Florida - Latest Insurance News

Oil Fears May Hurt Gulf States’ Economies More Than BP Spill

Jun 18 2010 // Fear that oil from a huge BP Plc spill will damage Mississippi’s coast is hurting the state’s economy more than oil damage itself, according to a new report. Tourists are staying away from restaurants and...

Squatters Taking Over Abandoned Homes in Florida

Jun 18 2010 // Imagine going to a house or condo you own and finding a stranger living there who claims the property no longer belongs to you. It’s happening across Florida and other parts of the country through what authorities...

Florida Allows XL Re to Operate Under Lower Collateral Rule

Jun 18 2010 // Florida officials have agreed to allow Bermuda-based reinsurer XL Re Ltd. to participate in Florida’s insurance marketplace under rules calling for reduced collateral. According to the Florida Office of Insurance...

Florida Jury Gets Chinese Drywall Case

Jun 18 2010 // A jury in Florida is set to begin deliberations in a lawsuit over the damages owed to owners of a house built with defective Chinese drywall. Attorneys say the verdict in the case of Armin and Lisa Seifart of Miami will...

Non-Resident Blogger Can Be Sued in Florida Over Defamation

Jun 18 2010 // The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that a non-resident blogger can be sued in the state for posting allegedly defamatory comments about a Florida company on her out-of-state Web site. In a unanimous opinion, the court...

Florida CFO Sink Intercedes for Local Businessman with BP

Jun 17 2010 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink was in the middle of a dramatic confrontation at a BP oil spill claims office Tuesday after going to bat for a distraught owner of a bait and tackle shop. Sink, who is a Democratic...

Florida Hopes to Settle BP Claims Outside of Courts

Jun 16 2010 // BP Plc has done a poor job settling oil spill claims quickly and efficiently but pursuing the claims in court might be worse, Florida officials said Tuesday. Governor Charlie Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum have...

Producer Development: Combined Agents of America Keeps It In-House

Jun 14 2010 // Mark Bridges and Bry Ewan got the idea for creating a producer development program within the Combined Agents of America (CAA) while attending a producer school in Florida. Bridges explained that during his first year in...

Florida Certifies Updated AIR Hurricane Model

Jun 14 2010 // AIR Worldwide (AIR) is reporting the certification of its 2010 U.S. Hurricane Model by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology. The commission certifies models for use by insurers for developing...

Florida Parents Sue Boy Scouts Over Teen’s Death

Jun 11 2010 // The parents of a teen who died of heat stroke during a South Florida hike with his Boy Scouts troop is suing the organization. Attorneys for Howard Adelman and Judith Sclawy-Adelman filed the suit in Miami-Dade circuit...

Mississippi, Florida AGs Putting Pressure on BP

Jun 11 2010 // Attorneys general in Florida and Mississippi are upping the political pressure on BP over the oil gusher that is threatening their states and the entire Gulf Coast. Florida Attorney General McCollum sent a letter to BP...

Olympus Insurance Cleared by Florida Regulators

Jun 10 2010 // Home and condominium insurer Olympus Insurance Co., which in April came under scrutiny by Florida insurance regulators, has convinced the regulators that its financial contracts, accounting methods, reinsurance program and...

Florida Lawmaker: Lower Gulf Coast Property Assessments, Make BP Pay

Jun 10 2010 // Property appraisers from three Panhandle counties and a state representative say the Legislature should allow tax appraisers to lower coastal property values immediately because of the oil spill. Appraisers from Escambia,...

Florida Politicians Demand More, Faster Claims Monies from BP

Jun 10 2010 // BP brought another $25 million to Florida on Tuesday, but instead of a thank you they got a lot more criticism. Between barrages, Gov. Charlie Crist and three independently elected Cabinet members asked for more money and...

Florida Doctor Who Took Out Wrong Organ Fined $5,000

Jun 9 2010 // The state Board of Medicine says a South Florida surgeon who performed a gallbladder operation but took out a healthy kidney by mistake wasn’t inept or careless. Health News Florida reported that the board said...

Florida Senator: Obama Not Doing Enough for State

Jun 7 2010 // U.S. Sen. George LeMieux criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of the Gulf oil spill Saturday, saying he hasn’t done enough to help Florida and the other affected states or their residents. Obama visited...

Florida Hurricane Fund In Better Shape

Jun 7 2010 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund is as healthy as ever heading into the 2010 storm season. An advisory council to the fund reported that it has enough cash and bonding ability to pay off more than $25 billion in...

Florida Insurers Head Into Hurricane Season with Fingers Crossed

Jun 7 2010 // Florida’s property insurance companies haven’t suffered hurricane losses for nearly five years, but many claim to be losing money even while collecting hefty premiums. It’s a complex paradigm for almost...

In Developing Producers, a Little Help From One’s Friends Goes a Long Way

Jun 7 2010 // As John Lennon and Paul McCartney could tell you, sometimes you just need a little help from your friends. And in the insurance agency business – where building relationships are key to success – that friend...

The Right Relationship Chemistry Can Increase Sales, Create Succession Plan