Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Beach Town Developers Now Believe in Stronger Building Codes, Construction
Nov 21 2018 // Developer Jeff Lamkin knew the risks when he paid $250 million for 63 acres of an island off the Texas coast. But he saw only upside in the quaint little beach town of Port Aransas. Over the next 10 years he built Cinnamon...
Court: Travelers Insurer Off the Hook in Florida Hotel Chain Data Breach Suit
Nov 21 2018 // A U.S District Court in Florida’s ruling could have wide-reaching effects with respect to an insurer’s duty to defend commercial general liability policyholders in data breach cases resulting from the acts of...
Ryan Insurance & Financial Merges with S.S. Nesbitt Insurance in Florida
Nov 20 2018 // Ryan Insurance & Financial, a DeLand, Fla.-based independent insurance firm, has merged with S.S. Nesbitt Insurance, located in Clermont, Fla. The merger was finalized on October 1, 2018. Headquartered in Birmingham,...
Florida Picks Up the Pieces from Powerful Hurricane Michael
Nov 20 2018 // This photo shows debris and destruction in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Oct. 10. Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town, was nearly obliterated by the hurricane,....
Michigan Man Sentenced to Prison for Staged Auto Crash Fraud Scheme
Nov 16 2018 // A Michigan man who pled guilty to participating in a multi-state staged auto accident/insurance fraud scheme has been sentenced to prison, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. Marvin David Ramirez, 45,...
Normandy Insurance of Florida Promotes Lieberman to VP of Sales, Marketing
Nov 15 2018 // Florida-based workers’ compensation carrier Normandy Insurance Co. has promoted Laura Lieberman to vice president of Sales and Marketing, effective immediately. In this role, Lieberman will oversee corporate...
Maximum Adds Livingston to Team in Tampa, Florida
Nov 14 2018 // Maximum, an independent, Chicago-based excess and surplus lines wholesaler, has hired Jeff Livingston as a producer. He will be based out of Maximum’s growing office in Tampa, Fla. Originally from Georgia, Livingston...
Florida Approves 13.8% Workers’ Comp Rate Decrease
Nov 13 2018 // A revised workers compensation rate filing for a 13.8 percent decrease by the National Council on Compensation Insurance has been approved by Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier. The amended filing to...
AmeriTrust Group Acquires Florida-Based Signature Insurance Agency
Nov 9 2018 // AmeriTrust Group, Inc.’s retail agency subsidiary Meadowbrook Insurance Agency has acquired Sarasota, Fla.-based Carol P. Rummel Insurance Agency, (dba Signature Insurance Agency), effective Oct. 29th, 2018. As part...
One Month Later, Power Fully Restored to Florida Residents Hit by Michael
Nov 9 2018 // Utilities are reporting that all power has been restored in the Florida counties devastated by Hurricane Michael. The utility companies and cooperatives reported Tuesday to the Public Service Commission that they had zero...
Florida Workers’ Comp Rates to Decrease by Double-Digits in 2019
Nov 7 2018 // Florida workers’ compensation rates are going down again next year, the third decrease in the two years since significant Florida Supreme Court decisions created concern and uncertainty over future of the...
Run-Off Venture SOBC Darag Completes First Acquisition of Florida Auto Insurer Peachtree
Nov 7 2018 // SOBC DARAG, the joint venture formed between SOBC, the US-based run-off specialist, and DARAG, the leading legacy acquirer, has completed of its first acquisition of Peachtree Casualty Insurance Co. of Florida. The...
2 Residents, Staff Member Hurt in Florida Nursing Home Fire
Nov 5 2018 // Authorities say a fire broke out in a South Florida nursing home, injuring two residents and a staff member. The SunSentinel reports more than 100 people were evacuated when the fire started in a resident’s room...
Windhaven Insurance of Florida Appoints Rosilier as Chief Financial Officer
Nov 5 2018 // Windhaven Insurance has named John D. Rosilier as chief financial officer of the Miami-based auto insurance carrier, according to Jimmy E. Whited, CEO of Windhaven Insurance & The Hearth Insurance Group. In this new...
Regulators, Industry Seek to Keep Florida AOB Abuse in Check After Michael
Nov 5 2018 // In an effort to keep the Florida assignment of benefits (AOB) crisis from further worsening in the state, Florida’s insurance industry, regulators and consumer advocates are on high alert for AOB activity in the wake...
Georgia Farmers Face Long Recovery From Hurricane Michael Crop Losses
Nov 2 2018 // Hurricane Michael left a snowy landscape of ruined white cotton on Georgia’s red clay, destroying a crop and likely bringing hard times to the region’s many small communities built on agriculture. When the...
Suit Filed in Florida Against Tesla Claims Autopilot Failed, Caused Crash
Nov 1 2018 // A Florida man says the autopilot feature of his Tesla vehicle failed to detect a disabled car on a highway, leading to a collision that left him with permanent injuries, according to a negligence lawsuit filed...
Florida Insured Losses from Hurricane Michael Top $2B, And Growing
Nov 1 2018 // Total estimated insured losses from Hurricane Michael have reached more than $2.1 billion, according to the most recent data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. The current number of claims from Hurricane...
Weather, Wildfire Claims an Increasing Share of Home Insurance Losses
Oct 31 2018 // U.S homeowners insurers saw an increase in both the number of losses and the percentage of those losses that resulted from an extreme weather event during 2017. According to a LexisNexis Home Trends report, loss costs...
A.M. Best Upgrades Ratings of Workers’ Comp Insurers Retail First, BusinessFirst of Florida
Oct 31 2018 // A.M. Best has upgraded the financial strength ratings of two workers’ compensation insurers based in Florida. RetailFirst Insurance Co. and BusinessFirst Insurance Co. have received a financial strength ratings of A-...
