
Dec 17 2018 // The page has finally turned on the tumultuous 2018 hurricane season, but for the agents who live and work in the Florida Panhandle, the story isn’t over – personally or professionally. “We all still feel...
Special Report: The Industry Industry Gives Back
Dec 14 2018 // Safety National Safety National proudly supports Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis, an organization that has been helping children with physical and developmental disabilities for more than 80 years. In...
Florida Judge Rules Deputy Had Duty to Protect in Parkland School Shooting Suit
Dec 14 2018 // A judge has rejected a deputy’s claim that he had no duty to confront the gunman during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Refusing to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the parent of a victim, Broward Circuit Judge...
Citizens to Request 8.2% Rate Increase from Florida Regulators
Dec 13 2018 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will file for a statewide average increase of 8.2 percent for personal lines policyholders – homeowners, condominium owners and renters. The Florida insurer of last resort’s Board...
Florida-Based Broker Coin Re Taps Barbican’s Crichton as EVP in London
Dec 12 2018 // Florida-based catastrophe reinsurance broker COIN Re has appointed global property reinsurance professional Andy Crichton as executive vice president, effective Dec. 7, 2018. Crichton will be based in London, England,...
Report: More Than 87K Floridians Dropped by Home Insurers Last Quarter
Dec 12 2018 // State records show home insurers have dropped the policies of more than 87,000 Floridians in the third quarter of this year. The Palm Beach Post reports that state records also show half of the state’s top 10...
I.I.I. Study Cites AOB Abuse for Increasing Insurance Costs In Florida
Dec 12 2018 // A new study released by the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) finds that Florida’s assignment of benefits (AOB) crisis has cost consumers billions of dollars in unnecessary litigation and inflated claim costs...
Road America Motor Club Hires Campolo as VP of Sales in Florida
Dec 11 2018 // Road America Motor Club, a wholly owned subsidiary of international insurer MAPFRE, has added Frank Campolo to the company as vice president of Sales in its Miami headquarters. Campolo will develop and lead Road...
Miami Man Arrested in $60K Trucking Insurance Fraud Scheme
Dec 11 2018 // A South Florida trucking company owner was arrested last month after allegedly selling fraudulent insurance coverage with certificates of insurance totaling nearly $60,000 to local commercial truckers, according to a...
