Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Crist, Davis Vow Different Approaches if Elected Fla. Governor
Oct 30 2006 // Charlie Crist and Jim Davis agree that three challenges facing Florida are skyrocketing homeowners insurance rates, rising property taxes and public schools that some rank among the nation’s worst. That’s where...
Democrats Closing Gaps, Florida CFO, AG Races Neck-and-Neck
Oct 25 2006 // Florida Republicans who last month held slight leads over Democratic challengers are now in close races for two open Cabinet seats, a new poll shows. In the attorney general race, Republican Bill McCollum was favored by 42...
Disaster Planners Focus Anew on Lake Okeechobee, Miami area
Oct 25 2006 // Disaster planners will use $4 million in federal money to map out preparations for two catastrophic Florida hurricane scenarios: the failure of the dike around Lake Okeechobee and the impact of a powerful Category 5 storm...
Declarations
Oct 23 2006 // Crisis in S.C. “The costs associated with the workers’ compensation system are increasing at a faster rate than in other states. That, coupled with the large assessment for the Second Injury Fund, creates an...
Figures
Oct 23 2006 // 18.4% The workers’ compensation loss costs increase approved for businesses in South Carolina effective Dec. 1, 2006. An administrative judge reduced the 33 percent increase recommended by the National Council on...
Oct 23 2006 // People The Main Street America Group has named Bonny Parker vice president for personal lines. She will be based at corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., and report to Bill Anderson, senior vice president,...
News Currents
Oct 23 2006 // Fla. gubernatorial candidates offer property insurance proposals If he is elected governor, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis says Florida homeowners would see lower property insurance rates as soon as next year...
Florida CFO candidates Lee and Sink spar at issues forum
Oct 23 2006 // Florida Republican chief financial officer candidate Tom Lee and Democratic candidate Alex Sink presented two divergent viewpoints of the state Cabinet job they are seeking and the experience needed to accomplish its...
HOSPITALITY RISKS
Oct 23 2006 // In Pennsylvania, a disabled customer complained of emotional distress when she dined at a restaurant that lacked adequate parking for her wheelchair van and where the restrooms were not fully wheelchair-accessible. The...
Fla. Honors Retiring Hurricane Forecaster Mayfield
Oct 20 2006 // Governor Jeb Bush and members of the Florida Cabinet passed a resolution this week honoring Max Mayfield’s career in public service. As director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)...
Fla. Nixes 71% Hike by Nationwide
Oct 19 2006 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has issued a notice of intent to deny a request by Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida to increase residential property insurance rates by a statewide average of 71.5...
Hurricane Center Identifies 10 Most Hurricane Vulnerable Areas
Oct 18 2006 // The entire East and Gulf Coasts are subject to hurricane impacts, but some areas are much more vulnerable than others. Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, director of the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida...
Fla. Orders 15.7% Workers’ Comp Cut
Oct 18 2006 // A significant drop in workers compensation claims frequency and a reduction in the cost of claims have triggered a larger-than-recommended decrease in rates, at the bidding of Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin...
Fla. Gubernatorial Candidates Offer Hurricane Fund Proposals
Oct 12 2006 // If he is elected governor, Florida homeowners would see lower property insurance rates as soon as next year and a guarantee of at least partial coverage by the state, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jim Davis said this...
Fla. Orders Citizens to Insure Residents Charged Unapproved Rates
Oct 12 2006 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty ordered Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to begin offering residential property insurance coverage to Floridians whose policies were taken out of Citizens by private insurers...
Fla. PIA Elects Fowinkle President
Oct 12 2006 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Florida announced new officers, whose positions became effective Oct. 1, 2006. This is the new lineup: Bob Fowinkle, president; Brian Samberg, vice president; Patricia...
Fla. Condo, Home Associations Press Politicians Over Insurance Crisis
Oct 11 2006 // As Floridians prepare to go to the polls in November, nine out of every ten of the state’s property owners living in condos, homeowner and other community associations say Florida’s elected officials are doing...
Fla. Jury Awards $217M to Misdiagnosed Stroke Patient
Oct 10 2006 // A Florida jury increased to nearly $217 million the damages awarded to a Tampa man who was left brain-damaged and disabled after hospital emergency room doctors misdiagnosed stroke symptoms. The Hillsborough County jury...
Fla. Mandates Boost in Insurance Discounts for Storm Mitigation
Oct 5 2006 // Many Florida homeowners will get larger property insurance discounts — about double what they now receive — for improvements aimed at avoiding hurricane damage under a rule approved this week by Gov. Jeb Bush and the...
Fla. High Court Allows Waiver of Minimum Malpractice Award
Oct 5 2006 // The back-and-forth battle between lawyers and doctors over medical malpractice escalated recently when the Florida Supreme Court approved a rule letting lawyers avoid limits on their fees. That led doctors to say they may...