Latest Florida Headlines

All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Florida to Interview 2 More for Insurance Commissioner, McCarty Delays Departure

Apr 22 2016 // The Florida Cabinet will interview two new candidates for the soon-to-be-open Florida insurance commissioner post at its April 26 meeting, in addition to the two candidates interviewed last month. In the meantime, current...

Florida Commissioner McCarty Saying Goodbye: ‘It’s Been a Labor of Love’

Apr 21 2016 // “It’s not for the faint of heart, I can tell you that… Anyone who comes in here and thinks it’s an easy job really does not have any idea what they’re getting into. But it’s been a...

South Florida Zoo Reopens After Deadly Tiger Attack

Apr 20 2016 // The South Florida zoo where a veteran keeper was attacked and killed by a Malayan tiger reopened Monday as authorities from several local, state and federal agencies continue investigating what led to the deadly attack on...

Commentary: Navigating Florida’s Comparative Fault Statute

Apr 20 2016 // During the life of a Florida claim, risk managers, adjusters or clients often ask, “What kind of jurisdiction is Florida for fault?” And all too often, the answer given since 2006 is, “purely...

NFL and Brain Injury

Apr 18 2016 // More than 40 percent of retired National Football League (NFL) players in a recent study had signs of traumatic brain injury, according to medical researchers from Florida. The findings were based on sensitive MRI scans...

Florida Insurer Launches Company Offering Admitted, Standalone Flood Coverage

Apr 18 2016 // A Florida-based homeowners insurer has beefed up its flood insurance offering with the launch of a new flood-coverage only company called TypTap. The new company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Homeowners Choice Property...

Florida Approves Anthem Bid to Acquire Cigna’s Florida-Based Affiliates

Apr 18 2016 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has issued a Consent Order approving, with additional requirements, Anthem, Inc.’s application to acquire 100 percent of the issued and outstanding voting securities...

Florida-Based SUNZ Insurance Hires Whittle as General Counsel

Apr 17 2016 // SUNZ Insurance Co., based in Sarasota, Fla., has hired Russell S. Whittle as the company’s in-house general counsel. Whittle will be responsible for corporate governance as it relates to contracts, regulatory...

BKS-Partners in Florida Appoints Ingram to Commercial Risk Management Group

Apr 15 2016 // Florida-Based Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners (BKS-Partners), has appointed Amy Ingram as managing director of the Commercial Risk Management Group. She will be based in company’s Tampa office. Ingram joins...

Florida Announces Exit from Multi-State Surplus Lines Clearinghouse NIMA

Apr 15 2016 // The Florida Surplus Lines Office (FLSLO) has announced that Florida has made the decision to withdraw from the Nonadmitted Insurance Multi-State Agreement (NIMA), effective June 1, 2016. The decision marks the second state...

Personal Info of 1,000 Clients Stolen from Florida County Health Department

Apr 14 2016 // More than 1,000 clients from Florida’s Palm Beach County Health Department are believed to have been victims of a data breach. The department said in a news release Monday that the IRS and FBI contacted the agency in...

Florida-Based The Villages Insurance Adds Advisor to Mulberry Office

Apr 13 2016 // Florida-based The Villages Insurance has added Naomi Peeples to its Mulberry Grove location. Peeples, formerly located in the Agency’s Spanish Springs office, is a state certified personal lines advisor specializing...

Disaster Loans Available to Florida Businesses Affected by Tornadoes

Apr 13 2016 // The U.S. Small Business Administration is accepting applications for low-interest disaster loans for Florida Panhandle businesses and residents affected by tornadoes and storms in February. The loans are available for...

Sex Claim Filing Against Dershowitz a Mistake, Say Florida Lawyers; Defamation Claims Settled

Apr 12 2016 // Prominent U.S. lawyer Alan Dershowitz and two victims’ rights attorneys on Friday withdrew claims from a Florida court that they defamed each other during a legal fight about a woman who said she was trafficked for...

Florida Researchers Find 40% of Retired NFL Players Had Brain Injury

Apr 11 2016 // More than 40 percent of retired National Football League (NFL) players in a recent study had signs of traumatic brain injury, according to medical researchers from Florida. The findings were based on sensitive MRI scans...

Hoverboard Fire Leaves 3 Florida Apartments Damaged

Apr 11 2016 // Officials say three apartments sustained water damage from a sprinkler system after a hoverboard caught fire in an Orlando apartment building. The Orlando Sentinel reports that no one was seriously injured from the fire at...

The Nature Conservancy Looks to Address South Florida Climate, Catastrophe Risks

Apr 11 2016 // The Nature Conservancy has announced plans to work with catastrophe risk modeling firm RMS, as well as with the Global Disaster Preparedness Center and others, in an effort to address climate impacts in South Florida. The...

Florida Business Owner Arrested for $1.8M Workers’ Comp Fraud Scheme

Apr 7 2016 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the arrest of Maira Chirinos, owner of Pompano Beach construction company Tocoa Builders, Inc. Chirinos is alleged to have misrepresented information regarding Tocoa...

Florida Approves Removal of up to 19K Policies from Citizens

Apr 6 2016 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has approved the removal of up to 19,535 personal residential policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens) for the June 21, 2016 take-out period. The...

Florida Approves Anthem Bid to Acquire Cigna’s Florida-based Affiliates

Apr 5 2016 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has issued a Consent Order (see below) approving, with additional requirements, Anthem, Inc.’s (Anthem) application to acquire 100 percent of the issued and...