Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Privacy Lawsuits Against Maine Grocer Consolidated by Federal Court
Jun 11 2008 // More than 20 lawsuits stemming from a massive security breach of Hannaford Bros. Co.’s computer system have been consolidated and assigned to a federal court in Maine. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge D....
Florida Extends 1% Hurricane Surcharge Until 2014
Jun 11 2008 // The Florida Cabinet voted to extend a 1 percent insurance policy surcharge to cover hurricane claims that began in 2007 for two additional years through 2014. The assessment covers outstanding claims that originated during...
Possible Tornado Damages Dozens of Mobile Homes in Florida
Jun 10 2008 // Florida officials said a possible tornado that moved through northern Lee County damaged about 50 mobiles homes, but no one was seriously injured. North Fort Myers Fire Chief Terry Pye said at least eight homes were...
Nebraska High Court Rules Against Florida in 10 Year Old Case
Jun 9 2008 // A multimillion-dollar insurance dispute that’s a decade old received new life on its third trip to the Nebraska Supreme Court because the court ordered a new trial on June 6. Consequently, the state of Florida...
Feds Say Several Problems Caused Florida Parking Garage Collapse
Jun 5 2008 // A federal safety official says a combination of construction and design problems triggered the collapse of a Jacksonville, Fla. parking garage last December that killed one worker. The federal Occupational Safety and...
Florida Court Decides Asbestos Act Can’t Be Retroactively Applied
Jun 4 2008 // When Florida lawmakers passed asbestos legislation in 2005, they muddied the waters for plaintiffs afflicted with asbestosis who were in the throes of litigation. The state’s Fourth District Court of Appeal has now...
3 Homes, 800 Acres Burned in Southwest Florida Fire
Jun 2 2008 // A fire that officials say is “highly suspicious” has burned three homes in southwest Florida. The blaze consumed more than 800 acres in Golden Gate Estates near Naples, which is on Florida’s southwest...
Florida Regulator Issues Final Order in Hartford Rate Challenge
Jun 2 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty affirmed the ruling of an administrative law judge regarding the rate filing challenge between the Office of Insurance Regulation and The Hartford Companies. McCarty’s...
More Catastrophe Fund Surcharges Likely for Florida Policyholders
Jun 2 2008 // Florida residents could soon be faced with increased surcharges on their home, auto and other insurance policies because the state’s catastrophe fund needs more money to pay claims from past hurricanes. The Florida...
Florida Lifts Allstate Suspension
Jun 2 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has lifted the suspension of the Allstate Companies’ licenses to sell new business in the state. McCarty said the decision came after Allstate submitted an affidavit...
Business Moves
Jun 2 2008 // Main Street America, Great Lakes Casualty The Main Street America Group, a regional property/casualty insurer based in Jacksonville, Fla. that writes business up and down the East Coast, is expanding to the Midwest. The...
It Figures
Jun 2 2008 // 88 The number of fires that collectively burned across Florida on more than one day in May, according to the Florida Division of Forestry. As of May 19, fires burned nearly 44,000 acres. Authorities issued a dense smoke...
Credit Woes May Cause Turbulence in Catastrophe Markets
Jun 2 2008 // Florida, Louisiana and Texas may be most at risk The credit crunch in the U.S. financial markets that boiled over due to the subprime mortgage meltdown may affect the ability of insurers and reinsurers that cover coastal...
FEMA Emergency Housing Options Include Pre-Fabricated Cottages
May 30 2008 // Disaster victims might one day watch their homes and communities be rebuilt from the cool comfort of a front porch. The porches are a feature of prefabricated cottages designed for Hurricane Katrina’s victims as an...
Good Time to Lock in Property Insurance Pricing, Advise Brokers
May 30 2008 // Science and technology are converging with risk management to help insurers negotiate the current hurricane season such that it’s now possible to use short-term hurricane forecasts — as few as 10 days out...
Fla. Gov. Signs Law Extending Citizens Rate Freeze; Nixes Private Incentive
May 29 2008 // Gov. Charlie Crist has signed homeowners insurance legislation in Florida that extends for another year a rate freeze for the 1.2 million customers of state-backed Citizens Insurance whose premiums in some cases are...
Sheriff: Nude Maid Strips Florida Home of $40K in Jewelry
May 29 2008 // A nude maid really cleaned up at a Florida man’s home. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says the maid stole more than $40,000 from a Cheval home despite not wearing any clothes. The 50-year-old man...
State Regulators Call for More Study of Credit Scoring Use in Insurance
May 28 2008 // State regulators recently told Congress that more study of the use of credit scoring by insurance companies is needed to determine if the practice is unfairly discriminatory. “As state regulators, it is our sincere...
Florida Reaches $4 Million Insurance Settlement with Aon
May 23 2008 // Florida reached a settlement with Aon Corp., after the insurance broker received undisclosed compensation in connection with the placement of insurance coverage on behalf of Florida policyholders, state officials...
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Motorcycle Theft Ring
May 22 2008 // A Lee County, Florida man pleaded guilty for his involvement in a string of motorcycle thefts, according to state Attorney General Bill McCollum. Christian Torres Lopez, 28, will be sentenced for his participation in the...
