Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
NHC Director: Homes Meeting New Building Codes Fared Better in Hurricanes
May 12 2005 // Upgrading older homes to meet new building standards, which require new homes to withstand hurricane-force winds, is a key to surviving hurricanes, Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami,...
Matrix II Database Would Tap Into Fla. Insurance Records
May 12 2005 // Florida insurance companies could be required to provide customer information if Florida law officials decide to implement a comprehensive Multi-state Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange, or Matrix database, now being...
USAA Asks for 10.3 Percent Increase; Other Fla. Requests Expected
May 10 2005 // Florida’s fifth-largest insurer USAA, has filed a request to raise premiums by a statewide average of 10.3 percent, and David Foy, chief of staff for the Office of Insurance Regulation said he expects more companies...
Fla. Water Management Officials Prepare for Hurricane Season
May 9 2005 // Florida water management officials have begun their annual drawdown of 17 lakes in the Kissimmee Basin, near Orlando, in anticipation of the upcoming hurricane season and are starting to put lessons into effect they...
‘Mixed Feelings’ Result as Fla. Legislature Passes SB 1486; Carriers’ Burdens Could Increase Overall Costs
May 9 2005 // The Florida Legislature debated SB 1486, an 83-page insurance bill, until the early morning hours on Saturday and approved a document that makes major changes in how claims will be handled, starting with the next storm....
Regulators Hit PCI Csiszar’s Pitches Out of the Park
May 9 2005 // State insurance department representatives responded to fast balls, curves and sliders thrown at them by Ernie Csiszar, president and chief executive officer of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, during...
A Final Tribute to Tom Johnson
May 9 2005 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents announced Tom Johnson, its executive vice president from 1948 to 1986 died on April 8. Johnson passed away in his sleep with his family and a few close friends at his...
Purmort Insurance Agency’s Family Tree’s Roots Go Back to 1876
May 9 2005 // When I stepped from the hot sunshine and left the traffic speeding along Sarasota, Fla.’s busy Bee Ridge Road into Al Purmort Insurance Agency Inc.’s cool air-conditioned lobby, it was like taking a step back...
Florida CFO Lauds Passage of Homeowners Insurance Protections for Residents
May 9 2005 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher on Monday said that the homeowners insurance legislation that passed late Friday contains numerous provisions that will benefit Florida’s...
Fla. Bill Would Provide Consumers With a Policy Checklist
May 6 2005 // A bill that provides consumers with a checklist so they know what’s covered in their insurance policies, and changes state law on what insurers have to pay out if a home is destroyed has received preliminary approval...
AIA Applauds Fla. Asbestos Reform Legislation’s Passage
May 5 2005 // The American Insurance Association has applauded the Florida Legislature’s passage of landmark legislation to help truly sick victims of asbestos exposure receive compensation quickly and fairly. The bill now will go...
Fla. Legislators Fail to Include Citizens Deficit in Budget
May 4 2005 // The Florida House of Representatives and Senate has distributed budget proposals without any provisions to pay Citizen’s Property Insurance Co.’s $516 million deficit. Unless legislators make unforeseen last...
PIA of Florida Summarizes Tallahassee Legislation; One Week Until Finale
May 3 2005 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Florida reports from Tallahassee that with the end of the Florida Legislature’s spring sessions only a week away, legislators are beginning to realize that time is of the essence...
Fla. Cabinet Told: 186 Insurers Still Have 57,830 Claims Open from Storms
May 3 2005 // Kevin McCarty, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Commissioner reported Tuesday morning to the Florida Cabinet that 186 insurers have reported they still have 57,830 claims open. “Last month, we were still facing...
PCI Ad Campaign: Alerts Lawmakers About Negative Effects of ‘Pro-Consumer’ Proposals
May 2 2005 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America launched an advertising campaign today in Florida warning lawmakers about misguided hurricane insurance bills that will raise rates, make insurance harder to find and...
AAMGA Ethics Workshop Topic: Insurance Industry Pressures
May 2 2005 // “Ethics in the Wholesale Insurance Marketplace” workshops concluded on Saturday afternoon with a round-table discussion, led by Ernest Csiszar, president of the Property and Casualty Insurance Association of...
FEMA Director Defends Agency; Critics Claim Payments Slow, Exaggerated Death Benefits
Apr 29 2005 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency is being criticized in Florida for being too slow to pay counties for hurricane claims and too aggressive in paying benefits for people who died during last year’s hurricanes;...
Key Issues Remain Unsolved As Fla. Passes HB 1937
Apr 29 2005 // House Bill 1937 passed with a vote of 96-20 on Thursday, despite opposition about exemptions on paying policy limits. One of the key issues still under consideration is a legislative remedy for a 2004 Florida court...
Fla. DOI Sets June 1 Hearing for Sirius Intl. Case
Apr 29 2005 // A June 1 hearing date has been set for a reinsurance unit of Bermuda-based White Mountains to meet with Florida regulators following allegations the unit was selling insurance in the state without a license. According to...
S. Fla. Forecaster Suggests Link Between Hurricane Behavior, May Rainfall
Apr 28 2005 // A link between the behavior of hurricanes and the amount of rain that falls in South Florida in May has been suggested by Jim Lushine, a meteorologist and weather forecaster at the National Weather Service in...
