Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Employee Class Action Accuses McDonald’s of Climate of ‘Pervasive Sexual Harassment’
Apr 14 2020 // McDonald’s Corp. has been hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of subjecting female employees in its corporate-owned fast-food restaurants in Florida to widespread sexual harassment. The lawsuit, filed on...
DOXA Acquires Specialty Insurance Agencies in Florida, Missouri
Apr 13 2020 // Specialty insurance agencies Lawrence E. Smith & Associates (LESA) of greater St. Louis, Mo., and Scholastic Insurance of Florida (SIF) of greater Orlando, Fla., have been acquired by DOXA Insurance Holdings LLC...
Olympus Insurance of Florida Appoints Citizens’ Bitar as CEO
Apr 13 2020 // Gemini Financial Holdings Corporation (GFHC), the parent company of Olympus Insurance Company, has hired Steve Bitar, former chief of Underwriting and Agency Services for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, will...
Florida Directs Workers’ Comp Insurers to Comply with COVID-19 Treatment Order
Apr 9 2020 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has issued an informational memorandum to all insurers and entities authorized to write workers’ compensation insurance providing guidance on the treatment of policyholders...
Appellate Court Drops Victim Suit Against Florida Nightclub Shooter’s Employer
Apr 9 2020 // A Florida appellate court upheld a lower court’s ruling that a security firm employing the gunman responsible for a gay nightclub shooting can’t be held liable for failing to investigate complaints against the...
Fire Near Florida Airport Burns 3,500 Rental Cars
Apr 7 2020 // More than 3,500 rental cars were damaged or destroyed in a fire that burned near a Florida airport before being contained late Friday night. The Fort Myers News-Press reports the cars were in a grassy area used as an...
Florida to Provide Workers’ Comp Coverage to State Workers Battling COVID-19
Apr 7 2020 // Florida state employees working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic will be eligible to receive workers’ compensation coverage under a recent directive from CFO Jimmy Patronis. In a March 30 order, Patronis...
Florida-Based Orchid Insurance Appoints Garamoni as Chief Financial Officer
Apr 6 2020 // Orchid Underwriters Agency, LLC, an independent managing general underwriters with a focus in catastrophe-exposed properties, has appointed Michael Garamoni as chief financial officer. Garamoni has spent the past 13 years...
Gender Reveal Party Sparks 10-Acre Fire in Florida
Apr 3 2020 // A gender reveal party mixed with explosives sparked a 10-acre fire in Florida. It happened Saturday in Brevard County, WESH-TV reported. The county has prohibited open burning because of an increase in fires, and officials...
Demotech Reveals Florida Insurer Ratings, Says Market ‘Most Difficult’ in U.S.
Apr 3 2020 // The long-awaited Demotech rating decisions for Florida domestic carriers are in, with many carriers having satisfied necessary steps to avoid ratings downgrades by the financial analysis firm. After affirming a slew of...
Florida Governor Issues Stay at Home Order; Insurance Deemed Essential Business
Apr 2 2020 // Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statewide executive order Wednesday requiring all citizens in the state to stay at home except for those doing essential business or activities. The move comes as the state has more...
What Florida Agents Need to Know During Coronavirus Crisis
Apr 1 2020 // Watch the Full Interview Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv Florida is a catastrophe-prone state when it comes to weather, but the challenges that come from a non weather-catastrophe like the current COVID-19 pandemic bring...
Demotech Affirms Ratings of 37 Florida Insurers; Still Reviewing Others
Mar 27 2020 // Demotech has affirmed 37 of the 46 Florida-based companies rated by the actuarial firm, as of March 26, according to information gathered from Demotech’s website. That leaves fewer than 10 Florida insurers that are...
Florida Declared Federal Disaster Due to Virus
Mar 27 2020 // President Donald Trump declared Florida a disaster area Wednesday because of the new coronavirus outbreak, while another of the state’s largest metropolitan areas moved toward a near-shutdown. The president acted a...
Florida Insurers Omega, Tower Hill Select to Merge into Tower Hill Signature
Mar 27 2020 // A proposed merger of Florida-based insurers Omega Insurance Co. and Tower Hill Select into Tower Hill Signature Insurance Co. has been approved by Florida regulators. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved the...
Florida Regulator Outlines How Industry Can Help Insureds During COVID-19 Response
Mar 26 2020 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has issued an additional memorandum related to the coronavirus outbreak to all the insurers and entities it regulates in an effort to provide general guidance on the treatment of...
What State Insurance Regulators Have Asked of P/C Insurers to Address Coronavirus
Mar 25 2020 // As state insurance regulators monitor and respond to the coronavirus impact on insurance, property/casualty insurers are calling on them to coordinate their requests for data and ease up on some requirements. David A....
Florida Restaurant Dining Banned by Governor; Casinos Closed
Mar 23 2020 // Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis banned all onsite dining at restaurants statewide Friday and the Seminole Tribe closed its casinos, the latest virus -related closures affecting a state that is heavily dependent on tourism to pay...
Tesla, Drivers, Regulators All to Blame for Fatal Crash, Says Safety Board
Mar 23 2020 // The National Transportation Safety Board says two drivers, Tesla and lax regulation of new partially automated driving systems are to blame for a fatal 2019 crash in Florida involving a Tesla on Autopilot. The NTSB, in a...
Business Moves
Mar 23 2020 // National Aon, Willis Towers Watson Global insurance brokers Aon and Willis Towers Watson announced a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock transaction with an implied combined equity value of approximately $80...
