Latest Florida Headlines

All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Demotech Gives Nationwide of Florida an ‘A’ Rating

Nov 29 2005 // Demotech Inc. has confirmed that a Financial Stability Rating (FSR) of A, Exceptional, remains in place for Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida. The confirmation comes after NICOF received a capital infusion from...

Experts Predict More Advances Soon in Ability to Predict Hurricanes

Nov 28 2005 // Hurricane Wilma was briefly the most intense Atlantic storm on record as it moved through the Caribbean toward the Gulf Coast. That was the last thing Gulf residents wanted to hear. Two months earlier, Hurricane Katrina...

Busiest Hurricane Season on Record Ends Nov. 30

Nov 28 2005 // Hurricane Season 2005 officially comes to a close Wednesday Nov. 30 and according to Tom Gallagher, Florida’s CFO, people will be dealing with the aftermath for years to come. Nationwide, this season was the busiest...

Jacksonville Planners Preparing for 2006 Hurricane Season

Nov 25 2005 // Jacksonville, Fla. residents should begin to prepare now for the 2006 hurricane season according to Chip Patterson, chief of the city’s Emergency Preparedness Division. Patterson recently told the Chamber of...

Florida’s CFO Gallagher Backs National Catastrophe Fund

Nov 25 2005 // A National Catastrophe Fund that would provide assistance for insurance claims in Florida has been endorsed by Tom Gallagher, Florida’s CFO. The CFO’s recommendations came after officials, including Florida...

Best Removes FSR of Nationwide of Florida from Under Review

Nov 22 2005 // A.M. Best Co. has removed the financial strength rating of B (Fair) of Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida (NICOF) from under review. The rating outlook is negative. Removal of the under review status follows the...

Fla. CFO Gallagher Voices Support for Tax-Deferred CAT Fund Reserves

Nov 21 2005 // The serious challenge to Florida’s economy, the rising cost of property insurance and five solutions to hurricane issues were discussed on Nov. 7 in Tallahassee by Florida’s CFO Tom Gallagher at a briefing...

People & Places

Nov 21 2005 // David Stevoff Michael A. Moran has joined Insurance & Benefits Consultants of Sarasota, Fla., as president. Angela Peterson Moran’s new responsibilities were announced after Florida Preferred Administrators Inc....

USDA TO ASSESS WILMA’S CITRUS DAMAGE

Nov 21 2005 // In the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, which struck Florida Oct. 24, the Florida Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced plans to conduct a special citrus survey to assess current crop...

FAIA WEB SITE UPGRADED

Nov 21 2005 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents in Tallahassee recently unveiled a new and improved version of its Web site at www.faia.com. Jennifer Pitts, FAIA webmaster said anyone using the site for research should be...

Contractors Backlogged With Work Orders, Predict a Long Wait for Repairs

Nov 20 2005 // South Florida roofing contractors, who were already overloaded and backlogged with work orders from previous hurricanes, say they are having difficulties facing nearly impossible demands in Dade and Bro-ward counties after...

FLORIDA

Nov 20 2005 // Brian, Brad and Dean Shecht-man, cousins who allegedly swindled more than 1,200 elderly victims out of millions of dollars in a bait-and-switch insurance scheme are in the limelight again as details surface about a...

Barbecues, Mobile Centers Encourage Auto Owners to Turn in Wilma Claims

Nov 20 2005 // South Florida insurance agents encouraged the thousands of automobile owners who had vehicle damage during Hurricane Wilma to report them as soon as possible so they could be repaired, some agencies even held weekend...

Fla. CFO Gallagher Voices Support for Tax-Deferred CAT Fund Reserves

Nov 20 2005 // The serious challenge to Florida’s economy, the rising cost of property insurance and five solutions to hurricane issues were discussed on Nov. 7 in Tallahassee by Florida’s CFO Tom Gallagher at a briefing...

Carriers Flooded With Auto Damage Claims

Nov 20 2005 // Plantation, Fla., ‘Insurance Village’ The “Insurance Village” established by Florida’s Depart-ment of Financial Services in Plantation, Fla. west of Fort Lauderdale, had a lot of damaged...

News Briefs

Nov 20 2005 // FloridaFAIA Likes Due-Diligence Decision The Florida Association of Insu-rance Agents has filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief with the First District Court of Appeals in a case involving an insurance agent who...

People

Nov 20 2005 // Michael A. Moran has joined Insurance & Benefits Consultants of Sarasota, Fla., as president. Moran’s new responsibilities were announced after Florida Preferred Administrators Inc. entered into a purchase...

Florida CFO Announces Support for Catastrophic Fund

Nov 18 2005 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher has advocated several federal and state solutions for avoiding an insurance market meltdown, including the creation of a National Catastrophe Fund. Today, Florida...

Insurance Commissioners Announce Framework for National Cat Program

Nov 17 2005 // Concluding the two-day National Catastrophe Insurance Summit held in Burlingame, Calif., insurance commissioners from California, Florida, Illinois and New York on Wednesday agreed that they had a basic framework for a...

Commissioner Wooley Supports Uniform Building Codes in La.

Nov 16 2005 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance released the following statement by Commissioner of Insurance Robert Wooley to the Louisiana Legislature expressing his support for the establishment of statewide uniform building code...