Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Senate Committee Advances PIP Bills
Apr 14 2011 // A pair of bills aimed at cracking down on the runaway fraud that has vexed automobile insurers in recent years moved through a key Senate panel this week. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee narrowly approved the...
P/C Industry Depends Too Much on Catastrophe Models, Says Pioneer Clark
Apr 14 2011 // Catastrophe models are a great risk management tool for property/casualty insurers but even the person who created the first one is worried that they are being given more credit and influence than they deserve. Karen Clark...
Former Florida Gov. Crist Settles Music Copyright Lawsuit
Apr 13 2011 // Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has settled a lawsuit filed by Talking Heads singer David Byrne after Crist used one of the group’s songs without permission in a campaign ad last year, both parties have...
Florida’s ‘Most Wanted’ Insurance Fraudster Arrested
Apr 13 2011 // One of Florida’s first “Most Wanted” insurance criminals was arrest based on a tip provided through the state’s new fraud Web site. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced that Erline...
Florida Approves 18.8% State Farm Rate Increase
Apr 12 2011 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has approved a statewide average 18.8 percent rate increase in State Farm’s homeowners’ policies, which is roughly 10 percent below the 27.9 percent it initially...
Gulf Coast Officials Enjoy Spending Spree at BP’s Expense
Apr 12 2011 // In the year since the Gulf oil spill, officials along the coast have gone on a spending spree with BP money, dropping tens of millions of dollars on gadgets, vehicles and gear — much of which had little to do with the...
Workers’ Comp TV Show Pilot Begins Filming in Florida
Apr 11 2011 // Hollywood thinks workers’ compensation can be funny. Workers’ Comp, a half-hour TV comedy about crazy employees handling absurd and often-fraudulent insurance claims from injured workers, begins filming pilot...
Florida House Panel Approves Medical Liability Bill
Apr 11 2011 // A bill that would further reform medical malpractice suits in Florida has been approved by a House panel. The bill increases the burden of proof for plaintiffs to win medical malpractice cases. It largely makes hospitals...
Florida’s Patriot National Group Appoints Zamary
Apr 7 2011 // Patriot National Insurance Group has appointed Robert Zamary as senior vice president of the newly formed Client Enterprise Services department, which will integrate policyholder services, billing, collections, and premium...
Allstate Looking to Open 50 New Agencies in Florida
Apr 7 2011 // Allstate Insurance says it wants to open nearly 50 new agency offices in Florida. About half of those openings will be in north Florida, the company said. “North Florida has shown incredible growth for our...
Florida’s Security First Promotes Kruck, Reynolds
Apr 5 2011 // Florida-based homeowners insurance provider, Security First Insurance Co., has appointed Werner E. Kruck as chief operating officer and Marilyn Reynolds as vice president of operations. Kruck began his insurance career in...
Florida’s Acentria Acquires Advanced Comp
Apr 5 2011 // Insurance agency Acentria Inc., headquartered in Destin, Florida, has acquired another Florida firm, Advanced Comp, a workers’ compensation insurance agency. Fielding Dickey, president and founder of Advanced Comp,...
Florida Approves Arch Re Under Reduced Collateral Law
Apr 4 2011 // Florida has added another company to its growing list of reinsurers that are taking advantage of a state law that allows it to reduce its capital requirement. Arch Reinsurance Limited, a Bermuda-based reinsurer, received...
Florida Advances Commercial Insurance Rate Deregulation
Apr 4 2011 // A move to deregulate a number of commercial lines of property/casualty insurance is making quiet progress in Florida. The legislation, which has already passed the House by a unanimous vote, would exempt insurance pricing...
Business Moves
Apr 4 2011 // AequiCap, Seminole Two Florida insurers are facing regulatory action as the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) ordered commercial insurer AequiCap Insurance Co. into liquidation and suspended the license of...
Florida Homeowners Insurers Seek ‘Flex-Rating’ Up to 15%
Apr 4 2011 // Florida lawmakers are considering giving homeowners insurers more flexibility to raise rates. The Florida Senate and Banking Insurance Committee recently approved a bill that would allow insurers to raise their rates up to...
Florida Lawmakers Advance Plan to Shrink State Insurer Citizens
Apr 1 2011 // Florida lawmakers have approved a plan designed to move more property owners into the private insurance market by restricting what properties the state-backed insurer can cover and allowing it to raise its rates. By a vote...
Florida’s Top 10 Sinkhole-Prone Counties
Mar 30 2011 // It’s no secret that property/casualty insurers have been fielding more and more sinkhole claims in Florida and now online hazard mapping firm CDS Business Mapping and its RiskMeter Online service have come up with a...
Florida Allows Reinsurer Alterra Bermuda to Reduce Collateral
Mar 29 2011 // Another reinsurer has stepped forward to take advantage of a Florida law that allows it to lower its collateral and still conduct business in the state. Florida regulators announced that Alterra Bermuda Limited has been...
Florida Insurance Office Announces Staff Changes
Mar 28 2011 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced several staff changes at the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). Al Willis has been appointed acting deputy commissioner for Property & Casualty. Willis was the...
