Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida-Based Windhaven, The Hearth Insurance Group Tap Wollenberg as CFO
Jul 11 2019 // Susan Wollenberg has been selected to serve as chief financial officer for Windhaven Insurance and The Hearth Insurance Group, according to Jimmy E. Whited, CEO of the Florida-based companies. Wollenberg will be...
AM Best Revises Outlooks for Capacity Insurance Co. of Florida
Jul 10 2019 // AM Besthas revised the outlooks to stable from positive and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb-” of Capacity Insurance Co. based in Sunrise,...
Florida Prepares as Tropical Depression Forms in Gulf
Jul 9 2019 // The Hurricane Center says a tropical depression is likely to form in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the week. Forecasters in Miami said that a trough of low pressure over central Georgia is forecast to move southward...
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Stonehenge Insurance Solutions of Florida
Jul 9 2019 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based Stonehenge Insurance Solutions, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2007, Stonehenge Insurance Solutions offers commercial...
Update: 21 Injured in Gas Explosion at Florida Shopping Plaza
Jul 7 2019 // A vacant pizza restaurant exploded Saturday in a thundering roar at a South Florida shopping plaza, injuring more than 20 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air. The blast flung debris widely along a busy...
Commentary: Surplus Lines Support Florida’s Vibrant Insurance Market
Jul 3 2019 // The Sunshine State is one of the top three consumers of surplus lines insurance in the country. As Florida focuses on attracting jobs and welcoming opportunity, the surplus lines insurance industry is helping the...
Law to Study, Combat Florida Red Tide Takes Effect
Jul 2 2019 // A bill directing the state to work with a private marine institute to study and combat the red tide blooms that have hurt the state’s vital tourism industry and killed such wildlife as manatees, fish and dolphins...
12 Miami School Bus Employees Arrested in $427K Insurance Fraud Scheme
Jul 1 2019 // Twelve current and former Miami-Dade School District school bus employees were arrested last week for allegedly filing fraudulent insurance claims totaling $426,933, according to a statement from Florida CFO Jimmy...
OSHA Fines Florida Zoo $14.5K Over Worker Injured by Rhino
Jul 1 2019 // A Florida zoo has been fined more than $14,500 after a worker was injured by a 4,000-pound (1,800-kilogram) white rhinoceros earlier this year. The Florida Times-Union reported June 25 that the U.S. Department of...
Declarations
Jul 1 2019 // Needless Catastrophe “The lack of effective safety management at this well resulted in a needless catastrophe.” — Kristen Kulinowski, interim executive of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, comments after...
Second Florida City Pays Hackers As Third City Faces Breach
Jun 28 2019 // A second small Florida city this month has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to hackers who took over most of its computer operations, an official said Wednesday, while a third Florida city said its data was...
XS Brokers Hires Delmonico-Long, Hall to Florida Business Development Team
Jun 28 2019 // XS Brokers (XSB), an independent insurance underwriting and wholesale brokerage group, has hired Michelle Delmonico-Longo as Business Development manager and David Hall as senior vice president, Business Development for...
What Passed, What Didn’t: New Florida Laws Taking Effect July 1
Jun 27 2019 // The Florida Legislature looked at and passed many pieces of legislation in the 2019 session that will impact the insurance industry. The following are summaries of what passed — and what didn’t. What Passed HB 7065...
Florida Keys to Receive $21M for Hurricane Irma Recovery
Jun 26 2019 // Officials say the Florida Keys will receive $21 million for Hurricane Irma recovery, along with $35 million for affordable housing. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the money during a Thursday news conference in Marathon. The...
Sinkhole Shuts Down Part of Major Florida Interstate
Jun 25 2019 // Parts of busy Interstate 75 was shut down in Florida after a sinkhole opened up. The southbound lanes were shut down just in time for rush hour traffic Friday. The Ocala Star-Banner reports the sinkhole is growing rapidly...
How the Florida ‘Omnibus’ Insurance Bill Will Impact Insurer Duty to Defend, Appraisal
Jun 24 2019 // While most of the news out of the 2019 Florida Legislative Session surrounding insurance has focused on House Bill 7065 and the wide-spread assignment of benefits (AOB) reform it promises, another piece of legislation that...
Florida City Pays $600K to Hackers to Save Computer Records
Jun 21 2019 // A Florida city agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses. The Riviera Beach City...
2 Injured, Multiple Structures Destroyed by Fire on Alabama-Florida Line
Jun 21 2019 // An overnight fire near the Alabama-Florida state line has destroyed multiple condominiums near the beach at Perdido Key and injured a resident and a firefighter. Escambia County officials say the blaze broke out early...
Florida’s Citizens Revises 2019 Rate Filing; Will Request 2.3% Statewide Rate Increase
Jun 20 2019 // Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s Board of Governors has approved a revised 2019 rate proposal that the company said reflects recent legislative changes that targets the ongoing abuse of assignment of benefit...
10 Arrests Made in Florida Unlicensed Contractor, Workers’ Comp Fraud Sting
Jun 19 2019 // Ten individuals have been arrested in a three-day unlicensed contracting and workers’ compensation fraud sting in Pinellas County, Fla., according to a statement from Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis. The joint operation...
