Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
BB&T to Acquire Florida’s J. Rolfe Davis Insurance
Dec 19 2008 // BB&T Insurance Services, the nation’s sixth largest insurance broker, reports it plans to acquire J. Rolfe Davis Insurance of Maitland, Fla. Founded in 1942 by former Orlando mayor J. Rolfe Davis, the...
A.M. Best Restores Ratings of Insurers Tied to Florida Hurricane Fund
Dec 19 2008 // Following the completion of the 2008 hurricane season, A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review and affirmed several insurers’ ratings it had issued in October when there was concern over the insurers’...
Florida High Court Nixes Business Liability Waivers Affecting Children
Dec 18 2008 // The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that a parent can’t execute an injury liability waiver for a minor child when the liability release involves participation in a commercial, as opposed to community or nonprofit,...
Florida Hears 18.6% Workers Comp Rate Hike Bid Today
Dec 16 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has scheduled a hearing today to consider a proposed 18.6 percent workers compensation rate increase. The proposal made by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) on...
SEC Investigating Florida’s Citizens Over Bid Placements
Dec 15 2008 // The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. on bid placements earlier this year on auction rate securities. The SEC issued a subpoena June 24 seeking documents...
Florida Supreme Court Won’t Review ‘Inherently Dangerous’ Product Case
Dec 15 2008 // The Florida Supreme Court has let stand a Broward County smoker’s $545,000 award in a tobacco case that also may affect liability claims for a broad range of other “inherently dangerous” products. Those...
State Farm Loses Second Bid for 47% Rate Hike in Florida
Dec 15 2008 // An administrative law judge in Florida on Friday rejected a 47.1 percent average rate increase sought by State Farm Florida, the state’s largest privately owned property insurer. The Florida-only affiliate of...
As Domestic Insurers Multiply, Industry Applauds Florida’s Licensing
Dec 11 2008 // Florida’s domestic insurers continue to take on a larger and larger role in the state’s property insurance market. The latest data from Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation show the domestic market...
Insurers Seek Cut in Florida Hurricane Fund Charges to Reflect Reality
Dec 10 2008 // Property/casualty insurers in Florida believe they are being overcharged for coverage from the state’s hurricane fund and some of them are looking for a refund. Insurers contend that the state fund is only...
Florida Insurance Office Earns Accreditation Renewal
Dec 9 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has been recognized at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Winter National Meeting for renewal of its Financial Regulation Standards accreditation. The...
Florida Commissioner McCarty Elected Officer by Fellow Regulators
Dec 8 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has been elected secretary-treasurer for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Since his appointment as Florida’s insurance commissioner in 2003,...
Florida Renters Without Insurance Struggle to Recover from Fires
Dec 8 2008 // Months after wildfires destroyed dozens of homes in Palm Bay, Florida, frustrated renters in the area say they’re having trouble getting back on their feet. Homeowners can receive help from Palm Bay through a $1...
Florida Municipal Trust Adds 20 Members
Dec 5 2008 // The Florida Municipal Insurance Trust (FMIT) says it has added 20 new cities to its roster of clients and experienced a 96 percent renewal rate among existing customers. The nonprofit organization provides workers’...
Florida Woman’s Lawsuit Against Tobacco Company Goes to Trial
Dec 4 2008 // Opening statements are scheduled to begin this week in a trial against a tobacco company by the wife of a Florida smoker who died of lung cancer. It’s the first trial since the state Supreme Court threw out a $145...
Business Moves
Nov 30 2008 // Arthur J. Gallagher The HR Group International insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. reported it has acquired The HR Group, LLC of Brentwood, Tennessee. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The HR Group...
Wanted: Agencies Focusing on Hispanic Market
Nov 30 2008 // The brains behind the insurance agency consolidation firm Confie Seguros say they are well-positioned to meet their goal of a $300 million revenue company focused on the Hispanic insurance market within a few years,...
It Figures
Nov 30 2008 // 10 The jail sentence in years given a West Virginia woman found guilty of submitting false insurance claims for jewelry. According to state officials, Sherry Kay Peyton, of Williamstown, submitted two separate claims for...
People
Nov 30 2008 // The Insurance Marketing and Communications Association (IMCA) named Richard Look as president. He is a marketing communications veteran with both agency and insurance company experience, and currently serves as vice...
Florida Cigarette Case Could Affect Other Products, Warn Business Groups
Nov 30 2008 // A tobacco lawyer has asked the Florida Supreme Court to reverse a $545,000 product liability verdict because the smoker who won wasn’t required to prove the company could have made a safer cigarette. The case could...
Florida Workers’ Compensation Insurers Seek 8.9% Rate Hike Due to Court Ruling
Nov 30 2008 // A Florida Supreme Court ruling has resulted in a request to raise workers compensation rates by 8.9 percent. The National Council on Compensation Insurance filed the request, citing last month’s ruling in which...
