Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
It Figures
Jun 2 2008 // 88 The number of fires that collectively burned across Florida on more than one day in May, according to the Florida Division of Forestry. As of May 19, fires burned nearly 44,000 acres. Authorities issued a dense smoke...
Credit Woes May Cause Turbulence in Catastrophe Markets
Jun 2 2008 // Florida, Louisiana and Texas may be most at risk The credit crunch in the U.S. financial markets that boiled over due to the subprime mortgage meltdown may affect the ability of insurers and reinsurers that cover coastal...
FEMA Emergency Housing Options Include Pre-Fabricated Cottages
May 30 2008 // Disaster victims might one day watch their homes and communities be rebuilt from the cool comfort of a front porch. The porches are a feature of prefabricated cottages designed for Hurricane Katrina’s victims as an...
Good Time to Lock in Property Insurance Pricing, Advise Brokers
May 30 2008 // Science and technology are converging with risk management to help insurers negotiate the current hurricane season such that it’s now possible to use short-term hurricane forecasts — as few as 10 days out...
Fla. Gov. Signs Law Extending Citizens Rate Freeze; Nixes Private Incentive
May 29 2008 // Gov. Charlie Crist has signed homeowners insurance legislation in Florida that extends for another year a rate freeze for the 1.2 million customers of state-backed Citizens Insurance whose premiums in some cases are...
Sheriff: Nude Maid Strips Florida Home of $40K in Jewelry
May 29 2008 // A nude maid really cleaned up at a Florida man’s home. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says the maid stole more than $40,000 from a Cheval home despite not wearing any clothes. The 50-year-old man...
State Regulators Call for More Study of Credit Scoring Use in Insurance
May 28 2008 // State regulators recently told Congress that more study of the use of credit scoring by insurance companies is needed to determine if the practice is unfairly discriminatory. “As state regulators, it is our sincere...
Florida Reaches $4 Million Insurance Settlement with Aon
May 23 2008 // Florida reached a settlement with Aon Corp., after the insurance broker received undisclosed compensation in connection with the placement of insurance coverage on behalf of Florida policyholders, state officials...
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Motorcycle Theft Ring
May 22 2008 // A Lee County, Florida man pleaded guilty for his involvement in a string of motorcycle thefts, according to state Attorney General Bill McCollum. Christian Torres Lopez, 28, will be sentenced for his participation in the...
Florida Commissioner Approves More Policy Removals from Citizens
May 21 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty approved the plans of six insurance companies to remove another 100,000 policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. in June. Some of the companies already began taking out...
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Offers Rate Filing Seminar
May 21 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has scheduled a symposium to instruct insurance company representatives to make rate filings more accurate and complete and in compliance with Florida law. The information session...
88 Fires Burning Across Florida Causing Smoky Conditions
May 20 2008 // Many Florida residents are experiencing smoky conditions because of a large fire in the Everglades and other fires throughout the state. The Florida Division of Forestry says there are 88 active fires across the state that...
Florida Weighs Reinsurance Collateral Rule Change
May 19 2008 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation held a public hearing recently on a draft rule that would give the insurance commissioner discretion to allow unaccredited reinsurance companies to conduct business in Florida...
Floridians Could See Increased Surcharge on Insurance Policies
May 19 2008 // Florida residents could soon be faced with increased surcharges on their home, auto and other insurance policies because the state’s catastrophe fund needs more money to pay claims from past hurricanes. The Florida...
A.M. Best: Credit Woes May Cause Turbulence in Catastrophe Markets
May 19 2008 // The credit crunch in the U.S. financial markets that boiled over after the subprime mortgage meltdown may affect the ability of insurers and reinsurers that cover coastal areas to raise cash for claims if a major hurricane...
Florida Workers’ Compensation Reforms Lowered Costs for a Year
May 19 2008 // Workers’ compensation costs per claim in Florida appear to have decreased in 2004 in the wake of reforms enacted in 2003, but the decrease did not continue in 2005, according to a new study by the Workers...
Florida Limits Public Adjusters’ Fees
May 19 2008 // The Florida Senate passed a bill to limit the contingency fees charged by public adjusters and prohibit intrusive solicitation practices. The law also requires a person to work as an apprentice under the supervision of a...
It Figures
May 19 2008 // 45 The number of ATV-related deaths in West Virginia in 2007, prompting Huntington’s City Council’s vote to ban all-terrain vehicles from public roads and property. The unanimous vote on April 28 modifies a...
Declarations
May 19 2008 // Judge in Awe “I have never experienced anything like these 124 cases in my 15 years on the bench. These cases have generated a tremendous amount of publicity, both in West Virginia and nationally. These are not...
Florida Insureds of Bankrupt Poe Seek Filing Deadline Extension
May 19 2008 // Property owners in Florida who had policies with the now-bankrupt Poe Financial Group did not receive sufficient notice of a June deadline to dispute claims in court, lawyers argued April 30 after filing a class-action...
