Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Electric Cigarette Explodes in Florida Man’s Mouth
Feb 17 2012 // A man trying to kick the smoking habit was puffing on an electronic cigarette when a faulty battery caused it to explode in his mouth, taking out some of his front teeth and a chunk of his tongue and severely burning his...
Florida Bill Seeks to Curb Medical Malpractice Claims
Feb 15 2012 // The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature is pushing ahead this year with changes meant to curb medical malpractice lawsuits against doctors. This effort is being criticized as an attack on the privacy rights of...
More Shipwreck Survivors File Lawsuits against Carnival, Costa Cruises
Feb 14 2012 // Dozens of additional survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Italy have joined a Florida lawsuit that accuses the ship’s owners of gross negligence and fraud, and asks for at least $528 million in damages. An...
Florida Lawmakers Weigh Texting While Driving Ban
Feb 13 2012 // Joyce Concklin has 10 good reasons why every state should pass a ban on texting while driving: That’s the number of bones she broke when a texting driver ran into her. That driver died, his mobile phone still...
Florida Insurance Commissioner: ‘This Is Year for PIP Reform’
Feb 9 2012 // Roughly half way through Florida’s legislative session, state Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty expressed optimism that state lawmakers would find a way to substantial reform the state’s no-fault auto...
Florida’s Agency Harbor Acquires Fidelity Insurance Associates
Feb 9 2012 // Harbor Insurance Agency as part of its plan to expand its market has purchased Fidelity Insurance Association. Both agencies are located in Naples, Fl., and service the surrounding areas of Bonita Springs, Marco Island,...
Holdout States Expected to Join Mortgage Bank Deal
Feb 8 2012 // California and New York, two key holdout states for a multi-state mortgage settlement, are expected to join the deal, smoothing the way for an announcement expected on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the...
Agents Raid 2 Florida CVS Stores in Prescription Drug Abuse Probe
Feb 6 2012 // Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided two CVS pharmacies in Florida as part of an effort to curb the abuse of prescription painkillers and other potentially addictive substances. The action on...
Florida’s Citizens Eyes Risk Transfer
Feb 6 2012 // Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has set the goal of moving at least $1 billion in risk back to the private capital markets while looking to lawmakers to make statutory changes that will assist the insurer...
Workers’ Comp Rate Hike Irks Florida Businesses
Feb 6 2012 // Florida small businesses seeing their second workers’ compensation rate increase in as many years are calling on the state to reduce the increase because they fear it will harm the economy. A small business group is...
Business Moves
Feb 6 2012 // IMAC, Specialty Service Solutions Randolph, Mass.-based International Marketing and Administration Co. (IMAC) purchased Specialty Service Solutions LLC, an insurance brokerage headquartered in Chicago. Specialty Service...
Declarations
Feb 6 2012 // Mission Impossible “All signs are pointing to more unprofitable years ahead for the workers’ compensation insurance industry.” —Standard & Poors Ratings Services in its report titled, “For...
Florida Guaranty Fund Found Not Responsible for Legal Fees
Feb 6 2012 // Florida’s high court has ruled that the state fund charged with paying claims from insolvent insurers is not responsible for paying a claimant’s legal fees on a pre-insolvent claim unless they are specifically...
People
Feb 6 2012 // Confie Seguros, an insurance agency group focused on Hispanic consumers, has named Joseph Waked as chief executive officer. John Addeo , former CEO and co-founder of the business, will remain with the company as executive...
Florida Senate Panel Clears PIP Fraud Bill But House Showdown Looms
Feb 5 2012 // Florida lawmakers are heading to a showdown over the state’s no-fault automobile insurance law with state Senate lawmakers seeking to reform current law as opposed to a House plan that would repeal the law in favor...
Florida Bill to Let Surplus Lines Assume Citizens Policies Advances
Feb 5 2012 // Legislation designed to help state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Co. spin off customers to reduce its hurricane risk cleared the Florida House after a heated debate Friday. The bill (HB 245) would let surplus lines...
Allstate Doubles Q4 Profit
Feb 2 2012 // Allstate Corp. reported that its profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter thanks to lower catastrophe losses and improved homeowners business. The big insurance company posted a fourth quarter net profit of $724...
A.M. Best Downgrades Florida’s FFVA Mutual to A-
Feb 1 2012 // A.M. best has downgraded the financial ratings of FFVA Mutual Insurance Co. due to underwriting losses on its workers’ compensation line of business, especially in states where it expanded outside of Florida. A.M....
Florida Lawmakers Tackle Check Cashing Ties to Workers’ Comp Fraud
Feb 1 2012 // Florida lawmakers are looking to give regulators and law enforcement officials more flexibility to investigate check cashing companies that may be facilitating fraud in the construction industry. The House Subcommittee on...
Florida Firefighters Win Workplace Retaliation Claim Against Union, County
Feb 1 2012 // A federal jury has awarded $189,000 to two Tampa Bay area firefighters in a workplace retaliation case. The Tampa Bay Times reported that most of this week’s verdict was assessed against the International Association...
