Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Boiler Room Explosion at Florida Penthouse Injures 6
Oct 6 2015 // A penthouse boiler room exploded because of a gas leak Friday at a 33-story high-rise near Miami, injuring at least six people, fire officials said. The explosion happened around noon on the top floor of the Château Beach...
Florida Commissioner McCarty Asks FEMA for NFIP Rate Data by Dec. 15
Oct 5 2015 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin M. McCarty has followed through on his promise to State Senator Jeff Brandes to investigate the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) rating practices of Florida insureds. In...
Report: Florida Cities Most Vulnerable to Storm Surge
Oct 5 2015 // Four of the top eight cities most vulnerable to a major storm surge are located in Florida, according to a new report released by Karen Clark & Company (KCC). The 2015 “Most Vulnerable U.S. Cities to Storm Surge...
Florida Establishes Citizens’ Commercial Lines Rates for 2016
Oct 5 2015 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FLOIR) issued an order on September 17 establishing the 2016 commercial lines rates for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The overall estimated statewide average rate changes are...
Confie Acquires Alabama, New York, Florida Brokers
Oct 2 2015 // National personal lines insurance broker Confie said it has acquired four insurance brokers with locations in Alabama, western New York and Florida. Confie acquired TS Insurance Group which specializes in non-standard auto...
Q&A: Florida Representative Backs Call for NFIP Transparency
Oct 1 2015 // Florida State Representative Bill Hager says the state is turning up the heat on the National Flood Insurance Program as Florida residents become increasingly concerned with the high rates they are paying for flood...
Citizens’ CEO Updates Board on ‘Critical’ Water Loss Issue, Depopulation Program
Oct 1 2015 // Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s top executive warned the company’s Board of Governors Wednesday that water loss claims will continue to hamper efforts to reduce rates for many Florida...
UPC Insurance to Buy Interboro for $57M
Sep 30 2015 // United Insurance Holdings Corp. (UPC Insurance) said it will pay $57 million for Interboro Insurance Co., a New York-based property/casualty insurer licensed to operate in four states and Washington, D.C. The deal involves...
Florida Man Charged with Fraud, Theft of 4M Pounds of Citrus
Sep 29 2015 // State agriculture officials say a Florida man is accused of illegally obtaining more than 4 million pounds of citrus, valued at over half a million dollars, from five different individuals and companies. Agriculture...
Florida’s Heritage Insurance to Acquire Hawaii’s Zephyr
Sep 29 2015 // Clearwtaer, Florida-based Heritage Insurance Holdings Inc. has agreed to acquire Zephyr Acquisition Co. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zephyr Insurance Co., a specialty insurance provider in Hawaii. The acquisition will...
Florida Workers’ Comp Fraud Sting Leads to 9 Arrests
Sep 28 2015 // The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) announced nine arrests following a multi-agency workers’ compensation sting in Manatee County, Florida. These nine individuals...
Insurance Wholesaler Socius Names 3 to Leadership Posts
Sep 25 2015 // Socius Insurance Services Inc., a management liability and property/casualty insurance wholesaler, announced three changes to its leadership team. According to Patrick E. Hanley Sr., president of Socius, the changes are:...
Florida’s Broward County Pushes Back Vote on Ridesharing
Sep 24 2015 // Broward Count, Florida officials have had to delay a vote on the approval of ridesharing services such as Uber because a commission has not finished discussing amendments to the proposed rules. The Palm Beach Post reports...
Former Florida Insurance Agent Arrested for Stealing $20K in Premiums
Sep 23 2015 // The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) announced the arrest of Lisa Dwyer, 49, a formerly licensed insurance agent employed by Southeast Insurance Agency in Davie, Fla., after...
McCarty Earns Lifetime Achievement Award from Florida Association
Sep 21 2015 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty was recognized with a lifetime achievement award for his 27 years of public service by FAIR, the Florida Association for Insurance Reform on Sept. 17. McCarty was the first...
Florida University to Pay $1.1M to Family of Drum Major Killed in Hazing
Sep 21 2015 // Florida A&M University reached a $1.1 million settlement Sept. 18 with the family of a drum major who died after being hazed by fellow band members. The university agreed to name the marching band’s anti-hazing...
Florida Police Arrest 37 Teens After Vehicle Burglary Spree
Sep 21 2015 // Polices in Pensacola Florida recently arrested 37 teenagers for vehicle burglaries. Assistant police chief Tommi Lyter told the Pensacola News-Journal there were no overarching affiliations among the teens even though...
Citizens’ 2016 Rates Approved With Minor Adjustments
Sep 21 2015 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved a slate of 2016 property insurance rates for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. In an order signed September 8 by Florida Commissioner Kevin McCarty, FLOIR set the rates...
People – Southeast
Sep 21 2015 // Crawford & Company announced that Jeffrey T. Bowman is stepping down after nearly eight years as president and CEO and after more than 24 years of service with Crawford & Company. The Board of Crawford has...
Florida Judge Orders State to Clarify Uber Insurance Requirements
Sep 18 2015 // Florida taxi companies may finally get the answer they are looking for from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FDHSMV) regarding minimum insurance requirements for transportation network companies...
