Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Appalachian Underwriters Taps Mambuca as Central, Northern Florida Marketing Rep
Feb 7 2018 // Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. has hired Marketing Representative Vianka Mambuca to its Sanford Florida office. She will focus on agent relationships in Central and Northern Florida counties. According to Carrie Bay,...
SterlingRisk Insurance Names O’Donnell President of Aviation Practice Group in Florida
Feb 6 2018 // Michael O’Donnell has been named president of the Aviation Practice Group at SterlingRisk Insurance, an independently owned insurance brokerage firm based in Destin, Fla. O’Donnell, who joined SterlingRisk in...
Heritage Insurance Holdings of Florida Appoints Lusk as CFO
Feb 5 2018 // Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc., a property and casualty insurance holding company, has appointed Kirk H. Lusk as its chief financial officer. Until April 28, 2018, Lusk will serve as co-chief financial officer with...
Florida Regulator Report Shows AOB Abuse Worsening Statewide
Feb 5 2018 // The epidemic of assignment of benefits (AOB) abuse that has been plaguing Florida for several years is only getting worse, says a new report from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). The most recent data call...
Florida Construction Company Owner Arrested For $1.8 Million Workers’ Comp Scam
Feb 2 2018 // A construction company owner in Jacksonville, Fla., has been arrested following a workers’ compensation fraud investigation, according to a report from Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. Jeovane...
Willis Towers Watson Makes Staff Changes in Florida, Taps Zutel to Lead CRB Business
Feb 2 2018 // Willis Towers Watson has appointed Fred Zutel as Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB) market leader for Florida, where he will focus on delivering the company’s property & casualty insurance broking services to...
Patriot National Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Feb 1 2018 // In accordance with a previously-agreed restructuring plan with lenders, Patriot National, Inc., an insurance technology and outsourcing firm, has officially filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and...
5 in U.S., 2 in Italy Arrested Over $21M Opioid ‘Pill Mills’ Scheme in Florida, Tennessee
Feb 1 2018 // Two people in Italy and five U.S. residents have been charged in a fraud and drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute opioids in Florida and Tennessee, leading to hundreds of deaths, federal prosecutors said last...
ARC, FAIA to Offer Parametric StormPeace Coverage to Florida Member Agents
Jan 31 2018 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA) and Assured Risk Cover (ARC) have formed an agreement that grants FAIA member agents access to the StormPeace parametric insurance product that pays out-of-pocket expenses...
IBHS in Florida Announces Leadership Changes, Focus for 2018
Jan 26 2018 // The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), headquartered in Tampa, Fla., has promoted Anne D. Cope, Ph.D., P.E., to senior vice president of Research and chief engineer. Cope has assumed leadership of...
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...
