Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Report: Florida Pill Mills Helped Fuel Opioid Crisis
Jul 22 2019 // Florida survives on tourism, but a decade ago thousands of visitors made frequent trips to the state not to visit its theme parks or beaches. Instead, they came for cheap and easy prescription painkillers sold at...
Florida’s AssuredPartners Acquires UK-Based Hettle Andrews
Jul 18 2019 // AssuredPartners Inc. has acquired Birmingham, England-based Hettle Andrews & Associates Ltd. The transaction is subject to customary approval by the Financial Conduct Authority and the deal terms have not been...
Florida Gets Ready for Peak Hurricane Season After 3 Years of Major Storms
Jul 17 2019 // Floridians are on alert as the state heads into peak hurricane season after three straight years of being impacted by major storms. Meanwhile, the Florida Panhandle continues its recovery from Hurricane Michael that...
Florida-Based Universal Insurance Holdings Names Downes Executive Chairman; Donaghy Appointed CEO
Jul 17 2019 // Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc.’s Chairman and CEO Sean P. Downes has taken on the role as executive chairman, beginning July 15. The Universal Insurance Holdings Board has appointed current Chief Operating...
Court Rules Florida Medical Marijuana Regulations Are Unconstitutional
Jul 16 2019 // A Florida appellate court ruled that the state’s approach to regulating marijuana is unconstitutional, possibly allowing more providers to jump into a market positioned to become one of the country’s most...
Harden Expands into South Florida; Taps Beller as Market Leader
Jul 16 2019 // Harden, an insurance, risk management and employee benefits firm in the Southeast, has formally expanded into the South Florida market with the opening of an office in Fort Lauderdale. The firm currently serves many...
Florida-Based Olympus Insurance Appoints Carpenter AVP of Sales, Marketing
Jul 15 2019 // Olympus Insurance Co. has appointed James “Jim” Carpenter as assistant vice president of Sales and Marketing. Jim Carpenter Carpenter has more than 20 years of experience in the property & casualty...
Miami Insurance Agent Arrested in $1.7M Fraud Scheme
Jul 15 2019 // A former Miami insurance agent has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than $1.7 million in insurance premiums from two insurance premium finance companies, according a statement from Florida CFO Jimmy...
I.I.I. Appoints Friedlander as Florida Communications Consultant
Jul 12 2019 // The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) has appointed Mark Friedlander as its new Florida-based communications consultant. Friedlander was most recently a communications consultant at the Insurance Institute for...
Fire Damages Equipment at SpaceX Facility in Florida
Jul 11 2019 // Authorities say a fire at a SpaceX facility in Florida caused damage to equipment, but no injuries were reported. News outlets report it happened Monday afternoon in Cocoa. City officials say firefighters responded quickly...
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...
