Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Sheriff Asks for Ticket After Getting Caught Speeding
Jan 26 2017 // A Florida sheriff asked to be ticketed after a deputy pulled him over for speeding in his unmarked car. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood tells The Daytona Beach News-Journal he wanted “to set an example”...
Willis Towers Watson Makes New Appointments in South Florida, Appoints Zutel to Lead
Jan 26 2017 // Willis Towers Watson has appointed Fred Zutel as head of Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB) in South Florida. The company also made four other hires, strengthening its presence in the South Florida market. Zutel worked with...
39 Possible Tornadoes Devastate Southeast, Leave 19 Dead
Jan 24 2017 // Chuck Stafford was watching the Atlanta Falcons rout the Green Bay Packers for the NFC title when bad weather suddenly began to pound his mobile home in southern Georgia. Stafford, 74, had just gotten to head to the...
Texas Stamping Office: Upward Trend Continues for Surplus Lines
Jan 24 2017 // Overall, 2016 ended on a positive note for the U.S. excess and surplus lines insurance industry, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX). Nationally, nearly $26 billion in surplus lines insurance...
Death Toll Climbs From Weekend Tornadoes Across Southeast
Jan 23 2017 // A weekend of deadly weather in the Southeast killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more, authorities said Sunday morning, while residents along the Georgia-Florida line braced for more intense, fast-moving storms...
U.S. to Study Sand From Bahamas to Protect Florida Coast
Jan 23 2017 // A potential solution to a troublesome sand shortage off Southeast Florida is tucked away in a massive water resources funding bill President Barack Obama signed into law last month. The 2016 Water Resources Development Act...
Tornadoes, Hurricanes and Fires… Oh My! Southeast Weathers Tough 2016
Jan 23 2017 // It is fair to say 2016 was the year of the catastrophe in the Southeast. Tornadoes, drought, floods, hurricanes and wildfires impacted virtually every state in the region. For the insurance industry, these events made for...
Deaths of 3 Men Working on Florida Keys Road Project Under Investigation
Jan 18 2017 // Authorities are investigating the deaths of three men who collapsed underground at a Florida Keys road project. Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark says one worker for the county’s contractor went down a drainage...
Dashcam Footage Shows Truck Driver on Phone Before Driving off Florida Overpass
Jan 13 2017 // The Florida Highway Patrol says a man received a ticket after a dashcam in his truck showed him using a cellphone just before the semitrailer he was driving plunged off an Interstate 75 overpass near Tampa. Authorities say...
Acentria Insurance Acquires Huff Insurance Agency of Southwest Florida
Jan 12 2017 // Acentria Insurance has finalized itd merger with Huff Insurance Agency of Southwest Florida, LLC. Established in 1979, Huff Insurance Agency specializes in personal and business insurance and will continue to operate under...
PURE Launches E&S Product for High Net Worth Homeowners in Florida
Jan 12 2017 // Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE), the policyholder-owned property and casualty insurer designed for high net worth individuals and families, has launched PURE Programs, an excess & surplus lines...
Security Tightened at Massachusetts Airport after Florida Attack
Jan 11 2017 // Authorities say they’ve got “enhanced” security measures in place at Boston’s Logan International Airport in the wake of the deadly airport shooting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Massachusetts State...
Tornadoes, Hurricanes and Fires… Oh My! 2016 A Rough Year for the Southeast
Jan 11 2017 // It is fair to say 2016 was the year of the catastrophe in the Southeast. Tornadoes, drought, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires impacted virtually every state in the region. For the insurance industry, these events made for...
Court Rules Florida Workers’ Comp Rate Hike to Remain, For Now
Jan 9 2017 // Florida’s workers’ compensation rate increase of 14.5 percent will remain in effect while a Florida appeals court reviews a legal challenge to the state’s recent ratemaking process. The First District...
U.S. to Study Sand from Bahamas to Protect Florida Coast
Jan 9 2017 // A potential solution to a troublesome sand shortage off Southeast Florida is tucked away in a massive water resources funding bill President Barack Obama signed into law last month. The 2016 Water Resources Development Act...
Southeast Regulation Report Card: North Carolina Flunks; Florida, South Carolina Dispute Grades
Jan 9 2017 // North Carolina ranks the worst of all 50 states when it comes to insurance regulation, according to a 2016 insurance regulation report card by an insurance industry think tank. The R Street Institute’s 2016 Insurance...
3 Florida School Buses Involved in Crashes on First Day Back to School
Jan 6 2017 // Authorities in Florida say three Pinellas County school buses crashed on the first day back from winter break, though no students were injured. The Tampa Bay Times reports the crashes occurred Tuesday afternoon. The...
Florida Judge Finds Pollution Notification Rule is Invalid
Jan 4 2017 // A Florida judge says a rule requiring companies to notify the public of pollution events within 24 hours is invalid. The new rule was pushed by Gov. Rick Scott after it took weeks for the public to be notified about a...
Velocity Risk Underwriters Expands Coverage to Coastal Homeowners in Florida
Jan 4 2017 // Velocity Risk Underwriters has expanded its Florida home insurance products and is now writing coastal homeowners policies statewide. Velocity offers an A.M. Best “A” rated coastal homeowners program through...
Strong Storm Causes Property Damage, Power Outages in Pensacola, Florida
Jan 3 2017 // Authorities say about 30 homes show impacts from a storm with strong winds that swept through Pensacola, Fla., early Sunday. Escambia County Public Information Officer Joy Tsubooka told the Pensacola News-Journal that no...
