Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
4 New Sinkholes Open in Central Florida Retirement Community
May 24 2018 // Four sinkholes have opened up in a fast-growing retirement community in Florida, including one in front of a home that was abandoned months ago because of an earlier sinkhole. A spokeswoman for the Marion County...
Florida Man Killed by Exploding Vape Pen
May 22 2018 // An exploding vape pen hurled fragments into a Florida man’s head, killing him and starting a fire that burned most of his body, an autopsy report said. The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s autopsy report...
Florida Makes 3 Arrests in ‘Operation Rent-to-Burn’ Arson Crime Ring
May 22 2018 // Three additional people have been arrested for their various roles in an arson-for-profit scheme that took place over 7 years in three Florida counties, according to a statement from Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State...
Sinkhole at Florida Fertilizer Factory Sealed Nearly 2 Years After Opening
May 21 2018 // Crews have sealed a giant sinkhole that opened up beneath a fertilizer plant waste pond nearly two years ago sending millions of gallons of polluted water into Florida’s main drinking water aquifer. A spokeswoman for...
Court Approves Patriot National Bankruptcy, Reorganization
May 21 2018 // The bankruptcy and reorganization plan filed by insurance technology and outsourcing firm Patriot National has been approved and the transition of ownership of the Florida-based company can now move forward. According to a...
Florida: Federal Tax Cuts Spur 1.8% Decrease in Workers’ Comp Rates
May 21 2018 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has approved a 1.8 percent rate decrease for workers’ compensation insurance in Florida. The decrease was filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance...
Brightway Insurance Opens New Stores in Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee
May 18 2018 // Brightway Insurance is continuing its expansion with the opening of five new stores, four of which are located in the Southeast. The new stores that opened in the region include in Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee:...
Deciphering ‘Good Faith’ for Insurers Defending Coblentz Agreements in Florida
May 17 2018 // Since the 1969 seminal case of Coblentz v. Am Surety Co. out of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that found an insurer that breaches its duty to defend must pay the amount of damages stipulated to between the claimant...
Florida Attorney General Sues 5 Drug Companies Over Opioids
May 17 2018 // Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a “comprehensive” lawsuit Tuesday aimed at punishing several major drug manufacturers and distributors, contending they were responsible for “pain and...
Judge Rules Anonymous Teens Can’t Take Part in NRA Suit Over Florida Law
May 16 2018 // A Florida judge denied the National Rifle Association’s request to have two 19-year-old gun enthusiasts anonymously join the group’s lawsuit challenging new age requirements for gun purchases. The NRA sued...
More States File Opioid Lawsuits Against Drug Firms
May 16 2018 // Litigation against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP is intensifying as six more U.S. states on Tuesday announced lawsuits, accusing the company of fueling a national opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing its...
Florida No. 1 for Takata Air Bag Injuries, Deaths
May 14 2018 // Florida leads the nation in the number of air bag injuries and deaths. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Friday that 83 injuries and three deaths have been linked to Takata air bag ruptures in Florida. Nelson was planning to meet...
Report: Cracks Found on Florida Bridge Weeks Before Deadly Collapse
May 10 2018 // Crews found cracks in a key part of a pedestrian bridge that collapsed in Florida earlier than previously acknowledged, but it remains unclear whether the fissures caused the structure’s failure. The Miami Herald...
NRA Should Name Teens in Suit Over New Florida Gun Law, State Says
May 10 2018 // The National Rifle Association failed to provide evidence that two 19-year-olds who wish to join in the group’s lawsuit over Florida’s new gun-control law would have their privacy violated or be put at risk of...
Two Killed in Tesla Car Crash in Florida
May 9 2018 // A Tesla car crashed and caught fire in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Tuesday, killing two people, local police said on Wednesday. A third person in the Model S sedan was taken to a hospital, the Miami Herald reported late on...
Court Approves Patriot National Bankruptcy, Reorganization
May 9 2018 // The bankruptcy and reorganization plan filed by insurance technology and outsourcing firm Patriot National has been approved and the transition of ownership of the Florida-based company can now move forward. According to a...
The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.
May 8 2018 // Michigan has three and Florida two in a list of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the U.S. produced by a security industry group using FBI crime data. Based on average rate of violent crime per 100,000 population, the...
Florida’s Ex- Commissioner McCarty Says Banks ‘Need Skin In’ Mitigation Game
May 8 2018 // Policymakers need to find a way to get banks involved in property mitigation if Florida is to improve its hurricane resiliency, according to a former state insurance commissioner. Banks are currently unmotivated to protect...
AssuredPartners of Florida Promotes Guercio to EVP of Operations
May 7 2018 // AssuredPartners, Inc. has promoted Joe Guercio to executive vice president of Operations, with a focus on EBITDA growth through managing its branch offices, the integration of new acquisitions, operational efficiencies –...
Florida’s Citizens Reopens More Than 25K Hurricane Irma Claims
May 7 2018 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp. says it has reopened about 37 percent of its Hurricane Irma claims, according to a statement from the Florida insurer of last resort. The insurer says the reopening of claims is part of...
