Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Court Rules Illegal Workers Entitled to Workers’ Compensation
Aug 11 2011 // Florida employers may be under more pressure to document the status of their workers after a panel of state judges ruled that illegal residents who are injured on the job are eligible for workers’ compensation...
Florida Eases Surplus Lines ‘Due Diligence’ Rule for Agents
Aug 10 2011 // Florida insurance agents should have an easier time placing commercial policies with surplus lines carriers under a new law that allows them to offer the coverage without first scouring the admitted market for the...
Florida’s FPIC Insurance Settles Shareholder Litigation
Aug 10 2011 // FPIC Insurance Group has agreed to settle a class action shareholder lawsuit clearing the way for its merger with Fountain Acquisition Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Doctors Co., of California. The Jacksonville,...
Judge Dismisses Dallas National Suit Vs. Florida Insurance Chief
Aug 8 2011 // A federal judge last week threw out a lawsuit against Florida’s insurance commissioner even though the official had opposed dismissing the case. Commissioner Kevin McCarty argued that keeping the litigation alive...
Florida Officials Weigh Next Step in Citizens’ Rate Hikes
Aug 8 2011 // While state officials are trying to digest Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s proposed triple-digit sinkhole rate increase, other elected officials are taking their case to the public. Senator Mike Fasano, R-New...
Florida Sen. Fasano Plans Rally Against Sinkhole Insurance Rates
Aug 5 2011 // State Sen. Mike Fasano is rallying Florida policyholders to join him in front of the Pasco County Government Center next Tuesday in a sign-waving protest of the proposed sinkhole rate increases sought by Citizens Property...
Acentria Acquires Florida’s Concord Commercial Insurance
Aug 4 2011 // Destin, Florida-based insurance agency Acentria has acquired Concord Commercial Insurance Agency in Punta Gorda, Florida. Bob and Tyler Wilson along with their employees are joining Acentria and continue to offer...
Florida to Investigate Role of Check Cashing Firms in Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Aug 4 2011 // Florida officials are calling for an investigation into the role of check cashing services in helping construction subcontractors avoid paying their fair share of workers’ compensation premiums. Florida Chief...
Florida Considers Phasing-In Big Sinkhole Insurance Rate Hikes
Aug 4 2011 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater has urged state insurance regulators to consider an affordable “glide path” for homeowners seeking to buy sinkhole insurance from Citizens Property Insurance...
Florida Governor Suggests Making PIP Coverage Optional for Drivers
Aug 2 2011 // Florida drivers should have the option to forgo purchasing what is now mandatory auto personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, says Gov. Rick Scott. Following the failure of lawmakers this year to reform the...
Florida Weighs Privatizing State’s Citizens Insurance
Aug 1 2011 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott quickly embraced a recent suggestion by the board chairman of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to consider privatizing Florida’s largest insurer of business and...
Business Moves
Aug 1 2011 // FPIC, The Doctors Co. One of Florida’s major medical malpractice insurers is seeking state approval to be sold to an out-of-state insurance group with the initial price tag expected to total $365 million. The Florida...
Westcott Named Consumer Advocate
Aug 1 2011 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater is naming Robin Westcott, an attorney and longtime insurance watchdog, to the post of Insurance Consumer Advocate. Westcott began her career in 1993 with the Florida Department...
People
Aug 1 2011 // Wholesale insurance broker AmWINS Group Inc. is expanding its operations with a new office location in Morehead City, North Carolina. Karen G. Toler, formerly of Burns & Wilcox, has joined AmWINS to lead this new...
Double Digit Rate Hikes for Allstate in Florida
Aug 1 2011 // Florida’s consumer advocate says Allstate’s two Florida home insurers are among the state’s best run and deserve double-digit rate increases along the lines they have requested. The Allstate units, Castle...
Mitigation Reviews Hike Premiums for Insureds of Florida Citizens
Aug 1 2011 // Florida property owners who purchased coverage from the state- run property insurer have seen their premiums increase by an average $476 as a result of the insurer inspecting their property. Citizens Property Insurance...
Florida City: Please Stop Stealing Stop Signs
Jul 29 2011 // Officials in Gainesville, Florida have a message for residents and visitors. Please stop stealing stop signs. Since Jan. 1, the city has replaced 52 stops signs taken from 14 locations around the city. Officials say one...
Florida Nudists Injured in Water Scooter Crash
Jul 29 2011 // Authorities say two people were injured when their water scooter hit a sea wall near Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee. An Osceola County Fire Rescue spokeswoman said the crash happened just before 8 p.m. Sunday. A...
Florida Officials Suspect Fraud in Rash of Kitchen Fires
Jul 29 2011 // Florida officials are investigating a spate of kitchen fires that have some wondering if they may have been started on purpose to receive money from insurance companies. State officials say what used to be a minor problem...
Florida Citizens Proceeds with Bid for 400% Sinkhole Rate Hike
Jul 28 2011 // Florida residents who purchase sinkhole insurance through the state-back Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could be looking at increases of more than 400 percent for the optional coverage next year. By a 4-0 vote, the...
