Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Judge: Insurance Covers Chinese Drywall Claims
Jun 6 2011 // A Florida judge has ruled that a couple’s damage from tainted Chinese drywall is covered by their homeowner insurance policy. Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Robert Foster said he found no exclusion in the Teachers...
People
Jun 6 2011 // West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Jane L. Cline will retire after 10 years on the job. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Cline’s retirement will become effective June 30, 2011 and that he will name a replacement in the...
What’s In Florida’s Property Insurance Cost Control Bill?
Jun 6 2011 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law legislation that promises to lower costs for the state’s property insurers, including what they pay on sinkhole claims. Scott said the bill (SB 408) “strengthens...
How Florida’s Agents Fared in Tallahassee
Jun 6 2011 // FAIA President Jeff Grady on Property Insurance Reform, Effects of RMS Model, Citizens For those in the industry, Florida’s recent legislative session was a long march as they tried to navigate through a process that...
What Killed PIP and Citizens Reform?
Jun 6 2011 // P/C Industry Wins Some, Loses Some in Scott’s First Session It is axiomatic in Florida that when it comes to the legislature and insurance issues, the power brokers play to the last 72 hours. No matter how many...
Florida Firm Inspires Workers’ Comp TV Sitcom
Jun 6 2011 // Lights…Camera…Action” is not a phrase often used within the insurance industry. That’s about to change thanks to a new television show created to document the comedic aspect of adjusting...
Florida Cities Most Dangerous for Pedestrians
Jun 6 2011 // Four of the top 10 most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians are in Florida, according to a new report by a transportation and environmental group. The top four are Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa. Other...
Florida Braces as RMS Model Makes Landfall
Jun 6 2011 // Storm Model Hits Inland Territories; Could Alter Property Insurance Political Landscape Florida’s history with hurricanes has created a series of assumptions long treated as facts, none of which is more quoted than...
Florida Reinsurance Renewals Reflect Unsettled Market: Guy Carpenter
Jun 2 2011 // The Florida reinsurance renewals on June 1, 2011, experienced a wide range of outcomes, as substantial catastrophe losses combined with two major catastrophe model revisions over the past 16 months led to a volatile...
MarketScout Opens Florida Personal Lines Office
Jun 2 2011 // MarketScout, the Dallas-based electronic insurance exchange with managing general agent and wholesale operations, has expanded by opening a personal lines underwriting facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The new location...
Ratings: Doctors Co., Gateway, Kingstone, Farm Credit, Associated Mutual
Jun 2 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has commented that the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a-” of Doctors Company Insurance Group (TDC) and its members, led by The Doctors...
Florida Gov. Scott Signs Surplus Lines Bill
Jun 1 2011 // Florida is prepared to join other states around the country in bring its surplus lines business in line with the federal Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act. Governor Rick Scott signed SB 1816 into law authorizing the...
Florida Wildfire Danger High Heading Into Memorial Day Weekend
May 27 2011 // The danger of wildfire is very high throughout Florida due to lack of rain, low humidity and windy conditions. Jim Karels, director of the Florida Division of Forestry at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer...
Florida Undertakes Hurricane Readiness Exercises
May 25 2011 // Florida began its sometimes annual hurricane exercise Monday after skipping the practice storm last year because officials were busy with a real emergency — the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The hurricane taking aim at...
Florida’s Acentria Acquires Jim Harris Agency
May 24 2011 // Destin, Florida-based insurance agency Acentria has acquired Jim Harris & Associates, Inc., with offices in Mary Esther and Crestview. Acentria has six locations in the Florida panhandle.
Florida Wants More Private Firms Involved in Emergency Planning
May 23 2011 // Florida’s new emergency management chief said he wants the private sector to be more involved in the state’s disaster preparedness efforts so that local economies can recover quickly after...
Fidelity National Seeks 27% Florida Homeowners Rate Hike
May 20 2011 // Jacksonville-based Fidelity National Property and Casualty Insurance Co., which covers some 12,000 homeowners in the state, is seeking a statewide average 27 percent rate increase. At a public rate hearing, Fidelity...
Florida Fifth Graders Go on a P/C Insurance Tour
May 20 2011 // During a recent field trip to The Main Street America Group’s corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., more than 60 fifth graders from Jacksonville’s Woodland Acres Elementary School learned the basics of...
Florida Hurricane Fund Gets More Time on Claims
May 19 2011 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund has been given more time to respond to an influx of claims from 2005 storms. A state panel chaired by Gov. Rick Scott approved an emergency rule waiving a 60-day deadline for acting...
Florida Gov. Scott Signs Property Insurance Cost Control Bill
May 17 2011 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed into law legislation that promises to lower costs for the state’s property insurers, including what they pay on sinkhole claims. While the memory of former Governor Charles...