Latest Florida Headlines

All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.

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

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...

BP Lowers Containment Cap onto Wellhead But Uncertainty Remains

Jun 4 2010 // BP Plc managed Thursday to lower a containment cap onto its ruptured deep-sea wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico in a high-stakes bid to siphon off some of the oil billowing from its gusher. U.S. President Barack Obama...

Oil Reaches Alabama’s Dauphin Island; Florida Panhandle on Alert

Jun 4 2010 // Teams of workers in protective boots and gloves scoured Alabama’s Dauphin Island Wednesday for washed up tar balls and tar patties that have put the 14-mile-long resort in the front line of the state’s fight...

Florida’s Pensacola Beach First in State to Suffer Oil Effects

Jun 4 2010 // Oil sheen and tar balls have washed ashore on a northwest Florida beach crowded with holidaymakers and swimmers in what appeared to be the first impact on the state from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, authorities and...

Homebuilder, Manufacturer Worried About Chinese Drywall in 2006

Jun 2 2010 // A leading East Coast homebuilder worried about the malodorous Chinese drywall it was using in Florida homes in 2006, but didn’t alert most of its customers or government officials, according to court documents. The...

Florida’s Emergency Chief Hopes Agency Turmoil Is Over

Jun 2 2010 // Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, under a second director since Craig Fugate left a year ago to run its federal counterpart, is getting a jump start on the hurricane season. With the storm season to begin...

New Florida Law Adjusts Property Assessments for Drywall Effects

Jun 2 2010 // Florida Governor Charlie Crist today signed legislation making properties affected by imported or domestic drywall eligible for an adjustment of their assessed value. The bill, HB 965, applies to the 2010 and subsequent...

Florida Governor Signs Commercial, Professional Lines Deregulation Bill

Jun 2 2010 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has signed into law a bill exempting certain commercial and professional liability insurance rates from state review prior to use. Current state law exempts only those policies with annual...

Florida Gov. Crist Vetoes Property Insurance Bill

Jun 1 2010 // As he hinted he would do, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has vetoed an omnibus property insurance bill (SB2044) that the industry and even the state’s insurance commissioner had urged him to sign. Crist, who was elected...

Today Is Crist’s Day of Decision on Florida Property Insurance Bill

Jun 1 2010 // The omnibus property insurance bill, SB2044, becomes law at the end of today, unless Florida Governor Charlie Crist vetoes it. Crist could sign the bill or just let it become law without his signature. But if he intends to...

Florida Reinsurance Prices Decline 10-12% at Renewal: Guy Carpenter

Jun 1 2010 // Reinsurance pricing at the June 1, 2010 Florida renewal are down by 10 percent to 12 percent on average, on a year-over-year risk adjusted basis. That’s according to reinsurance intermediary Guy Carpenter & Co.,...

Florida Officials Worry About Complacency Over Hurricanes

May 28 2010 // It’s been more than 1,600 days since Florida was hit by a hurricane, and that one — Wilma — walloped Natalie Premock’s home. But since then, nothing. And time has faded memories. The 31-year-old...