Latest Florida Headlines

Central Florida Clean Up Continues in Wake of Deadly, Costly Tornados

Feb 5 2007 // Officials in central Florida resumed search and rescue operations amid more thunderstorms Saturday, a day after powerful tornados killed at least 20 people and left a swath of central Florida in shambles. Violent...

La. Gov. Wraps up Calif. Trip with Plea to Insurance Executives

Feb 2 2007 // Insurance executives are growing more interested in doing business in Louisiana because of recent moves by the Florida Legislature that the industry considers government meddling, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said recently. Blanco...

Severe Weather Brings State of Emergency in 4 Florida Counties

Feb 2 2007 // Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency in four Florida counties in response to overnight tornadoes and severe weather in Central Florida. Sumter, Lake, Volusia and Seminole Counties re under the governor’s...

Fla.’s Citizens Insurance Board Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

Feb 1 2007 // The Citizens Property Insurance Corporation board of governors voted unanimously to name Sharon Binnun senior vice president of finance and accounting and chief financial officer. Binnun was deputy commissioner with the...

Fla. Gov. Crist Persuades Cabinet to Block Insurers’ Exit

Feb 1 2007 // In a forceful rebuke to insurance companies, Gov. Charlie Crist cajoled fellow Cabinet members into approving a rule Tuesday that will prevent property insurers from canceling Florida policies for much of the rest of this...

La.’s Blanco and Donelon Travel to Calif. for Outreach to Insurers

Jan 30 2007 // Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco kicked off a three-day insurance outreach mission Jan. 29 in San Francisco, part of her continuing efforts to bring affordable insurance home to Louisiana, the governor’s...

There’s a lot insurers do not like in Florida’s property insurance fix

Jan 29 2007 // Legislators rolled up their sleeves, ripped off their ties and unbuttoned their collars as a special legislative session on property insurance came to a head in Florida. After six days of conferring, negotiating and...

People and Places

Jan 29 2007 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s board of governors voted unanimously to recommend interim President Scott Wallace be appointed to the post permanently. Wallace was selected from more than 70 candidates by a...

Snowbirds flee Florida’s hot insurance rates

Jan 29 2007 // Florida’s mild climate and world-class beaches continue to draw Northern retirees seeking temporary refuge from harsh winter weather, but tourism experts say many of these snowbirds are shortening their stays. Rental...

Fla. Pols Ready to Lead Lobbying Effort for National Catastrophe Fund

Jan 29 2007 // Now that the Florida Legislature has passed a bill that lawmakers say will address the state’s insurance problems, Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders said Thursday their attention will be on pushing for a...

Snowbirds flee Florida’s hot insurance rates

Jan 28 2007 // Florida’s mild climate and world-class beaches continue to draw Northern retirees seeking temporary refuge from harsh winter weather, but tourism experts say many of these snowbirds are shortening their stays. Rental...

Jan 28 2007 // People Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s board of governors voted unanimously to recommend interim President Scott Wallace be appointed to the post permanently. Wallace was selected from more than 70 candidates by...

There’s lot insurers do not like in Florida’s property insurance fix

Jan 28 2007 // Legislators rolled up their sleeves, ripped off their ties and unbuttoned their collars as a special legislative session on property insurance came to a head in Florida. After six days of conferring, negotiating and...

Florida Insurance Vote Reflects Political Shift Against Insurers’ Wishes

Jan 25 2007 // The difference in how the state Legislature approached Florida’s insurance problems this year compared to last year are like the differences between night and day, hot and cold, black and white, and Jeb Bush and...

Fla. Gov. Crist Signs Property Insurance Bill

Jan 25 2007 // Three days after a Florida special legislative session on insurance rates for homeowners, Gov. Charlie Crist signed legislation that promises to provide insurance reform, including rate reductions and an expansion of...

Fla. Insurance Bill On Gov. Crist’s Desk Comes with Risks

Jan 24 2007 // The Florida Legislature on Monday overwhelmingly passed a bill members hope will lower Floridians’ skyrocketing property insurance rates and sent the measure to Gov. Charlie Crist, who has demanded meaningful relief...

Fla. Lawmakers Agree on Insurance Relief Plan; Bill Sent to Gov. Crist

Jan 23 2007 // Florida homeowners could see property insurance rates cut by as much as 40 percent under a plan finalized by lawmakers hoping to reverse hurricane-fueled increases many residents say have threatened to price them out of...

Florida Lawmakers Near Agreement; Vote Expected Today on Insurance Plan

Jan 22 2007 // Florida lawmakers tentatively agreed Saturday on a comprehensive proposal aimed at lowering Floridians’ skyrocketing property insurance rates, saying they’d finalize the plan with a vote on the package on...

Fla. Mortgage Lenders Unlikely to Back Homes Without Wind Coverage

Jan 22 2007 // Florida homeowners might want to go without wind coverage, and may decide on a higher deductible in return for lower rates, but mortgage companies could keep these options from producing what the Florida Legislature wants:...

Fla. House and Senate Expected to Meet Through Weekend to Merge Bills

Jan 19 2007 // Laboring to comply with Gov. Charlie Crist’s call for lowering Florida insurance costs by at least 25 percent during a quick, seven-day special session, both the House and Senate have passed bills promising to do...