Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
South Florida Corals Already Bleaching as Water Temps Hit Record Highs
Jul 26 2023 // Some Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal...
New Florida Workers’ Comp Rules in Effect for Employer Penalties, Exemptions
Jul 26 2023 // This month, a number of new workers’ compensation rules took effect in Florida, affecting penalties for employers who fail to obtain comp insurance and setting new requirements for exemptions for corporate...
Head Scratcher? Claims Litigation Not Named as Major Factor in Florida Insolvencies
Jul 26 2023 // Despite years of complaints from Florida property insurers and some lawmakers that out-of-control claims litigation was destroying the industry, recent regulators’ reports about the reasons for insolvencies make...
Farmers Forced to Rescind Thousands of Nonrenewal Notices in Georgia
Jul 24 2023 // About the same time that it announced a major pull-back from the Florida and California markets, Farmers Insurance also sent thousands of nonrenewal notices to Georgia homeowners. In Georgia, though, the carrier appears to...
Map Tool Gives Grim Look at Sea Level and Flood Impact on Coastal Areas
Jul 24 2023 // Many of the lowest-lying coastal areas of the Southeastern United States, including some heavily populated parts of Florida, will be subject to increased annual flooding in less than 30 years, according to scenarios mapped...
Florida Quelled Attorney Fees But WV Doctrine is Alive – With Limits
Jul 24 2023 // The Florida Legislature made national headlines late last year when it effectively curtailed one-way attorney fees and greatly limited plaintiffs’ fee multipliers in claims litigation. Property insurers celebrated...
LAAIA Names Diaz-Padron President, Elects Other Board Members
Jul 24 2023 // The Latin American Association of Insurance Agents has elected new a new board of directors for the term that lasts through 2025. At its 53rd annual convention this month in Hollywood, Florida, the association named Juan...
Florida Insurers Have Until Aug. 1 to Show They Have Proper Claims Manuals, OIR Says
Jul 21 2023 // Florida property insurers now have a week to attest that they have and use claims-handling manuals that reflect industry practices and standards, the state Office of Insurance Regulation said in a bulletin. By Aug. 1,...
Jury Awards Florida Girl Burned by McNugget $800,000 in Damages
Jul 21 2023 // A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald`s...
Coastal Construction, Rising Replacement Values Contribute to Costly Hurricane Claims
Jul 21 2023 // Insured losses from hurricanes have risen steadily over just the past 15 years, with nine of the 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history occurring since 2005, according to the Insurance Information Institute...
Miami-Dade Moves to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat. Will State Block Rule?
Jul 20 2023 // With record heat in Florida and the rest of the U.S., officials in Miami-Dade County are moving to protect about 80,000 outdoor workers in the construction and agriculture trades. The Miami-Dade County Commission gave...
Hurricanes Getting Costlier and Wetter, Triple I Report Finds
Jul 20 2023 // U.S. population growth in hurricane-prone states, coupled with the increasingly heavy rainfall which accompany these storms, has generated costlier insurance claim payouts for wind and flood-caused property damage,...
Hub Acquires Edbrooke/Stelcner Associates in Florida
Jul 18 2023 // Global insurance broker Hub International Limited announced that it has acquired the assets of Edbrooke/Stelcner and Associates, Inc. in Coral Gables, Florida. Edbrooke/Stelcner is an employee benefits brokerage and...
AAA Is Not Exiting Florida But Will Non-Renew ‘Small Percentage’ of Policies
Jul 17 2023 // The Auto Club Insurance Company (AAA) of Florida has announced that it will not renew a “very small percentage” of auto and home insurance package policies in Florida. But, the insurer stressed, it is not...
Disney Hopes to Toss Board’s Lawsuit Against It
Jul 17 2023 // Walt Disney Co asked a Florida judge on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit by a state oversight board as part of the entertainment giant’s effort to pursue its case against Governor Ron DeSantis, the latest development in a...
US Insurance Market Forecast to Withstand Losses From Large Hurricane This Year: Fitch Report
Jul 17 2023 // With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this...
Why the Investor-Driven Hard Reinsurance Market Will Persist
Jul 17 2023 // Reinsurers will continue to command adequate rates for property-catastrophe in 2024, even if the market comes through hurricane season unscathed, reinsurance company executives said. Kevin O’Donnell, president and...
Construction-Defect Subrogation on the Rise But it Just Became More Difficult in Florida
Jul 17 2023 // Florida lawmakers this year approved a law that could help reduce liability insurance premiums for home and condo builders – and limit exposure and litigation for liability insurers. But Senate Bill 360, which took...
Fire Kills Almost Every Animal at Florida Wildlife Center
Jul 14 2023 // An early morning fire on Thursday killed nearly all the animals at a wildlife center in Florida, officials said. News outlets reported the fire broke out around 3 a.m. Thursday at the Alligator and Wildlife Discovery...
Florida Sinkhole That Swallowed Sleeping Man Reopens, This Time Harmlessly
Jul 14 2023 // A Florida sinkhole that in 2013 fatally swallowed a man sleeping in his own house has reopened for a third time, only now it`s behind chain-link fencing and doing no harm to people or property. Hillsborough County...
