Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
La. Contractor Finding Visit to Fla. Not so Great; Felony Charges Filed for Lack of Workers’ Comp
Apr 15 2005 // A Louisiana contractor is facing felony charges for reportedly failing to obtain workers’ compensation insurance for workers he brought into the state to rebuild hurricane-damaged roofs in Central Florida. Todd...
Fla. Businesses Warned Not to Fall for Fake Solicitation
Apr 13 2005 // Florida’s Attorney General Charlie Crist has warned businesses to be on the alert for a scam in which they receive a solicitation for funds, supposedly from the Florida Secretary of State’s office. The...
CHOICE Promotes Halvaei to Marketing Director; Makes Other Appointments
Apr 13 2005 // Yvonne Halvaei has been promoted to marketing director of CHOICE Medical Management Services LLC of Tampa, Fla. The company also announced Julie Fetherman and Michael A. Reali have been named account executives for Medical...
Former HHS Sec. Donna Shalala to Speak at CHOICE Awards; Event to Honor Outstanding Physicians
Apr 12 2005 // U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services former Secretary Donna E. Shalala will be the keynote speaker and recognize outstanding physicians who treat workers’ compensation patients during the Aug. 23, Third Annual...
Sunshine State Insurance Appoints Rogan, Ervin
Apr 12 2005 // John Rogan, a Florida insurance executive with senior management experience in the company and agency sides of the business, has been elected president and CEO of Sunshine State Insurance Company (SSIC), John Lombardo,...
FAIA Mourns Passing of Former Exec. V.P. Tom Johnson
Apr 11 2005 // Tom Johnson, the former executive vice president of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents from 1948 to 1986, passed away in his sleep at 7:05 p.m. April 8 with his family and a few close friends at his bedside....
Muniz Named DFS General Counsel
Apr 11 2005 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced that Carlos Muniz, former deputy general counsel to Governor Jeb Bush, has been tapped to serve as general counsel of the Department of Financial Services....
Florida’s CFO, Jupiter, Fla. Homeowners Discuss Unpaid Hurricane Claims; Final Meeting Slated April 9
Apr 8 2005 // Thursday night, six months after Hurricane Jeanne hit the east coast, Tom Gallagher, Florida’s CFO, met for the sixth in a series of seven town hall meetings to discuss unpaid claims with 250 homeowners in Jupiter,...
Fla. Legislation Would Require Insurance Companies to Disclose ‘Hurricane-Preparedness’ Discounts
Apr 8 2005 // Legislation now working its way through the Florida House and Senate would require insurance companies to disclose discounts they offer for policyholders who make their homes more resistant to hurricane winds. At present,...
Violent Weather Rips Through Northwest, West Florida
Apr 8 2005 // Roads and neighborhoods were flooded in northwest Florida near Pensacola as a violent storm crossed the north tier of the state continued down the Gulf coast north of Tampa. Starting early on Thursday morning and lasting...
Changes in SB 1488 Would Cap Citizens Rate Increases, ‘Standardize’ Territories
Apr 6 2005 // Florida’s Senate Banking and Insurance Committee has put finishing touches on Senate Bill 1488 that would bring numerous changes to the industry, including, a cap on any rate increase next year by Citizens Property...
ACE Expands Disaster Mortgage Distribution Channels Through General Agents
Apr 5 2005 // ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operations of the ACE Group of Companies, announced that it has expanded distribution of its ACE Disaster Mortgage Protection(SM) (DMP(SM)) product outside of its traditional mortgage service...
Modern Insurance E&O Program Targets Small to Medium-Sized Fla. Agencies
Apr 5 2005 // Miami-based Modern Insurance Consultants Inc. and Darwin Professional Underwriters Inc. have introduced an Insurance Agents Errors & Omissions program for small to mid-sized Florida property/casualty agencies. The...
Single Territory Map Plan Struck From Fla. House Bill, Remains in Senate Version
Apr 4 2005 // A proposal which would create a single Florida-wide territory map and eliminate individual rate territories based on predicted hurricane risks and expected loss models was removed from House hurricane legislation last...
Push Underway for Tough Fla. Insurance Fraud Laws
Apr 4 2005 // Tough legislation to increase fraud penalties in Florida for filing fraudulent auto crash reports that can be used to bilk insurance companies, to strengthen consumers’ rights to sue operators of unauthorized...
Hurricane Victims Need Help!
Apr 4 2005 // When I attended the Florida Department of Financial Services town hall meeting in Orlando I got a glimpse of what many insurance agents must have encountered after last year’s hurricanes–how the heck did you...
People & Places
Apr 4 2005 // Mike Hill Alabama State Representative Mike Hill, R-Shelby County, was honored by the Alabama Independent Insurance Agents as AIIA’s “Lawmaker of the Year” in an award presentation in Montgomery, Ala. Tim...
Pleas for Help Made at Orlando Town Hall Meetings; Gallagher to Suggest ‘Standard’ Policies
Apr 4 2005 // Tom Gallagher, Florida’s CEO and House Insurance Committee Chair Rep. Dennis A. Ross, R-Lakeland, listened intently to hurricane-related complaints–from families with nowhere to live, to homeowners with $500...
South Central Homeowners Market Update
Apr 4 2005 // Judging from the homeowners insurance rate changes reported by the Arkansas Insurance Department for 2004, the highest increases were effective before August. The largest hike, 28.3 percent, was filed by Federal Insurance...
Homeowners Want ‘Uncovered Perils’ Clarified; Fla. Legislators Won’t Budge
Apr 1 2005 // Homeowners with outstanding claims for hurricane damage and their attorneys, insurance company lobbyists and Florida’s House Insurance Committee members all disagree about if an insurance company is liable if a...
