Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Hurricane Conference Presents Message of Preparedness
May 16 2008 // Preparing for hurricanes, despite two slow previous storm seasons, is key to the survival of Floridians and recovery efforts, officials said. About 2,800 people attended the 22nd Annual Governor’s Hurricane...
Firefighters Get Upper Hand on Florida Wildfire, Schools Open
May 16 2008 // Firefighters hoped to make further major gains against a wildfire that has charred thousands of acres along Florida’s Atlantic coast, as police questioned a man seen tossing a Molotov cocktail into nearby...
Florida Regulator Lifts Allstate Suspension; Continuing Compliance Required
May 16 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty ordered a stay of the suspension of the Allstate Companies’ licenses to sell new business in the state. McCarty’s decision comes as the result of Allstate’s...
Board Won’t Exclude 2 Investment Firms from Florida Bidding
May 15 2008 // Two major investment firms will advise Florida on financing its hurricane catastrophe insurance fund although Gov. Charlie Crist tried to exclude them. Crist wanted to keep Lehman Brothers and J.P. Morgan from joining the...
Arson-started Florida Wildfires Fueled by Growth
May 15 2008 // Wildfires that have gutted at least 40 homes along Florida’s Atlantic coast are believed to have been started by arsonists, but they got help from two classic Florida factors: rampant development and a year-round...
Florida-based Brightway Insurance Continues Statewide Expansion
May 15 2008 // Brightway Insurance of Jacksonville, Fla., recently acquired Mathis Insurance of Amelia Island, Fla. The acquisition tops off a year of expansion, during which Brightway added 10 new offices in seven cities throughout...
Ratings Roundup: AIG-Equity, MBIA, Great Lakes, Country-Wide, Infinity, Allstate, Farmers Mutual (Nebr.)
May 15 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A’ junior subordinated debt rating to American International Group Inc.’s $5 billion of equity units. S&P also said it has...
Florida Home Mitigation Grant Program Nears 35,000 Recipients
May 14 2008 // The My Safe Florida Home program is projecting it will exceed the Florida Legislature’s goal of approving 35,000 homeowners for grants by the end of May, according to Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink . The...
Florida Court Denies Allstate Rehearing; Business Ban in Force
May 14 2008 // Florida’s First District Court of Appeals fired the latest volley in an ongoing saga between Allstate Insurance and the Office of Insurance Regulation, re-suspending the insurer from writing new business in...
Central Florida Wildfires Prompt Evacuations, Road Closures
May 13 2008 // Brush fires shut down roads in central Florida on May 11 and forced evacuations, authorities said. A portion of Interstate 95 in Brevard County was shut down because of heavy smoke from a blaze near Malabar, the Orlando...
Report: Florida Workers’ Comp Reforms of 2003 Impacted Costs Per Claim
May 12 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 Authorities Work to Contain Wildfire at Lake Okeechobee
May 7 2008 // Florida officials are working to contain a wildfire at Lake Okeechobee. The state Division of Forestry says about 4,000 acres of muck and grass are burning on the dry lake bed near Moore Haven, about 80 miles west of West...
Insurers not Impressed with Florida’s Revamped Insurance Package
May 5 2008 // While many Florida lawmakers claim to be opposed to gambling, they don’t mind taking a chance on Mother Nature. They rolled the dice again on May 1, signing off on a new insurance bill that does little to alleviate...
Update: Central Florida Commuter Rail Stopped Dead in its Tracks
May 5 2008 // A deal to bring commuter rail to central Florida failed to win approval from the Legislature on May 2 and isn’t expected to move ahead any time soon with federal dollars for the project likely to dry up. Under the...
Revamped Insurance Package Passed by Florida House
May 2 2008 // Private property insurers will soon be more tightly regulated under a voluminous measure passed in the Florida House. The measure passed shortly before midnight on April 30. The 120-page bill provides incentives to attract...
Class-action Suit Filed in Florida against Insurance Deadline
May 2 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...
State Officials Praise Florida Public Adjuster Legislation
May 2 2008 // The Florida Senate passed a public adjuster reforms bill that will limit the contingency fees charged by adjusters and prohibit intrusive solicitation practices. Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and interim...
Excessive Speed, Stunts, Could Mean Prison Time for Florida Motorcyclists
May 1 2008 // Florida motorcycle riders would face increased fines and could end up in prison for excessive speeding and stunt riding under a bill that will now head to the governor’s desk. The purpose of the bill is to stop the...
Florida Fire Prompted Partial Jail Evacuation
Apr 30 2008 // Evacuation of a jail in Florida’s northwest Miami-Dade County was halted late Monday after fire rescue workers gained the upper hand on a nearby brush fire. “It’s in check right now,” said Lt. Elkin...
Insurance- ‘Green’ Coalition Opposes Expanding Government Catastrophe Bailouts
Apr 30 2008 // An unusual alliance of insurance and environmental groups is urging lawmakers to focus on policies that encourage property mitigation and environmental protection in catastrophe-prone areas, rather than expanding the...
