Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Hurricane, Pension Funds Boosted By Financial Markets Upswing
Sep 3 2009 // Florida’s public employee pension and hurricane catastrophe funds are benefiting from an upswing in the financial markets, state investment managers said earlier this week. The State Board of Administration received...
Tampa Bay Doctor Wins $10 Million Libel Suit Against Florida Newspaper
Sep 3 2009 // A jury has sided with a Tampa Bay doctor in a libel suit against Times Publishing Co., the parent company of the St. Petersburg Times. The decision calls for Dr. Harold L. Kennedy, former chief of medicine at Bay Pines VA...
Ratings Recap: Western National, Westminster, Carolina Casualty, MedPro, Tower Hill
Sep 2 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings to “a” from “a-” of Western National Insurance...
Nebraska High Court: Judge Must Explain Countrywide Insurance Ruling
Sep 1 2009 // A judge must explain to the Nebraska Supreme Court why he ordered a new trial in a multimillion dollar insurance dispute involving Florida and Omaha-based Countrywide Insurance Agency. In June 2008, the Supreme Court threw...
Legal Challenges Could Turn Off Florida’s Red Light Cameras
Aug 31 2009 // Last year, Pembroke Pines turned on its first red-light camera. Across South Florida, other cities followed. But now critics — and lawsuits — are questioning whether the cameras pass legal muster. Several...
Florida’s Tower Hill Insurance Downgraded by A.M. Best; Tower Hill Responds
Aug 27 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength ratings (FSR) to D (Poor) from B (Fair) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “c” from “bb” of Tower Hill Preferred Insurance Co., Tower Hill Prime...
Florida, Georgia Insurer First Commercial to Be Liquidated
Aug 26 2009 // Miami-based First Commercial Insurance Co. and its subsidiary have been declared insolvent and ordered liquidated about six weeks after being placed under state control. All policies written by FCIC and its subsidiary,...
Florida’s Suncoast Insurance Joins ISU Network
Aug 25 2009 // Suncoast Insurance Associates of Tampa, Florida, recently joined the ISU Insurance Services network, according to Daniel Titus, Suncoast president. ISU Suncoast Insurance Associates specializes in architects and engineers...
15 Years Later, Tobacco Lawsuits Still Winding Through Florida Courts
Aug 21 2009 // Fifteen years after a Miami Beach pediatrician suffering lung disease took on the tobacco giants, thousands of smokers’ lawsuits are working their way through Florida courts and early results encourage both...
Florida Workers’ Compensation Insurers Propose 6.8% Rate Cut
Aug 21 2009 // Florida workers’ compensation insurers are recommending an overall average rate decrease of 6.8 percent statewide, which state officials said would save employers more than $166 million. Florida Insurance...
Florida Hearing on Citizens Insurance Rates for 2010 Postponed
Aug 20 2009 // A Florida hearing into rate changes for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. for next year that had been scheduled for Aug. 25 has been postponed due to a glitch in the electronic transfer of data accompanying the rate...
Florida Population Drops for First Time Since 1946
Aug 19 2009 // Florida’s population has declined for the first time in 63 years, state researchers said as they blamed the recession for plunging tax revenues and a steep drop in new residents. The decline — 58,000 people...
Wholesale Broker Gresham Promotes Curington, Thomas in Florida
Aug 17 2009 // Stockbridge, Georgia-based wholesale insurance broker, Gresham & Associates, has promoted Marianne Curington and Kittie Thomas to be associate brokers. Curington and Thomas have served 11 and 7 years respectively in...
Tropical Storm Claudette Hits Florida, Seen Fading
Aug 17 2009 // Tropical Storm Claudette, the third of the Atlantic hurricane season, moved ashore along the U.S. Gulf coast early Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Claudette formed early Sunday morning. The storm hit the...
Hurricane Bill Heads for Bermuda
Aug 17 2009 // Hurricane Bill, the first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic season, gained strength quickly as it churned across open ocean Monday in the direction of Bermuda, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Two other tropical...
Florida Activates Claims Hotline for Tropical Storm Claudette Victims
Aug 17 2009 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today announced that the state storm line has been activated to assist Floridians whose homes, businesses or vehicles were damaged by Tropical Storm Claudette as it passed through...
Florida CFO Miffed at Insurance Commissioner Over Insurer Report
Aug 13 2009 // Florida’s chief financial officer had some harsh words for the state’s top insurance regulator. CFO Alex Sink told Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty that she was insulted that a report in response to a...
Florida Insurance Agents Say State’s Home Mitigation Effort Is Failing
Aug 13 2009 // Florida’s efforts to encourage homeowners to harden their homes to better withstand big storms by giving them insurance premium discounts is not getting the job done, according to a report from insurance agents in...
M&A Activity Continues at a Snail’s Pace Compared to 2008
Aug 13 2009 // Insurance brokerage mergers and acquisitions in the second quarter of 2009 was nearly half of what is was during the second quarter of 2008. Just 39 transactions were announced from April through June compared to last year...
The Hartford to Return $48 Million in Florida Workers’ Comp Profits
Aug 12 2009 // Florida officials said that Hartford Financial Services Group will issue refunds or credits totaling $48.2 million to Florida businesses for excess profits the insurer earned on policies written from 2004 through 2006. The...
