Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mix of Fireworks and Wrestlemania in Florida Cause Injuries, Mayhem
Apr 1 2008 // Fire department officials say a fireworks malfunction at a Wrestlemania event in Orlando, Fla., has left about 40 people with minor injuries. Fans packed the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium for the event Sunday night. Fire...
New Crane Rules Go into Effect Days After Fatal Florida Accident
Mar 31 2008 // A new ordinance that beefs up safety measures for cranes is in effect in Miami, Fla., days after a fatal accident. The new measure was actually prompted by a fatal crane accident in 2006. It requires crane operators to...
Florida-based FCCI Insurance Group Deploys Guidewire ClaimCenter
Mar 28 2008 // Commercial property and casualty insurer, FCCI Insurance Group of Sarasota, Fla., and Guidewire Software® announced that FCCI has successfully deployed Guidewire ClaimCenter® as its all-in-one claims system. Initially,...
Florida Senate Passes Bill to Reduce Insurers’ Catastrophe Coverage Limits
Mar 27 2008 // Legislation passed by the Florida Senate this week would reduce the amount of state-funded reinsurance that insurers can purchase under the temporary increase in coverage limit (TICL) program. The Senate bill would reduce...
Florida Insurance Commissioner Names Director of Market Investigations
Mar 27 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty promoted Jim Bennett to director of market investigations for the Office of Insurance Regulation. Bennett will report to General Counsel Steve Parton. Bennett joined the OIR in...
Florida’s Allstate Workplace Division Names Watkins
Mar 24 2008 // Florida-based Allstate Workplace Division, a subsidiary of The Allstate Corp., appointed W. Wayne Watkins, RHU as executive vice president, Sales and Distribution. In his new role, Watkins will oversee all the sales...
It Figures
Mar 24 2008 // $381 Million Kansas state officials say the winter storm that knocked power out to thousands of customers across Kansas continues to get costlier. The newest damage estimate puts the figure at $381 million. The Kansas...
Head-in-the-Sand Response Won’t Work for Florida Property Insurance
Mar 24 2008 // As the 2008 legislative session begins and hurricane season approaches, Florida’s businesses and homeowners continue to struggle with the increasing cost of property insurance. The quest for answers to the...
Florida House Passes Fire Prevention Bill
Mar 21 2008 // By unanimously passing the Fire Prevention and Control Bill, Florida Representatives would expand the state fire marshal’s investigative and enforcement functions. The Florida House Committee on Financial...
Florida Arson Officials: Polk County Fire Caused $22M in Damages
Mar 18 2008 // Florida officials arrested a Polk County man who allegedly set fire to a manufacturing plant, destroying the building and causing more than $22 million in damages, according to Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex...
Florida Lawmakers Propose Bundle of Bills to Make Roads Safer
Mar 18 2008 // Lawmakers are looking to make Florida roads safer with bills that deal with issues ranging from road rage to driver education programs. It’s not unusual to see a number of bills that tweak fines and modify existing...
Florida’s Main Street America Group Reports Results for 2007
Mar 17 2008 // Jacksonville, Fla.-based Main Street America Group reported its fiscal year 2007 ended on an high note with “some of the best financial results in its 84-year history.” The super regional property/casualty...
Average Homeowners Policy Rate Comparison is Meaningless
Mar 17 2008 // Despite the insurance industry’s traditional reliance on averages, averages don’t always make sense when comparing premiums. In Texas, as elsewhere, individual premiums are subject to so many variables — from...
Fla. Senate Makes Recommendations on Property Insurance Accountability
Mar 14 2008 // The Florida Senate Select Committee on Property Insurance Accountability wants to restrict reinsurance costs in rates and strengthen the excess profits law among other things. Co-chaired by Sen. Jeff Atwater, R- North Palm...
Florida Gov. Authorizes Emergency Declaration for Columbia County
Mar 14 2008 // Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order Thursday, authorizing an emergency declaration for Columbia County and Lake City in the wake of devastating tornadoes that struck the area earlier this month. On March...
2008 State Rankings: Sinners and Saints Among Tort Systems
Mar 14 2008 // Florida ranks the worst in terms of tort costs and litigation risks, while North Dakota ranks the best. In a separate ranking, Colorado has the best tort laws on its books, while Rhode Island has the worst. The free-market...
Florida Insurance Commissioner to Speak at Forum in Boca Raton
Mar 12 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty will be the featured speaker in Thursday’s executive forum series at the Florida Atlantic University College of Business in Boca Raton. McCarty will offer his perspectives...
Florida Insurance Commissioner Amends Citizens’ Take-Out Procedures
Mar 12 2008 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty signed an order approving Citizens Property Insurance Corp. take-out plans for the year and requiring Citizens to notify policyholders whose agents have refused to allow their...
AIG Expands Hurricane Service for High Net Worth Clients
Mar 11 2008 // AIG Private Client Group said it will begin offering its Hurricane Protection Unit service to some of it high net worth policyholders in New York, New Jersey and Florida. The service provides a hurricane mitigation...
Florida Hospital Error Prompts Parents to Prevent Similar Accidents
Mar 11 2008 // Horst and Luisa Ferrero, of Gainesville, Fla., took their 3-year-old, Sebastian, in for a medical exam last October. Two days later he was dead, killed by a series of medical errors that began with a massive drug...
