Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Marriott Sued Over Florida Hotel Valet Giving $300K Ferrari to Wrong Owner
Jan 26 2018 // The owner of a $300,000 Ferrari is suing Marriott International, saying a hotel valet gave his keys to a young man who was trying to impress a woman he just met. The Tampa Bay Times reports that 73-year-old attorney James...
Startup Neptune Offering Digital Private Flood Product to Agents, Carriers in Nationwide Expansion
Jan 25 2018 // A digital startup private flood insurance provider, Neptune Flood, has secured $2 million in seed round funding and has plans to “aggressively expand” nationwide by offering its platform to carriers, agencies...
Florida Agents March on State Capitol in Lawmaker Push to Reform AOB
Jan 25 2018 // More than 125 insurance agents from across Florida, along with members of the Consumer Protection Coalition (CPC), march to the Florida Capitol on Wednesday to highlight the need for Assignment of Benefits (AOB) reform....
Florida Highway Patrol Report Confirms Driver Killed by Faulty Takata Airbag
Jan 24 2018 // A Florida woman died because a faulty air bag ruptured and fired shrapnel into her head during a crash she should have survived, a report released Jan. 17 by the state’s Highway Patrol said. Nichol Barker, 34, of...
DiGregorio to Join Lockton as Senior Vice President in Florida
Jan 22 2018 // Privately held independent insurance broker Lockton named Matt DiGregorio as a senior vice president in its South Florida operation. DiGregorio will advise clients in private equity, real estate and other industries on...
Florida Appeals Court, Regulator Reject Policy Language Aimed at Curbing AOB Abuse
Jan 22 2018 // A Florida appeals court has sided with the state’s insurance regulator in rejecting policy language filed by a Florida homeowners insurer to restrict the use of assignment of benefits. The decision could have a...
People
Jan 22 2018 // Anna Alexopoulos Farrar has joined the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) as Communications director, according to a statement by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. In this capacity, she will oversee the...
Lockton Hires Steed as Senior Account Executive in South Florida Office
Jan 19 2018 // Lockton, a privately held, independent insurance broker, has hired JoAnne Steed in its South Florida operation as a senior account executive. In this role, Steed will be based in Lockton’s Miramar, Fl., office. She...
For Florida Insurer American Integrity, Giving Back is Part of Company Culture
Jan 18 2018 // American Integrity Insurance Group’s charitable efforts have become an integral part of the company’s culture, and not just during the holiday season. The Florida-based insurer, which formed in 2006, began...
Just a Few Thoughts About Assignments of Benefits
Jan 17 2018 // You may have figured out that I like to watch the insurance news. I mean, I work for the company that produces my favorite insurance news (Insurance Journal) and I don’t say that just because I work here. I was an IJ...
Florida Casino Boat Fire that Killed 1 Under Investigation
Jan 17 2018 // A casino company said Monday it never had a problem with the shuttle boat that burst into flames off Florida’s Gulf Coast, leading to the death of a female passenger. Tropical Breeze Casino spokeswoman Beth Fifer...
Report Shows Florida AOB Abuse Worsening as Lawmakers Consider Reforms
Jan 17 2018 // The 2018 Florida Legislative Session is underway, and lawmakers have wasted no time taking up legislation to address the assignment of benefits crisis plaguing the state. While they debate which reform option to back,...
Report: Florida Nursing Home Temperatures After Irma Reached Sweltering Level
Jan 12 2018 // Florida regulators say temperatures rose to 99 degrees (37 Celsius) in a sweltering nursing home under investigation for the deaths of 12 residents after Hurricane Irma. A Sun Sentinel report says a document filed by the...
Verisk’s ISO Personal Lines Program Targets $40 Billion Private Flood Insurance Market
Jan 11 2018 // Things just got a bit easier for private personal lines insurance carriers wanting to enter the flood insurance market. Through its ISO subsidiary, data analytics firm Verisk has launched a new personal lines flood...
Main Street America Group in Florida Promotes Osman to VP of Personal Lines
Jan 11 2018 // The Main Street America Group has promoted Darryl Osman to vice president of personal lines. Osman remains based at the company’s home office in Jacksonville, Fla., and reports to Dan Gaynor, the company’s...
Florida Appeals Court, Regulator Reject Policy Language Aimed at Curbing AOB Abuse
Jan 10 2018 // A Florida appeals court has sided with the state’s insurance regulator in rejecting policy language filed by a Florida homeowners insurer to restrict the use of assignment of benefits. The decision could have a...
Schoolcraft Joins Iroquois South in Florida
Jan 10 2018 // The Iroquois Group announced that Joya Schoolcraft has joined the company as its second regional manager for Florida. Schoolcraft has been associated with Iroquois in various capacities for several decades. In 1992, she...
Florida Apartment Building Gutted by Massive Fire
Jan 10 2018 // More than a dozen people lost their home when a massive fire gutted a Florida apartment building. Roughly 75 firefighters from four agencies battled the fast-moving blaze in Orange Park on Saturday. It took them nearly an...
Coastal Sea Rise Threatening Florida’s Historic Resources
Jan 9 2018 // The Castillo de San Marcos withstood two sieges in 330 years and changed hands five times, but its latest invader – the rising Atlantic Ocean – threatens to erode the historic St. Augustine fortress. The coquina shell...
Declarations
Jan 8 2018 // No Consensus “Until we have some kind of a consensus, or there’s an outcry from everyday business people, it just seems the issue languishes.” — Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says there is no...
