Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fla. Gov. Crist Signs Bill to Bring Back No-Fault Auto Insurance
Oct 11 2007 // Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation that will re-enact Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law and ensure that drivers have $10,000 worth of health care benefits through personal injury protection or PIP coverage...
Fla. Official Proposes CAT Fund Reform, Reinsurers Respond Positively
Oct 10 2007 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink presented a proposal that would give the state the ability to set both the reinsurance levels and pricing of the Cat Fund’s optional coverages, giving greater flexibility and...
Fla. Insurance Regulators Deny USAA Rate Hike, Cancel Hearing
Oct 9 2007 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation disapproved a rate increase filing submitted by United Services Automobile Association, USAA Casualty Insurance Co. and USAA General Indemnity Co. As a result of the disapproval,...
Home Insurance Buyers Guide Launches Web site for Florida
Oct 9 2007 // Home Insurance Buyers Guide LLC launched a searchable database where homeowners can find private insurance companies still writing new homeowner insurance business in Florida. The launch of the Web site at...
Fla. high court affirms insurers need pay for covered perils only
Oct 8 2007 // Florida’s valued policy law means property insurance companies are only responsible for actual damages caused by perils that are specifically cited in the policy, the Florida Supreme Court has affirmed in a key...
Fla. high court affirms insurers need pay for covered perils only
Oct 8 2007 // Florida’s valued policy law means property insurance companies are only responsible for actual damages caused by perils that are specifically cited in the policy, the Florida Supreme Court has affirmed in a key...
Florida Legislature Passes No-Fault Car Insurance for Jan. 1 Return
Oct 6 2007 // Florida drivers, you may want to be a little more careful than usual for the rest of the year. Despite the fact that it caused a lot of late nights and tension for lawmakers and lobbyists this month, most people in Florida...
Florida Couple Accept Settlement in Lawsuit Against State Farm
Oct 6 2007 // A lawsuit in a Mississippi court over Hurricane Katrina damage ended last week with a settlement between the insurance company and the Florida couple. It was the first Katrina-related insurance case to be brought in a...
Fla. Gov., CFO Praise Legislators’ Work on Reforming No-Fault Law
Oct 5 2007 // After months of negotiations, the Florida Senate and House of Representatives today passed legislation to reform Florida’s 30-year-old Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink...
Fla. Insurance Trade Group Names New Officers
Oct 4 2007 // Effective Oct. 1, Phil Zelman will lead the Professional Insurance Agents of Florida as president. Zelman is the vice president and co-owner of NCF Insurance Associates in Coral Gables and has been an independent agent for...
Fla. Governor: Some Insurance Rate Filings Will Likely be Rejected
Oct 4 2007 // Despite a Florida law passed in January that officials promised would lower property insurance rates, many companies this week have requested to raise rates. Gov. Charlie Crist said, however, that insurance regulators...
For Small Fla. Insurer, Sunshine State Brings Storm Clouds
Oct 3 2007 // From “Happy Days” to “The Perfect Storm” is how one Florida insurance executive describes her state’s turbulent and defining years between 2003 and 2007 – and she isn’t talking...
Fla. Releases Medical Malpractice Report, Favorable Trend Continues
Oct 3 2007 // A recent state-sponsored report showed a continuing trend of recovery for the Florida medical malpractice industry – an industry that experienced double-digit rate increases and lack of availability prior to the 2003...
State Farm Reduces Fla. Rates Again, Saves Policyholders $23 Million
Oct 3 2007 // State Farm Insurance implemented an additional 2 percent rate reduction for Florida policyholders, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. The rate reduction comes on the heels of a 7 percent State Farm...
Florida’s John Handel Appoints President
Oct 1 2007 // Florida Excess & Surplus Lines wholesaler John Handel & Associates Inc., appointed Lorna W. Palmer as president and chief executive officer. After a 10-year stint with a Massachusetts Agency, Palmer joined St....
Fla. Gov. Expands Special Session to Include No-Fault
Oct 1 2007 // In a Florida Special Legislative Session originally called to focus on the 2007-08 budget, Gov. Charlie Crist expanded the call to include renewing Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law, known as personal injury...
Speaker Asks Gov. to Add No-Fault to Florida Special Session
Sep 30 2007 // Florida House of Representatives Speaker Marco Rubio asked Gov. Charlie Crist to add auto insurance and property tax relief to the Legislature’s special session on budget-cutting next week after Senate President Ken...
The Offshore Tax Debate – Déjà vu – All over Again
Sep 28 2007 // At least that’s how Yogi Berra might describe it. On Sept. 25 William R. Berkley, chairman and CEO of the company of the same name, gave a detailed indictment before the Senate Finance Committee of the iniquities...
Insurers Outline Consequences of No-Fault Law Expiration in Florida
Sep 27 2007 // For the vast majority of policyholders, nothing will change on Oct. 1. Policyholders will still maintain the insurance coverage they had in place on Sept. 30 for the duration of their contract. Auto insurance policies are...
Fla. Agents Warn Consumers State-Backed Citizens Not Always Wise
Sep 27 2007 // Florida’s insurance agents are advising consumers seeking coverage from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to proceed cautiously, especially for those making comparisons with the private market. Coverage in the state...
