Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida CFO Atwater Submits Formal Resignation, Last Day Will Be June 30
Jun 21 2017 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater is leaving his job at the end of the month. Atwater turned in his formal resignation letter to Gov. Rick Scott last week. Atwater announced back in February that he planned to...
Florida’s Citizens Approves Policy Changes, 5.3% Statewide Rate Increase for 2018
Jun 21 2017 // Homeowners in South Florida, as well as in many other parts of the state, should expect additional rate increases next year from the state-run insurer of last resort. Citizens Board of Governors approved recommended rates...
Fire Caused by Lightening Bolt Damages 12 Florida Apartments
Jun 20 2017 // A bolt of lightning started a fire that damaged 12 apartments in Florida. Orlando Fire Department spokeswoman Ashley Papagni told the Orlando Sentinel that lightning struck the attic of one apartment in the complex Friday...
DTRT Insurance Group Acquires Insurance Authority of Florida
Jun 20 2017 // DTRT Insurance Group, Inc. (Do The Right Thing) has acquired Insurance Authority, Inc., a retail property and casualty insurance brokerage firm based in Sunrise, Fla. Insurance Authority has been serving the residents of...
Florida City Employee Steals $93K for Butt Lift, Personal Bills
Jun 19 2017 // A Florida city says a former employee stole money to get a butt lift. A Gainesville city report released Wednesday said Natwaina Clark stole $93,000 from the city, using $8,500 on the cosmetic surgery. The Gainesville Sun...
Florida Supreme Court Rules Medical Malpractice Award Caps Unconstitutional
Jun 19 2017 // Caps on how much money patients injured by a doctor’s mistakes can receive were declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court June 8, a decision that strikes down one of former Gov. Jeb Bush’s major...
Brown & Brown Insurance in Florida Settles Pregnancy Discrimination Suit for $100K
Jun 19 2017 // Daytona Beach, Fla.-based insurance brokerage firm Brown & Brown will pay $100,000 and furnish significant relief to resolve a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...
Florida Court Rules Property Insurer Liable for Shortfall in Policy Benefits Promised by Agent
Jun 15 2017 // A Florida state Court of Appeal reversed the dismissal of a claim for negligent procurement of property insurance, because, when placing the coverage, the insurer’s agent failed to account for a reduction in...
Florida Fire Station Shutdown by Hundreds of Bats
Jun 14 2017 // A Florida fire-rescue crew has been evicted from its station by an invasion of bats. The Tampa Bay Times reports anywhere from 500 to 1,000 bats found their way into the station in Pasco County, north of Tampa. The...
Founders Professional Adds Porter to Florida Team
Jun 13 2017 // National professional liability and management liability wholesale brokerage, Founders Professional, has added Adrienne Porter to its Miscellaneous Professional Liability team. Porter will be joining the team in St....
Florida Gov Pledges to Sign Medical Marijuana Bill Passed During Special Session
Jun 13 2017 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he “absolutely” intends to sign the medical marijuana bill passed Friday by the state Legislature. After the original legislation fell apart on the final day of the regular session...
Florida Supreme Court Rules Medical Malpractice Award Caps Unconstitutional
Jun 12 2017 // Caps on how much money patients injured by a doctor’s mistakes can receive were declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday, a decision that strikes down one of former Gov. Jeb Bush’s...
Miami Insurance Agent Accused of Stealing Nearly $25K From Clients
Jun 12 2017 // A Miami insurance agent accused of stealing insurance premium payments from a client and providing fake insurance documents has been arrested, according to a statement from Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and...
Brown & Brown Insurance Settles Florida Pregnancy Discrimination Suit for $100K
Jun 9 2017 // Daytona Beach, Fla.-based insurance brokerage firm Brown & Brown will pay $100,000 and furnish significant relief to resolve a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...
Storms Set Rainfall Records, Cause Flooding in South Florida
Jun 9 2017 // Several Florida cities set rainfall records as heavy rain continued to fall in Florida, bringing the potential for flooding and even forcing officials to close a large outlet mall north of Miami on Wednesday. News outlets...
Florida’s Chief Fraud Fighter Moves On: Atwater Recalls Successes, Frustrations With Industry
Jun 8 2017 // Lifelong Florida resident, long-time Florida politician, and head of the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS), Jeff Atwater shocked the state when he announced in February he would step down as chief financial...
5 Killed at Orlando Factory by Fired Worker
Jun 7 2017 // A recently fired worker from an awning company in Florida followed through with a plan to kill his former colleagues, singling out five and fatally shooting them in the head before taking his own life, authorities...
Maximum Adds Searcy to Florida Transportation Practice
Jun 7 2017 // Maximum, an independent, Chicago-based excess and surplus lines wholesaler, has added Anthony Searcy to its transportation practice in the Jacksonville, Fla. area. Searcy returns to Fla. from the Kansas City area where he...
Nearly 6.9 Million US Homes at Risk of Hurricane Storm Surge Damage
Jun 6 2017 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Total Reconstruction Cost Value is More Than $1.5 Trillion It’s no surprise that residential homes in the U.S. located along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are...
Heritage Insurance Secures $1.7B in Florida Reinsurance Cover for 2017-2018
Jun 6 2017 // Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc., a property and casualty insurance holding company, announced that its insurance subsidiaries, Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Co. and Zephyr Insurance Co., have completed the...
