Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
OSHA Probes Florida Postal Worker’s Mysterious Illness
May 18 2012 // The federal agency that monitors worker safety has opened an investigation into the illness of a U.S. postal worker who became sick after coming into contact with a mysterious package from Yemen. A spokesman for the...
Forecasters Examine Hurricane Andrew’s Legacy
May 18 2012 // The ability to predict how bad a storm will be has eluded forecasters since Hurricane Andrew made a catastrophic landfall in South Florida two decades ago and it will remain a challenge for the next chief at the National...
Misuse of BP Oil Spill Funds Prompts Changes by Florida County
May 17 2012 // Amid a criminal investigation into the alleged misuse of funds paid by BP after the 2010 Gulf oil spill, a Panhandle county made big changes this week in the way it oversees spending for promotion of the area’s...
Florida Blood Bank Sued Over HIV Infection Says Supply Is Safe
May 17 2012 // A Florida blood bank being sued by a patient who claims he was infected with HIV after a transfusion says its blood supply is safe. Gainesville, Fla.-based LifeSouth Community Blood Centers said in a release that every...
Alabama Man Sues Florida Blood Bank Over HIV Infection
May 16 2012 // An Alabama man has filed a lawsuit against a Florida blood bank, charging that a transfusion during a coronary bypass surgery infected him with HIV. The lawsuit alleges that the contaminated blood given to Howard Midkiff...
Allstate Looks to Grow Florida Agency Force Again
May 15 2012 // Allstate’s Florida says it wants to add dozens of new agencies along with support staff jobs across the state, mostly in north and central Florida. Allstate said its 2012 agency strategy should create approximately...
Glisson Named to Board of Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance
May 15 2012 // Don Glisson, Jr., chairman and CEO of Triad Financial Services, Jacksonville, Florida, has been appointed to serve as a member of the board of governors of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Florida Chief...
Ayala Joins MarketScout in Florida
May 15 2012 // Marsha Ayala has joined MarketScout’s Florida office as an underwriter. Ayala’s hire is part of the company’s expanding activities in south Florida, where it is focusing on insurance for individuals with...
Florida Hurricane Fund May Come Up Short If Big Storm Hits: Panel
May 14 2012 // Florida may not have enough money to pay off hurricane insurance claims if a big storm hits this year. An advisory panel last Thursday concluded that the state may fall nearly $2 billion short of the total needed to cover...
Florida Supreme Court Hears Class Action Arbitration Argument
May 11 2012 // A pay day loan company’s lawyer argued this week that the Florida Supreme Court must uphold a contract provision prohibiting customers from banding together in class action arbitration cases against the firm because...
Gallagher Joins Reliance Global Group in Florida
May 11 2012 // Kevin Gallagher recently joined Reliance Global Group, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, in the position of executive vice president of sales and marketing. Gallagher will be introducing UniSurance, a specialty product for...
Miami Boat Captain Charged with Insurance Fraud Over Sinking of $1.8M Yacht
May 10 2012 // A Miami boat captain has been arrested on a first-degree grand theft charge for allegedly sinking a $1.86 million yacht in 2009 off the Bahamas. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the arrest of Robert...
Florida Approves Hurricane Shelter Plan
May 10 2012 // The construction of new public schools across Florida has contributed to a significant increase in the number of hurricane shelter spaces, according to a plan approved this week by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida...
Florida Looks to Fix Loophole in PIP Reform Law
May 9 2012 // Florida regulators are scrambling to fix a loophole in the state’s new auto no-fault insurance law that could affect medical payments to health care providers and trigger a spate of lawsuits against the law. Florida...
Florida Revises Workers’ Comp Certificates, Excess Profits, Premium Audit Laws
May 7 2012 // Florida’s governor has signed workers’ compensation legislation streamlining the workers’ compensation certificate process, eliminating mandatory premium audits, and discontinuing refunds for insurers...
Florida Workers’ Comp Exemption Changes Dropped
May 7 2012 // In vetoing a bill on tax credits for his state’s hurricane fund, Florida Gov. Rick Scott also axed several other proposals aimed at streamlining the process that employers use to claim an exemption from buying...
Southeast Agency, Carrier Plans Brighten Jobs Picture
May 7 2012 // Those interested in new or better positions in insurance might want to grab their suntan lotion and head to the Southeast. They might also want to brush up on their Spanish. The unemployment rate remains higher in key...
Southeast Agencies, Carriers Now Hiring
May 7 2012 // Here is some of the positive insurance employment news for the Southeast: Allstate In February, Allstate Insurance announced it was looking to appoint 124 new agency owners in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South...
Florida Governor Vetoes Cat Fund Tax-Credit Plan
May 7 2012 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott has chastised state lawmakers for failing to fully consider a controversial plan to use state premium tax credits to help shore-up the state’s homeowners’ reinsurance fund before...
Florida Law May Block Access to Flood Program
May 7 2012 // A bill recently passed by Florida lawmakers could hinder the ability of some communities to participate in the federally funded flood insurance program, federal officials say. The Federal Emergency Management Agency...
