Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California, Florida, Texas Lead Nation in Motorcycle Thefts
Jul 24 2006 // California (9,110 thefts) leads the nation in motorcycle theft rates in 2005, with Florida (6,324) following in second, and Texas (5,755)coming in third, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Other states...
The excess flood market steps up where NFIP drops off
Jul 24 2006 // The historical lessons learned from Katrina and Rita and looming predictions of a future with bigger and stronger storms highlight more than ever before the importance of flood insurance, even in locations where it was...
Former FEMA director promotes state, federal disaster mediation
Jul 24 2006 // Federal and state governments need to work with insurance companies to sponsor disaster mediation programs before something happens, before people who have worked all their lives for everything they have, then all of a...
Citizens Agrees to Renew, Write New Builder’s Risk Coverage in Florida
Jul 21 2006 // A policy change that will allow Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to renew existing builder’s risk policies and write new policies was unanimously approved by the board of governors during a July 21 emergency...
Florida Job Site Sweep Results in Three Workers’ Comp Arrests
Jul 20 2006 // Job site inspections in St. Lucie County, Fla. have resulted in the arrests of three individuals and the issuance of 15 Cease and Desist orders for unauthorized workers and two citations of $2,500 for unlicensed...
Fla. Office of Insurance Regulation Implements New Format for Public Hearings
Jul 20 2006 // A new format for public hearings and plans to broadcast future hearings on cable television has been announced by Kevin McCarty, Florida Insurance Commissioner. There will be a public hearing in Tallahassee, Fla. Aug. 3 at...
State Farm to Boost Property Insurance Rates More Than 50 Percent
Jul 20 2006 // State Farm, one of Florida’s largest insurers, will raise property insurance rates by an average of 52.7 percent this year under a plan approved Tuesday by state regulators. The Bloomington, Ill.-based company said...
CFO Candidate: Fla. State Needs More Public Input in Premium Hikes, Not Less
Jul 20 2006 // Florida regulators aren’t getting enough input from the public before approving property insurance rate increases, state chief financial officer candidate Randy Johnson said Tuesday. Johnson, a Republican state...
Commissioner Comments On State Farm’s 52.7 Percent Rate Request
Jul 19 2006 // According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation State Farm Florida Insurance Company is now requesting a statewide average rate hike of 52.7 percent, an amended rate request that agrees with OIR calculations. On...
Fla. Beefs Up Emergency Response Team Preparedness
Jul 19 2006 // Most tests involve paper, a pencil and maybe a calculator, but this one will involve concrete, steel and human resolve. On July 20, members of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces from Tampa Bay, Central Florida,...
Florida Announces Initial Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program Details
Jul 18 2006 // Roof deck attachment, secondary water barriers, roof coverings, brace gable ends, reinforced roof-to-wall connections, opening protection and exterior doors, including garage doors, are included in a two-step process to be...
Hurricane Info Website Launched; Poll Shows Coastal Residents Unprepared
Jul 13 2006 // The launch of a new National Hurricane Survival Initiative and a new website that answers frequently asked questions about hurricanes and enables consumers to judge their readiness for such an event has been launched by...
Fla. Commissioner Supports Tougher Panhandle Building Codes
Jul 12 2006 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has testified before the Florida Building Commission on the need to expand Florida’s tougher building codes to areas of the Panhandle that had been exempted. The Florida...
Fla. Public Hurricane Model Data Available Online
Jul 12 2006 // The Florida Public Hurricane Model is now available on the Office of Insurance Regulation’s website according to Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty. Statewide data showing aggregate results of insurance company...
IIAT Publishes Texas Agency Catastrophe Planning Guide
Jul 12 2006 // After 15 years of quiet, the Texas Gulf Coast woke up last year to the possibility of a windstorm so severe that it could devastate coastal property for years, affect the economy of the entire state, and strain the ability...
Florida State University Wins $6.2M Grant to Foretell Future Hurricane Strength
Jul 11 2006 // The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a $6.2 million, five-year grant to the Florida State University Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Studies to develop a new tool that could possibly see the...
Sen. Smith Unveils ‘Comprehensive Plan’ to Fix Florida’s Insurance Woes
Jul 11 2006 // Without a real, comprehensive and workable plan, accumulating financial stress could destroy the viability of the Florida’s insurance market and leave millions of Floridians without affordable and reliable insurance...
Fla. Commission Hears Plea for Stronger Building Codes in Panhandle
Jul 11 2006 // Stronger hurricane-resistant construction requirements in Florida’s counties comprising the state’s Panhandle region were recommended in testimony to the Florida Building Commission by the American Insurance...
III”s Stewart to Retire; Hartwig to Succeed
Jul 11 2006 // Gordon Stewart will retire December 31, 2006 from the Insurance Information Institute after 15 years as president of the organization. Dr. Robert P. Hartwig, senior vice president and chief economist of the I.I.I., was...
Wachovia Insurance Services Enters Miami Market
Jul 10 2006 // Wachovia Insurance Services announced in Charlotte, N.C. that it has acquired Miami, Fla.-based U.S. Insurance Underwriters in a deal that provides Wachovia its first entry into the Miami market through a well-established...
