Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Business Moves
Feb 7 2010 // Fiesta Auto Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Fiesta Auto Insurance is combining its two business models — insurance and tax preparation — under one roof, quadrupling its presence to more than 80 locations....
Farm, Insurance Loss Estimates from Florida Freeze Still Weeks Away
Feb 2 2010 // It will still be weeks, into March and April, before the full extent of crop damage and insurance payments from Florida’s recent extended freeze will be known. While Florida’s citrus industry has been hard hit,...
Florida’s United Insurance to Expand Into 7 Northeast, Southeast States
Feb 2 2010 // United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. in Florida said it is seeking approval to write homeowners insurance in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and New Jersey. The...
Commercial General Liability Policy Covers ‘Blast’ Faxes: Florida Court
Feb 2 2010 // Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policies generally cover liability for unsolicited “blast faxes” that violate federal law, a Florida court has ruled. The Supreme Court of Florida issued its ruling...
State Farm Begins Sending Non-Renewal Notices in Florida This Week
Feb 1 2010 // Thousands of State Farm Florida property insurance customers will be seeing notices in their mailboxes this week saying their policies will not be renewed, a company spokesman said. The first wave of notices will be mailed...
McDermott, Benner Head Florida Insurance Commissioner Media Staff
Feb 1 2010 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced staff changes on the communications staff for the Office of Insurance Regulation. Jack McDermott has been appointed director of communications. McDermott has been the...
Real Change for a Real Choice in Florida
Jan 27 2010 // A January 2010 opinion editorial, “Don’t deregulate insurance: Consumers only ‘choice’ would be bad” bylined by three consumer advocates totally misses the mark on the benefits of the Consumer...
Florida Peninsula Finalizes Acquisition of Edison Insurance
Jan 27 2010 // Florida Peninsula Holdings, LLC, the parent company of Florida Peninsula Insurance Co., reports it has completed its acquisition of Edison Insurance Group, including its two subsidiaries: Edison Insurance Co. and Edison...
Florida’s Citizens to Re-Bid Part of Contract for Property Reinspections
Jan 26 2010 // Florida’s state-backed property insurer will seek competitive bids on part of a contract to reinspect as many as 400,000 properties that have been awarded $700 million in mitigation discounts off their insurance...
People
Jan 24 2010 // Zenith National Insurance Corp. has hired Janet Frank as president and chief operating officer of the workers’ compensation writer’s principal operating subsidiary, Zenith Insurance Co. She will also be an...
Florida Hospitals Must Warn Patients About Limits Imposed on Lawsuits
Jan 24 2010 // The Florida Supreme Court says hospitals must warn patients about a state law that bars malpractice lawsuits for birth-related neurological injuries. The justices this month ruled hospitals that fail to do so can then be...
Florida’s St. James Promotes Mertz to Marketing Director
Jan 21 2010 // St. James Insurance Group in Orlando, Florida has promoted Jonathan Mertz, vice president and operations manager, to marketing director. His new responsibilities will include all marketing and sales initiatives,...
Florida Hospitals Must Tell Patients of Lawsuit Limits
Jan 20 2010 // The Florida Supreme Court says hospitals must warn patients about a state law that bars malpractice lawsuits for birth-related neurological injuries. The justices last week ruled hospitals that fail to do so can then be...
Florida Workers’ Comp Insurer SUNZ Buys Tennessee’s Brentwood National
Jan 15 2010 // SUNZ Insurance Co. of St. Petersburg, Fla. reported it has acquired Brentwood National Insurance Co. of Brentwood, Tenn., a workers’ compensation services and claims firm. SUNZ sells workers’ compensation...
Florida Citrus Growers Report More Damage From Another Freeze
Jan 13 2010 // Citrus growers in central Florida Tuesday reported more freeze damage to their oranges from another night of freezing temperatures and said they also feared leaf and twig damage could hurt the 2010/11 crop. Citrus growers...
Former State Rep. Ausley, Democrat, to Run for Florida CFO Post
Jan 13 2010 // Former state Rep. Loranne Ausley is running for chief financial officer. Ausley is the only major Democrat now seeking the seat Alex Sink is giving up to run for governor. Ausley, 46, of Tallahassee served in the House for...
Unusual Cold Spell Imperils Florida Crops, Homes
Jan 13 2010 // Here’s something you don’t often see in this town at the heart of the state’s $9 billion citrus industry: a sign at the public library that says, “ICE! On sidewalk. Be careful!” Growers were...
Florida Agents, Consumer Group Sound Alarm Over ‘Perilous’ Property Market
Jan 13 2010 // Insurance agents, a former insurance commissioner and a consumer advocate have sounded an alarm about the property insurance marketplace in Florida, a market that has seen four insurers get into financial trouble in the...
Business Moves
Jan 10 2010 // Aon Risk, Allied North America Aon Risk Services, the risk management and insurance brokerage business of Aon Corp., said it has agreed to acquire Allied North America, one of the largest independent surety and...
Florida Touts Competitive Workers’ Comp Market Helped by 2003 Tort Reforms
Jan 10 2010 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation says that the state’s workers’ compensation insurance market is competitive. In a new report based on data from 2008, the OIR found the Florida market features 251...
