Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Republicans Propose Medical Marijuana Bills to Appease Voters
Feb 26 2015 // Republicans lawmakers in Florida who once opposed medical pot are now embracing it, motivated by the strong show of support from voters and worried that another constitutional amendment during next year’s...
Florida Court: GEICO on Hook for $100,000 in Additional Attorney Fees
Feb 26 2015 // A Florida court has ruled that one of the state’s largest automobile insurers must pay over $100,000 in attorney fees under the “additional payments” provision of its liability coverage. The Florida Fifth...
Tobacco Firms to Settle 400 Florida Smokers’ Lawsuits for $100M
Feb 26 2015 // The three biggest U.S. tobacco companies agreed to pay $100 million to settle 400 Florida lawsuits, potentially resolving a group of cases filed after a 2006 ruling by the state’s highest court that made it easier...
Three Arrested in Florida in Unlicensed Clinic PIP Fraud Scam
Feb 25 2015 // Three Central Florida arrests were made by the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud for the operation of an unlicensed clinic in Orlando that was used as part of a personal injury protection (PIP) fraud scheme, according to...
Donald Trump Withdraws Lawsuit Against Florida City Over Noise Ordinance Violations
Feb 24 2015 // Donald Trump has withdrawn a lawsuit he just filed against city officials in a Miami suburb over noise-ordinance violations against his resort. Trump spokesman Ed Russo was quoted by the Miami Herald last week as saying...
Florida Court Upholds Law Banning Open Carry of Firearms for Self Defense
Feb 24 2015 // An appeals court has upheld a Florida law banning people from openly carrying firearms purely for self-defense purposes. A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal issued the ruling Feb. 18 in the case of Dale...
PIA of Florida Partners with Windhaven to Provide Additional Market Access
Feb 23 2015 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Florida and Windhaven Insurance have formed a partnership that gives PIA members a direct appointment to write policies with Windhaven Insurance upon meeting minimal criteria. The PIA...
Florida’s McCarty May Have Survived Scott’s Ouster Bid
Feb 23 2015 // Florida’s insurance commissioner appears to have survived in his appointed post for now as a move by the state’s newly re-elected governor to oust him has failed to win support of the other state officials...
Florida’s Citizens’ Recovery Unit Increased Policyholder Refunds in 2014
Feb 20 2015 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp. reports it returned nearly $310,000 in refunds to affected policyholders in 2014 as part of its efforts to recover claims payments of $4.9 million by pursuing reimbursement from product...
Florida’s Tower Hill Prime Now Writing Commercial Lines Products in the State
Feb 19 2015 // Tower Hill Insurance Group has made its commercial lines products available to Florida businesses through Tower Hill Prime Insurance Co. Tower Hill Prime is an admitted property and casualty carrier headquartered in...
Large Product Liability Awards Made Comeback in 2014
Feb 19 2015 // Huge jury verdicts against companies over fatal flaws in their products made a comeback last year, which may foretell more bad news for carmakers with defective parts. Absent for a decade, billion-dollar verdicts returned...
Florida Nurse Charged with Putting Hot Sauce in Patients’ Mouths
Feb 19 2015 // A central Florida woman has surrendered her nursing license after she was charged with placing hot sauce into the mouths of two sleeping dementia patients. Tracie Nellis was charged last summer with battery on a person age...
Hit and Run Car Accidents in Florida up 23% in 2014
Feb 18 2015 // Florida law enforcement officials say hit and run crashes are increasing at an alarming rate. That’s why they’re launching a new campaign to let drivers know that leaving the scene of an accident can result in...
Opinion: Florida Sending Mixed Messages About Uber Insurance Requirements
Feb 13 2015 // Last month, California regulators said all “peer-to-peer” taxi drivers (i.e. Uber & Lyft) were required to have “commercial” plates, stating, “Customers have inquired about this process...
Florida Federal Judge to Hear Exploding Air Bag Lawsuits
Feb 12 2015 // Lawsuits filed around the U.S. seeking damages for allegedly defective auto air bags made by Japan’s Takata Corp. have been consolidated before a Miami federal judge. A federal panel on multidistrict litigation...
Florida Arrests 9 Individuals Suspected of PIP Fraud in Miami
Feb 12 2015 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced nine arrests were made last month for personal injury protection (PIP) fraud in Miami. Charged in eight separate cases involving seven staged accidents, the...
President of Florida’s Homeowners Choice to Retire
Feb 11 2015 // President of Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Co., Scott Wallace, plans to retire at the end of May 2015 after 37 years in the insurance industry, according to a statement from Homeowner’s...
Florida Approves Removal of Nearly 80,000 Policies from Citizens
Feb 11 2015 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has approved the removal of up to 78,897 personal residential policies and 500 commercial residential polices from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. by the following four...
Florida’s Citizens’ to Consolidate Workforce to Jacksonville Site
Feb 9 2015 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s Board of Governors has approved a contract to consolidate the company’s information technology and other functions at the EverBank Center in downtown Jacksonville, Fla. The...
Florida Commissioner McCarty May Have Survived Scott’s Ouster Bid
Feb 5 2015 // Florida’s insurance commissioner appears to have survived in his appointed post for now as a move by the state’s newly re-elected governor to oust him has failed to win support of the other state officials...
