Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
HBA Insurance Group Forms Trucking Industry Insurer
Feb 9 2004 // Florida-based HBA Insurance Group (www.hbains.com) announced the creation of a new insurance agency to serve South Florida’s trucking industry. Truck Owners Insurance Alliance LLC recently began operating from...
For Workers’ Comp Writers, 2004 May Be as Good as It’s Going to Get
Feb 9 2004 // After years of depressed pricing and a soft workers’ compensation market, prices are on the rise in many parts of the country, a trend analysts predict will continue through at least this year and probably next. The...
Orlando Agent Pleads No Contest to Fraud
Feb 6 2004 // An Orlando, Florida insurance agent has pleaded no contest to organized fraud and unlawful sale of insurance for soliciting doctors to buy bogus medical malpractice coverage. Michael Rock, 34, was arrested on the charges...
M.J. Kelly Co. Opens Seminole, Fla. Branch Office
Feb 5 2004 // Missouri-based M.J. Kelly Company, an insurance brokerage firm, has expanded its national presence by opening a new branch in Seminole, Florida. Managed by Ken O’Neill, the new office provides Excess and Surplus...
Poe Financial Group Announces New President and CEO
Feb 2 2004 // Poe Financial Group announced the promotion of their Executive Vice President, James E. Wurdeman, to President and Chief Executive Officer. William F. Poe, Sr., the current CEO, will remain Chairman of the Florida-based...
Florida’s Unclaimed Property Programs Nears $1 Billion in Holdings for Residents
Jan 28 2004 // At a bimonthly meeting with the governor and other state Cabinet members, Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced that the Department of Financial Services’ Bureau of Unclaimed Property is holding...
More Arrests in Ongoing Fla. PIP Fraud Investigation
Jan 27 2004 // An Orlando clinic owner, his wife and office manager were arrested last week in an ongoing investigation of a Miami-based “paper” auto accident ring that so far has resulted in 46 arrests. Investigators with...
Fitch Affirms Debt Ratings for Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Jan 23 2004 // Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ‘A’ long-term issuer and senior debt ratings of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens). This includes the ‘A’ rating assigned to the high-risk account...
Fla. Nursing Home Fix Should Include Litigation Reform
Jan 22 2004 // Although many complex issues need to be resolved to solve Florida’s nursing home crisis, tighter litigation reforms are reportedly key to solving these problems. “The passage in 2001 of S.B. 1202 provided only...
Fla. Workers’ Comp Market In Need of Time to Recuperate
Jan 21 2004 // Although the Florida workers’ compensation market is still under stress, and the Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA) prepares to post hefty deficits, observers are confident...
Fla. Advises on ‘Top 10’ Investment Scams to Beware of for 2004
Jan 15 2004 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher and Don Saxon, Director of the Office of Financial Regulation, warned that investors will be challenged with increasingly complex and confusing investment frauds in...
FLA. OUTPACES NATION IN FRAUD CONVICTIONS:
Jan 12 2004 // Florida once again leads the nation in the number of insurance fraud convictions and cases presented for prosecution, according to a study released recently by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, a national alliance of...
More Than a Retirement Center and an Exporter of Oranges
Jan 12 2004 // The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2000 census estimated the population of the State of Florida at 15.9 million. About 80 percent of the adult residents had graduated from high school and about 22 percent had earned a...
Bonding Company Ordered to Cease Business in Fla.
Jan 12 2004 // Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation has ordered a Fort Worth, Texas, company to immediately cease operations in Florida. Global Bonding has reportedly been soliciting customers for the purchase of contractor...
Fla. Goes on Offensive to Fight Fraud
Jan 12 2004 // Florida is like many other states when it comes to insurance fraud — it recognizes the problem and is doing something about it. Recently, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher and Bob Neumann, director of the Division of...
Florida: Land of Opportunity, but for Whom’
Jan 12 2004 // Florida has long been considered a land of opportunity for companies seeking to expand into new markets, with its growing population, diverse economy, and expansive geography. The state’s attraction for insurers has...
Hayes Elected as State Director for Florida Council of NAIW
Dec 31 2003 // LIG Marine Managers’ Sr. VP, Ginger Hayes, was recently elected state director for Florida Council of NAIW – National Association of Insurance Women. The National Association of Insurance Women serves its...
Bonding Company Ordered to Cease Business in Fla.
Dec 29 2003 // Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation has ordered a Fort Worth, Texas company to immediately cease operations in Florida. Global Bonding has reportedly been soliciting customers for the purchase of contractor...
Fla. Outpaces Nation in Fraud Convictions
Dec 19 2003 // Florida once again leads the nation in the number of insurance fraud convictions and cases presented for prosecution, according to a study released this week (see National news) by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, a...
St. Johns Insurance Co. Opens Doors for Fla. Homeowners
Dec 19 2003 // Homeowners insurer, St. Johns Insurance Company, announced that it is open for business in the state of Florida. St Johns, which is rated “A” Excellent by Demotech, is writing voluntary homeowners policies in...
