Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Governor Suggests Making PIP Coverage Optional for Drivers
Aug 2 2011 // Florida drivers should have the option to forgo purchasing what is now mandatory auto personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, says Gov. Rick Scott. Following the failure of lawmakers this year to reform the...
Florida Weighs Privatizing State’s Citizens Insurance
Aug 1 2011 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott quickly embraced a recent suggestion by the board chairman of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to consider privatizing Florida’s largest insurer of business and...
Business Moves
Aug 1 2011 // FPIC, The Doctors Co. One of Florida’s major medical malpractice insurers is seeking state approval to be sold to an out-of-state insurance group with the initial price tag expected to total $365 million. The Florida...
Westcott Named Consumer Advocate
Aug 1 2011 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater is naming Robin Westcott, an attorney and longtime insurance watchdog, to the post of Insurance Consumer Advocate. Westcott began her career in 1993 with the Florida Department...
People
Aug 1 2011 // Wholesale insurance broker AmWINS Group Inc. is expanding its operations with a new office location in Morehead City, North Carolina. Karen G. Toler, formerly of Burns & Wilcox, has joined AmWINS to lead this new...
Double Digit Rate Hikes for Allstate in Florida
Aug 1 2011 // Florida’s consumer advocate says Allstate’s two Florida home insurers are among the state’s best run and deserve double-digit rate increases along the lines they have requested. The Allstate units, Castle...
Mitigation Reviews Hike Premiums for Insureds of Florida Citizens
Aug 1 2011 // Florida property owners who purchased coverage from the state- run property insurer have seen their premiums increase by an average $476 as a result of the insurer inspecting their property. Citizens Property Insurance...
Florida City: Please Stop Stealing Stop Signs
Jul 29 2011 // Officials in Gainesville, Florida have a message for residents and visitors. Please stop stealing stop signs. Since Jan. 1, the city has replaced 52 stops signs taken from 14 locations around the city. Officials say one...
Florida Nudists Injured in Water Scooter Crash
Jul 29 2011 // Authorities say two people were injured when their water scooter hit a sea wall near Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee. An Osceola County Fire Rescue spokeswoman said the crash happened just before 8 p.m. Sunday. A...
Florida Officials Suspect Fraud in Rash of Kitchen Fires
Jul 29 2011 // Florida officials are investigating a spate of kitchen fires that have some wondering if they may have been started on purpose to receive money from insurance companies. State officials say what used to be a minor problem...
Florida Citizens Proceeds with Bid for 400% Sinkhole Rate Hike
Jul 28 2011 // Florida residents who purchase sinkhole insurance through the state-back Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could be looking at increases of more than 400 percent for the optional coverage next year. By a 4-0 vote, the...
Florida Resurrects Insurance Rate Comparison Web Site
Jul 28 2011 // Florida residents will soon have a Web site tool to help them compare homeowners insurance coverage. The Florida Office on Insurance Regulation is launching an interactive computer program called the Consumer HomeOwners...
Chinese Drywall Supplier Told to Release Insurance Details
Jul 27 2011 // A South Florida judge has ruled that a Miami-based supplier of tainted Chinese drywall must disclose more details about a proposed $55 million class-action settlement. A Broward County judge ruled that Banner Supply Co....
Florida’s Citizens to Seek Big Rate Hike for Sinkholes Today
Jul 27 2011 // Florida’s largest insurer of homes and businesses, state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., will ask its board to approve a sizable premium increase — 400 percent– for providing coverage on...
Alaska Joins State Surplus Lines Coalition
Jul 26 2011 // Members of the Non-Admitted Insurance Multi-State Agreement coalition are proud to welcome Alaska to the NIMA group. Insurance Director Linda Hall signed on behalf of Alaska, which collected $109 million in excess and...
Florida Consumer Chief Backs Double-Digit Hikes for Allstate
Jul 22 2011 // Florida’s consumer advocate says Allstate’s two Florida home insurers are among the state’s best run and deserve double-digit rate increases along the lines they have requested. The Allstate units, Castle...
Florida Names Westcott as Insurance Consumer Advocate
Jul 21 2011 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater said he is naming Robin Westcott, an attorney and longtime insurance watchdog, to the post of Insurance Consumer Advocate. Westcott began her career in 1993 with the Florida...
Florida Weighs Sale of Top Medical Malpractice Insurer
Jul 21 2011 // One of Florida’s major medical malpractice insurers is seeking state approval to be sold to an out-of-state insurance group with the initial price tag expected to total $365 million. The Florida Office of Insurance...
Florida Returns $12 Million to Policyholders
Jul 20 2011 // Some Florida insurance policyholders stand to recover more than $12 million in refunds thanks to state insurance investigators looking into complaints about unpaid claims and questionable sales. The Division of Agents and...
Turner Named President of Patriot Underwriters in Florida
Jul 19 2011 // Richard G. Turner has been named president of Patriot Underwriters Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Turner was previously executive vice president of parent company Patriot National Insurance Group and will retain these...
