Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Indiana Police Using Water-Based Chemical to Fight Theft
Jun 13 2014 // A northwestern Indiana police department is one of the first law enforcement agencies in the country to distribute a theft-deterring chemical that leaves DNA-like “signatures” on property and those who attempt...
Florida Hearing Set for Zimmerman Defamation Claim Against NBC
Jun 11 2014 // The judge in George Zimmerman’s defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal is set to hear arguments on a request by the media company to dismiss the case. A hearing has been set for June 19. The case had been postponed...
Supreme Court Lets Stand $70M Florida Tobacco Rulings
Jun 10 2014 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a series of appeals filed mainly by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. seeking to overturn Florida court rulings worth more than $70 million in favor of customers who sued over...
Florida’s Sunshine State Insurance Insolvent; UPC to Assume Policies
Jun 4 2014 // Florida regulators have taken over an insolvent domestic residential property insurer, but a deal is in the works for another private company to assume the insurer’s 37,000 policies. A Leon County Circuit Court judge...
BB&T in Florida Promotes Condo-Specialist Littlestone
Jun 2 2014 // Florida’s BB&T Insurance Services has promoted Gino Littlestone to senior vice president in BB&T-Oswald Trippe and Co.’s commercial lines division specializing in condominiums. Gino...
Aetna, Humana, Cigna Accused of Bias Against AIDS Patients in Florida
May 30 2014 // Advocates for people with HIV and AIDS charged that insurers including Aetna Inc., Humana Inc. and Cigna Corp. have discriminated against Obamacare patients in Florida infected with the virus. The Tampa-based AIDS...
Florida Benefits As Yield-Thirsty Investors Line Up for Hurricane Bonds
May 30 2014 // In 2008, Florida’s government-run property insurer paid Warren Buffett $224 million to agree to buy its debt if a major storm struck. Six hurricane-free years later, the state is turning investors away. With...
Sunshine State Insurance Co.’s Future Unclear After UPC Deal Falls Through
May 29 2014 // The future for Florida’s Sunshine State Insurance Co. (SSIC) is unclear now that a deal by another insurer to rescue it has fallen through. United Insurance Holdings Corp. (UPC Insurance Co.) yesterday announced it...
UPC Insurance Calls Off Deal to Acquire Sunshine State Insurance
May 28 2014 // United Insurance Holdings Corp. (UPC Insurance Co.) has terminated its bid to acquire financially-troubled Sunshine State Insurance Co. (SSIC), a Florida property/casualty insurance company. UPC’s intent to rescue...
Gallagher Buys Florida’s MGA Insurance Group
May 28 2014 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. said it has acquired MGA Insurance Group of Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Established in 1989, MGA Insurance Group (MGA) is a national program...
Viewpoint: U.S. Can Learn from Florida Climate Change Response
May 27 2014 // Adapting to climate change is such a daunting task that it can be hard to know where, or how, to begin. Here’s one answer: in southeastern Florida, with yellow foam earplugs. The plugs are needed to keep out the din...
Africa Can Tap Global Reinsurance Markets; Why Not Florida?
May 23 2014 // In what can only be taken as an exceedingly encouraging sign for emerging markets around the world, an African Union-created agency has established the continent’s first-ever catastrophe insurance pool, offering...
Florida’s Heritage Insurance Sets IPO Price Per Share at $11
May 23 2014 // Clearwater, Florida-based Heritage Insurance Holdings Inc., a property/ casualty insurance holding company, announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 6,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the...
Florida Metro Areas Rated Most Dangerous for Pedestrians
May 22 2014 // A new report says Orlando is the most dangerous metro area for pedestrians, and three other Florida cities are also at the top of the list. The report by the National Complete Streets Coalition says the Tampa, Jacksonville...
Hilb Group Acquires Florida’s Newman & Crane
May 20 2014 // The Hilb Group of Richmond, Va., has acquired Newman Crane & Associates of Orlando, Fla. NCA will continue to operate at its current location under the leadership of Steve and Jamie Buckner. Established in 1965, NCA...
Museum in D.C. Features Florida University’s Hurricane Simulator
May 20 2014 // Florida International University’s 12-fan “Wall of Wind” hurricane simulator is on display at the National Building Museum in Washington. The “Designing for Disasters” exhibit explores new...
Ratings Recap: Penn National, MGA, MAPFRE USA
May 19 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance Company and its...
Florida Cat Fund Has $13 Billion As Hurricane Season Starts
May 16 2014 // Florida is heading into hurricane season with good news. The state-created fund that backs up private insurers in Florida appears to be in very good financial shape again this year. New projections show that the Florida...
United Insurance to Acquire Florida’s Sunshine State Insurance
May 16 2014 // United Insurance Holdings Corp. (UPC) has agreed to acquire 100 percent of Sunshine State Insurance Co. (SSIC), a Florida domiciled property/casualty insurance company. SSIC, based in Jacksonville, Fla., offers homeowners,...
Florida Gov. Scott to Veto 75 mph Speed Limit Bill
May 15 2014 // Responding to pleas from highway troopers and the state’s sheriffs, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday he will veto a bill that could increase the speed limit on Florida highways from 70 to 75 mph. Scott said that...
