Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fla. WC Costs 18% Above Median in WCRI Study
Jul 15 2003 // Workers’ compensation costs per claim in Florida for all paid claims were higher than most states analyzed in a national study and growing at a double-digit rate, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation...
Florida Agent Arrested on Fraud Charges
Jul 11 2003 // An Orlando, Fla. insurance agent was taken into custody for allegedly misappropriating more than $30,000 in workers’ compensation insurance premiums, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services. The...
F.N.B. to Acquire Central Fla. Agency
Jul 2 2003 // Naples, Fla.-based F.N.B. Corporation announced it has agreed to acquire Lupfer-Frakes Insurance, an independent insurance agency located in Central Florida. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1918,...
Allstate Sued by Fla. Imaging Center
Jun 30 2003 // Chicago-area based direct writer Allstate Insurance Co.’s Florida personal injury protection policyholders have filed a class action suit on their behalf by the law firm of Forizs & Dogali. Premier Open MRI, the...
FNB Acquires Central Fla. Agency
Jun 30 2003 // FNB Corp. announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Lupfer-Frakes Insurance, an independent insurance agency located in Central Florida. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1918, the...
Florida Seeks to Revoke Agents’ Licenses
Jun 27 2003 // The Florida Department of Financial Services reported that it is seeking to revoke or suspend the licenses of two Orlando-area insurance agents who allegedly marketed phony policies. Michael Edward Rock, 33, of 1650...
Fla. Special Session Expires With Impasse on Medical Liability
Jun 26 2003 // The Florida legislature’s reported inability to agree on a compromise bill dealing with medical liability caused its Special Session B to expire without any action taken on the issue. “Both the House and Senate...
Florida’s Gallagher Applauds Anti-Fraud Law
Jun 18 2003 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher said the Pete Orr Insurance Anti-Fraud Act, which the governor recently signed into law, is expected to significantly boost efforts to prosecute operators of unlicensed...
Coalition Keeps Pressure on Florida Lawmakers
Jun 17 2003 // Leaders of the Coalition to Heal Healthcare in Florida told the state legislature returning to the Capitol for the start of a four-day special session that Governor Jeb Bush’s comprehensive reform package will solve...
BIG Founder Celebrates Milestones
Jun 16 2003 // Bankers Insurance Group of St. Petersburg, Fla. announced that founder and chairman Bob Menke, recently celebrated his 70th birthday along with Bankers’ 30th anniversary. Perhaps best known for being the owner of one...
Florida Officials Alert Public to Scam
Jun 5 2003 // The Palm Beach County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office announced it is alerting the public to an individual named Luis M. Quintana, age 29, of 12065 Sunset Point Ct, Wellington, who has allegedly sold fraudulent homeowners...
Jeb Bush Applauds FPIC’s Response to Reform Proposal
Jun 5 2003 // Florida Governor Jeb Bush issued the following statement regarding First Professionals Insurance Company Inc.’s promise to cut rates if Bush’s proposed medical liability reform measures become law: “After...
NAII Says Medical Liability Reform Proposal Would Solve Fla. Crisis
Jun 2 2003 // Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s proposed medical liability reform package, would solve the state’s insurance crisis by implementing major legal and insurance reforms, changing the physician discipline system, and...
American Vehicle Approved to Write GL in Florida
May 30 2003 // Plantation, Fla.-based 21st Century Holding Company announced that one of its subsidiaries, American Vehicle Insurance Company, has been approved by the insurance division of the Florida Department of Financial Services to...
PIP, Workers’ Comp Reform Pass Florida Special Session
May 29 2003 // The National Association of Independent Insurers reported that the special session of the Florida Legislature has ended with the passage of both personal injury protection (PIP) reform and workers’ compensation...
Florida Town Receives 300 Free Smoke Detectors
May 29 2003 // The City of Apalachicola, Fla., received 300 smoke detectors that local firefighters will be able to install for free in at-risk homes. The smoke alarm give-away is being coordinated by the Department of Financial Services...
Group Says Cap on Non-Economic Damages Needed to Combat Fla. Healthcare Crisis
May 27 2003 // Floridians for Quality Affordable Healthcare released a report concluding that $250,000 cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases would have saved 25 percent of nearly $1.2 billion in malpractice settlements...
Fla. Senate Moves Forward on PIP, Ins. Scoring and Workers’ Comp
May 23 2003 // Personal Injury Protection (PIP) legislation may not be dead after all in Florida, as the Florida Senate approved a PIP package supported by an unlikely alliance including Florida Insurance Council, personal injury lawyers...
Fla. Renews Verification Warnings After Agent’s 3rd Arrest
May 13 2003 // As fraud investigators with the Florida Department of Financial Services continue to identify victims of a Miami auto insurance agent who collected premiums without securing coverage, Florida’s Chief Financial...
Fla. Senate Fails to Pass House Bill on Workers’ Comp Reform
May 7 2003 // The Alliance of American Insurers reported its disappointment in the Florida Legislature’s failure to pass legislation workers’ compensation reform legislation by the end of its regular session May 2. The...
