Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Rejects Extending Surcharge Ban for Not-At-Fault Accidents
May 14 2009 // Florida officials have rejected a rule that would have expanded a ban on auto insurance surcharges for drivers involved in collisions where they were not found at fault. The state currently prohibits insurers from...
Florida Agents, Consumer Advocate Agree: Insurance Rates Must Go Up
May 14 2009 // With the start of the hurricane season just a few weeks away, a leading Florida consumer advocate joined independent agents at a press conference today to warn that property insurance rates need to be raised if insurers...
Florida Officials, State Farm Expect to Resolve Withdrawal Terms By June 15
May 13 2009 // Representatives of Florida insurance regulators and State Farm Florida believe they will be able to resolve their differences over how the insurer may exit the state’s insurance marketplace by June 15. Lawyers for...
Florida Gov. Crist to Sign Property Insurance Rate Hike Bill
May 6 2009 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist says he’ll sign legislation that increases property insurance rates by 10 percent on more than 1 million customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Crist said that...
Florida Insurance Broker Can’t Take It Any Longer
May 5 2009 // Well, I’m sorry but I just cannot take it any longer. To quote our very own Insurance Commissioner: “I must also finally break down and respond to some of the more recent articles. Errors in fact and rhetorical...
The Woodlands Financial Group Opens Branches in Florida, Maryland
May 5 2009 // Texas-based The Woodlands Financial Group Inc. (TWFG), a retail and managing general agency specializing in property/casualty and life/ health insurance, and financial planning, announced the opening of new branch...
Improved Credit Markets Could Aid Shaky Florida Hurricane Fund
May 4 2009 // The Florida Cabinet received a bit of encouraging news recently about the state’s tenuous hurricane catastrophe fund when the head of Florida’s investments told them a loosening credit market provides the...
Florida Lawmakers Pass Surplus Lines Insurance Regulation Exemption
May 4 2009 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has a bill on his desk that promises to clarify the state’s regulation of the surplus lines insurance business. The Florida Senate on May 1 joined in the House in passing the measure...
Florida’s Soto Honored with Top Insurance Agent Award
May 4 2009 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (the Big “I”) has awarded Alex Soto with the Woodworth Memorial Award, the highest honor the association bestows on one of its members. The Woodworth Memorial...
Florida Restores Cap on Workers Compensation Attorneys’ Fees
May 4 2009 // The Florida Senate voted 22-16 to restore a cap on attorneys’ fees in workers’ compensation cases. The measure, backed by the state’s insurance regulator and previously passed by the House, 84-35, now...
Key Provisions of Property Insurance Bill Passed in Florida
May 4 2009 // Key provisions of the measure, HB 1495, sent to Gov. Charlie Crist by lawmakers on May 1, as identified by the Florida Banking and Insurance Committee staff include: Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Implements a rate...
Florida Governor Undecided on 10% Property Insurance Hike Measure
May 4 2009 // Customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. in Florida will be paying 10 percent more for their property insurance by Jan. 1 under a bill headed to Gov. Charlie Crist. The Senate passed the bill (HB...
New York-Based Insurance Broker BWD Group Expands to Florida
May 4 2009 // With the addition of Saul Landesberg as regional vice president, BWD Group LLC opened a Florida office of its insurance and risk management brokerage operation. Landesberg, a long time resident of the Tampa area, will...
Florida Passes Bill Giving Insurance Firms Credit for School Vouchers
May 1 2009 // A bill to strengthen a private school voucher program for children from low-income families is going to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. The measure would give insurance companies dollar-for-dollar credits against premium taxes...
Hub Sells ABCO Insurance Wholesaler to Former Owner
Apr 29 2009 // Insurance broker Hub International Limited is selling some of its Florida wholesale and specialty insurance business back to a previous owner. Hub said it is selling Hub International Florida, including wholesaler ABCO...
Florida Bills Limiting Cell Phone Use By Drivers Hit Dead End
Apr 29 2009 // Several bills that would have restricted drivers who talk or text message on their cell phones appear to be headed toward a dead end in the Florida Legislature. The bills would have banned drivers from sending text...
Florida Senate, House Seek to Close Property Insurance Legislation Gaps
Apr 29 2009 // The Florida House and Senate are trying informally to work out differences in bills to address the state’s property insurance crisis, including how much rates for more than one million customers of the state-backed...
Florida Rep. Proctor Challenges Commissioner McCarty’s Insurance View
Apr 28 2009 // In my opinion, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty’s assertions that our state has “one of the most” competitive property insurance markets in the country and that easing rate regulation will not...
Insurers’ Taxes Could Back Florida Private School Voucher Program
Apr 27 2009 // A private school voucher program for children from low-income families in Florida would be strengthened by a bill the House passed last week, but critics say it would be another financial blow for public...
Florida House Approves Property Insurance Measure
Apr 27 2009 // The Florida House has approved property insurance legislation that promises to reduce the exposure of the state’s backup hurricane insurance fund and gradually raise rates for policyholders insured in state-backed...
