Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
TD12 Predicted to Build Into Hurricane Katrina, Hit South Florida Thursday
Aug 24 2005 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami predicts Tropical Depression 12 will build to near hurricane strength before it hits the South Florida coast late Thursday as Hurricane Katrina. Forecasters say Hurricane Katrina...
FAIA to Study ‘Another Avenue’ to Cover Florida’s Windstorm Risk
Aug 24 2005 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents has announced it will study “another avenue” for covering hurricane wind damage in Florida and would like to establish its own “vehicle” to insure...
Fla. Task Force Begins Talks on How to Solve Hurricane Insurance Crisis
Aug 24 2005 // A 12-member Task Force on Long-Term Solutions for Florida’s Hurricane Insurance Market meets today in Tallahassee to discuss how to help Floridians obtain hurricane insurance, amid complaints that consumers...
Physicians Recognized for Treating Workers’ Compensation Patients
Aug 24 2005 // Five Florida physicians received the 2005 Florida CHOICE Awards for Workers’ Compensation, an honor granted to physicians who demonstrate excellence in treating injured employees. Former Secretary of Health and Human...
Fla. Attorney General Warns Against Unscrupulous Business Operators
Aug 24 2005 // Unscrupulous business operators have been warned by Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist to avoid taking advantage of residents and visitors as they cope with emergency conditions caused by heavy rains and severe...
Fla. Man Faked Cancer Fund Claims, Receives 6-Year Prison Sentence
Aug 23 2005 // Attorney General Charlie Crist has announced that a Lake Worth, Fla. man has been sentenced to prison for defrauding a nationwide settlement fund intended to help cancer patients who overpaid for the cancer-fighting drug...
UF Study Shows Homes Built After 2002 Stood Up Better to Hurricanes
Aug 22 2005 // Homes built under the Florida Building Code that became effective in 2002 sustained less damage on average than those built between 1994 and 2001 under the Standard Building Code, according to a University of Florida study...
Latin Agents Tackle Wind Damage Issues; Explain Confusing Condo Statutes
Aug 22 2005 // Like a hurricane rolling in from the Atlantic, a panel on hurricane insurance claims, moderated by Rudy Valdez-Diaz, a past-president of the Latin American Association of Insurance Agents, went into high-gear during the...
Florida CFO Gallagher’s Releases ‘Shock’ Miami Public Adjuster
Aug 22 2005 // Dear Mr. Gallagher, As a single mother and licensed public adjuster, I have been shocked by the apparent lack of clarity from your office. In a July 11, 2005 article in Insurance Journal Southeast entitled, “DFS...
News Briefs
Aug 22 2005 // ALABAMA Hurricane Sales Tax Measure Dies An effort was mounted during Alabama Legislature meetings to grant a sales tax break on necessary supplies to prepare for a hurricane but the measure did not pass. Its sponsor Rep....
S. Fla. Agent Arrested for Switching Policies, Defrauding Seniors
Aug 22 2005 // An insurance agent who targeted victims between the ages of 72 and 86 and fed on their fears about aging has been arrested for allegedly defrauding at least nine South Florida senior citizens by offering them a quote for...
Looyenga Outlines Major Hurricane Policy Changes
Aug 22 2005 // Open Market System Suggested: It’s essential to prepare now in case that one-in-10,000 major hurricane hits the Southern United States, Roger Looyenga, CEO of Auto-Owners Ins-urance said at the Florida Assoc-iation...
Gallagher Wants Independent Review of State Farm’s Rate Request
Aug 19 2005 // Citing concern that insurance companies are using the 2004 hurricanes to unfairly raise rates, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher has called for an independent review of a rate increase on homeowners...
Fla. Officials Park Auto Fraud Ring
Aug 18 2005 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher on Thursday announced the arrests of 10 people in a staged accident ring that involved 15 different medical clinics fraudulently billing auto insurers more than a...
Fla. 2004 Hurricane Recovery Passes $5.6 Billion Mark
Aug 18 2005 // One year after Hurricane Charley made landfall as the first of four major hurricanes to strike Florida, federal and state disaster assistance totals more than $5.6 billion, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s...
Nationwide of Florida to Drop 25,000 to 30,000 Homeowners Policies
Aug 16 2005 // Florida’s fourth-largest homeowners insurer, Nationwide Insurance of Florida, has announced that it will drop from 25,000 to 30,000 homeowners policies as part of a strategy to “reduce its overall...
Fla. Medical Examiners Justify 135 of 306 Funerals Paid for by FEMA
Aug 12 2005 // Florida Medical Examiners meeting in Key Biscayne, Fla. maintain their autopsies and investigations show that no more than 135 deaths in Florida were hurricane-related, while FEMA the Federal Emergency Management Agency...
Only One Policyholder Turned Out For Allstate Floridian Public Hearing
Aug 11 2005 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reserved a high school auditorium for five hours so that homeowners could voice their opinion on Allstate Floridian Insurance Company’s request to increase rates by 30...
CPCU September Meeting: Bob Ricker to Discuss Citizens Future
Aug 11 2005 // Bob Ricker, president of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will be the featured speakers during the Sept. 12 meeting of the Florida Suncoast Chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society. Carol Everhart,...
Gallagher, Crist Withdraw Proposed Rule to Give Insurance Companies Higher Profits
Aug 10 2005 // A proposed rule that would have explicitly given insurance companies the option to seek higher profits, scheduled to be approved Tuesday by the Florida Cabinet, was withdrawn on Tuesday by Tom Gallagher, Florida’s...
