Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida House Panel Advances Bill Permitting Officials with Guns in Schools
Apr 3 2014 // A House committee has approved a bill that would allow trained officials to carry firearms in schools as a way to improve safety. The bill (HB 753) approved Wednesday is sponsored by Greg Steube, a Republican from...
Photographer Seeks Damages in Florida Suit Against Justin Bieber
Apr 2 2014 // A celebrity photographer sought to boost the potential damages he could win from Justin Bieber in a lawsuit that accuses the singer and a bodyguard of battery in a confrontation outside a recording studio. The...
Florida Lawyer Sentenced to 10 Years for Insurance Fraud
Apr 2 2014 // A South Florida attorney has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in an $800 million death benefits insurance fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge Robert Scola imposed the sentence Tuesday on...
Florida Home Foreclosure Rate Falls But Still Triple National Average
Apr 1 2014 // The residential foreclosure rate in Florida, which has the highest percentage of delinquent mortgages in the U.S., declined to 6.2 percent in January, according to a report by CoreLogic Inc. That’s down from 10.1...
Florida Homeowners Insurance ‘Bill of Rights’ Slowed by Fraud Measure
Mar 31 2014 // Florida’s chief financial officer went to the Legislature this spring with a simple request: grant additional protections to customers dealing with property insurance companies. But the push by Jeff Atwater is in...
Florida Senate Passes Measure to Encourage Private Flood Insurance
Mar 28 2014 // The Florida Senate is backing a bill to entice private insurance companies to sell flood policies in the state that’s the most vulnerable to storm surge. The Senate this week unanimously passed the bill (SB 542)...
Legislative Battle Underway Over 2019 Florida High Court Picks
Mar 28 2014 // The future of the Florida Supreme Court is sparking a legislative battle over whether the state’s next governor — or the governor after that — will have a say in who will be on the court. Senate Republicans are...
Florida Lawmaker Targets Cash-Only Medical Clinics
Mar 26 2014 // Cash-only medical clinics are allowed to skirt the licensing and regulation most other clinics are subject to, a loophole that a Florida lawmaker contends allows some of them to dispense drugs illicitly. State Sen. Eleanor...
Florida Legislature Seeks to Entice Private Insurers to Sell Flood Policies
Mar 24 2014 // The Florida Legislature is moving forward on a plan to entice private insurance companies to sell flood policies in the state that’s the most vulnerable to storm surge. It’s not clear, though, that many private...
Biglari Holdings Acquires First Guard Insurance in Florida
Mar 24 2014 // Biglari Holdings in San Antonio, Texas, last week announced its acquisition of Venice, Florida-based First Guard Insurance Co. and its affiliate, 1st Guard Corp. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. First Guard...
Florida Medical Malpractice Caps Ruled Unconstitutional
Mar 24 2014 // The Florida Supreme Court ruled caps placed on how much money people can receive in cases where a doctor’s mistakes led to a patient’s death are declared unconstitutional. The lawsuit limits were part of a law...
People – Southeast
Mar 24 2014 // Joe Robles, Jr.The president and CEO of the insurer of military families, USAA, announced he will retire from USAA in the first quarter of 2015. “It has been my privilege to work at USAA for nearly 20 years. However,...
Michigan Congresswoman Miller: Flood Insurance Bill Bad for State
Mar 24 2014 // A U.S. Congresswoman from Michigan wants her state to opt out of the National Flood Insurance Program, saying it’s not good for Michigan homeowners. U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10) voted against H.R. 3370,...
Top 10 HOT Markets to Watch
Mar 24 2014 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes and expansions in the past year. Here are the top 10 market sectors that just might deliver hot opportunities for agents and brokers in the property/casualty...
Florida-Based Lighthouse Property’s Pres. Chapman to Retire in July
Mar 21 2014 // Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp. announced its president, Ronald Chapman, will retire in July. The company said Patrick White, a director and owner of Lighthouse since 2010, will succeed Chapman as president. Chapman...
2 Florida Police Officers Charged with Boat Arson, Insurance Fraud
Mar 20 2014 // Florida state law enforcement officials announced they arrested a police officer and another man for allegedly conspiring to defraud an insurer by purposely destroying a pleasure boat. The Florida Department of Law...
Engle Martin Acquires Florida’s Totura & Co. Claims Firm
Mar 20 2014 // Atlanta-based independent claims adjusting firm Engle Martin & Associates Inc. has acquired Totura & Co., a regional claims adjusting firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Terms were not disclosed. John Quinn,...
Florida Senate OKs Ban on Insurance Underwriting Based on Gun Ownership
Mar 20 2014 // The Senate passed a bill that would make it illegal for insurance companies to deny policies or charge higher rates solely based on gun ownership. The bill passed on a 36-3 vote. Supporters have said some insurance...
How Local Bank Failures Crippled Georgia Economy
Mar 19 2014 // Georgia homebuilder Blankenship Homes lost its source of loans for new construction after four local community banks failed since 2009. “The economy just shut down,” said owner Johnny Blankenship, 54, a builder...
Florida’s Citizens Reaches Sinkhole Settlement
Mar 14 2014 // Florida’s state-backed property insurer said it has reached an agreement with more than 300 policyholders with sinkhole claims that officials say could save the insurer $30 million in legal fees. Citizens Property...
