Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Court Denies Allstate Rehearing; Business Ban in Force
May 14 2008 // Florida’s First District Court of Appeals fired the latest volley in an ongoing saga between Allstate Insurance and the Office of Insurance Regulation, re-suspending the insurer from writing new business in...
Central Florida Wildfires Prompt Evacuations, Road Closures
May 13 2008 // Brush fires shut down roads in central Florida on May 11 and forced evacuations, authorities said. A portion of Interstate 95 in Brevard County was shut down because of heavy smoke from a blaze near Malabar, the Orlando...
Report: Florida Workers’ Comp Reforms of 2003 Impacted Costs Per Claim
May 12 2008 // Workers’ compensation costs per claim in Florida appear to have decreased in 2004 in the wake of reforms enacted in 2003, but the decrease did not continue in 2005, according to a new study by the Workers...
Florida Authorities Work to Contain Wildfire at Lake Okeechobee
May 7 2008 // Florida officials are working to contain a wildfire at Lake Okeechobee. The state Division of Forestry says about 4,000 acres of muck and grass are burning on the dry lake bed near Moore Haven, about 80 miles west of West...
Insurers not Impressed with Florida’s Revamped Insurance Package
May 5 2008 // While many Florida lawmakers claim to be opposed to gambling, they don’t mind taking a chance on Mother Nature. They rolled the dice again on May 1, signing off on a new insurance bill that does little to alleviate...
Update: Central Florida Commuter Rail Stopped Dead in its Tracks
May 5 2008 // A deal to bring commuter rail to central Florida failed to win approval from the Legislature on May 2 and isn’t expected to move ahead any time soon with federal dollars for the project likely to dry up. Under the...
Revamped Insurance Package Passed by Florida House
May 2 2008 // Private property insurers will soon be more tightly regulated under a voluminous measure passed in the Florida House. The measure passed shortly before midnight on April 30. The 120-page bill provides incentives to attract...
Class-action Suit Filed in Florida against Insurance Deadline
May 2 2008 // Property owners in Florida who had policies with the now-bankrupt Poe Financial Group did not receive sufficient notice of a June deadline to dispute claims in court, lawyers argued April 30 after filing a class-action...
State Officials Praise Florida Public Adjuster Legislation
May 2 2008 // The Florida Senate passed a public adjuster reforms bill that will limit the contingency fees charged by adjusters and prohibit intrusive solicitation practices. Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and interim...
Excessive Speed, Stunts, Could Mean Prison Time for Florida Motorcyclists
May 1 2008 // Florida motorcycle riders would face increased fines and could end up in prison for excessive speeding and stunt riding under a bill that will now head to the governor’s desk. The purpose of the bill is to stop the...
Florida Fire Prompted Partial Jail Evacuation
Apr 30 2008 // Evacuation of a jail in Florida’s northwest Miami-Dade County was halted late Monday after fire rescue workers gained the upper hand on a nearby brush fire. “It’s in check right now,” said Lt. Elkin...
Insurance- ‘Green’ Coalition Opposes Expanding Government Catastrophe Bailouts
Apr 30 2008 // An unusual alliance of insurance and environmental groups is urging lawmakers to focus on policies that encourage property mitigation and environmental protection in catastrophe-prone areas, rather than expanding the...
Florida-based Old Dominion Insurance Earns Top Spot in Agent Survey
Apr 29 2008 // In a Florida Association of Insurance Agents commissioned survey, independent insurance agents ranked Old Dominion Insurance Co. as the top property-casualty carrier in the state. Jacksonville-based Old Dominion scored...
Florida Regulator Holds Public Hearing on New Reinsurance Rules
Apr 29 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation held a public hearing to ask for input on a draft rule that would implement 2007 legislation giving the insurance commissioner discretion to allow unaccredited reinsurance...
Florida CFO to Politicians: Look at State’s Liability in Commuter Rail Deal
Apr 28 2008 // Florida taxpayers would be on the hook for losses due to train accidents in a proposed deal the state transportation department negotiated with CSX Railroad, according to the state’s chief financial officer. CFO Alex...
Building Explodes in Florida, Impacts Nearby Businesses, Damages Home
Apr 28 2008 // Authorities say one person died in an explosion that destroyed an auto repair shop near Florida’s Tampa Bay area. By the time deputies and firefighters arrived, the engine repair shop had been nearly leveled by an...
Court Upholds Florida Lobby Law
Apr 25 2008 // A Florida law that bans lobbyist gifts to state legislators and requires that lobbyists disclose who pays them and how much, is not unconstitutionally vague or overbroad, a federal appeals court said. A three-judge panel...
Update: Florida Court Says Allstate Ruling was Premature
Apr 24 2008 // A Florida court said Tuesday it rescinded a decision in the state’s case against Allstate Floridian Insurance Company because the order was released prematurely in violation of its own operating procedures. The order...
Court Mistake Keeps Allstate in Business in Florida
Apr 23 2008 // Allstate’s 1,100 insurance agents in Florida are still in business, thanks to a mistake Monday by a Florida appeals court. Less than an hour after issuing an order denying Allstate’s appeal of a state-ordered...
Thousands of Florida Smokers to Split $600 Million Tobacco Fund
Apr 23 2008 // Tens of thousands of ill Florida smokers and families of those who died are lining up for a share of a $600 million fund created by major tobacco companies as part of a 14-year-old lawsuit against cigarette...
