Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fla. Medical Examiners to Discuss FEMA’s Non-Hurricane Funeral Payments
Aug 10 2005 // The Florida Medical Examiners Commission will meet Thursday on Key Biscayne, Fla. to discuss findings indicating that the Federal Emergency Management Agency paid hurricane funeral claims in Florida amounting to $1.3...
Two Studies Reveal Increase in Motorcycle Deaths Due to Repeal of Florida Helmet Law
Aug 9 2005 // Motorcycle fatalities have risen sharply in Florida since the state repealed its mandatory helmet law, according to two studies, one by the government and the other by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The...
Society of Insurance Research Agenda: Natural Catastrophes, Legislative, Political Issues
Aug 9 2005 // Insurance implications of natural catastrophes, key legislative and political issues confronting insurers and how emerging technologies will affect the insurance business, will be discussed during Oct. 16 to 19 Society of...
Fla. Homeowners Rates to Rise by 6.8 Percent Again This Summer
Aug 8 2005 // Florida homeowners can expect to receive a 6.8 percent increase in their insurance rates to pay for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s deficit, according to Bob Hartwig, chief economist at the Insurance...
Two Floridians Join Citizen’s Property Insurance Board of Governors
Aug 5 2005 // John D. Collins and Julio G. Rebull, Jr. have been appointed by Tom Gallagher, Florida CFO to the board of governors of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s insurer of last resort. Collins is founder and...
Indiana-Based Insurance Scammers Get Fla. Prison Time
Aug 5 2005 // The operators of an Indiana-based insurance company that left 7,200 people with unpaid medical claims in one of the costliest, most extensive fraud schemes in Florida were sentenced to prison Wednesday, Florida officials...
Florida CFO Gallagher Questions Allstate Rate Request
Aug 5 2005 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher said that an independent review of Allstate Floridian Insurance Company’s request for higher rates shows deficiencies and raises troubling questions about the...
UPCIC Says No Increase Needed in ’06
Aug 5 2005 // Florida-based Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company (“UPCIC”), a subsidiary of Universal Insurance Holdings Inc., announced that it will not seek a rate increase on its homeowners’ insurance...
TRG Insurance Operators Sentenced to Jail; Authorities Seek $3M Restitution
Aug 4 2005 // Attorney General Charlie Crist has announced that two individuals have received prison sentences for their roles in an insurance scam. William Paul Crouse and Carmelo Zanfei – the principals of TRG Marketing, LLC...
Agent Arrested for Defrauding, Faking S. Fla. Seniors’ Policies
Aug 4 2005 // An insurance agent who targeted victims between the ages of 72 and 86 and fed on their fears about aging has been arrested for defrauding at least nine South Florida senior citizens by offering them a quote for one level...
$1.3M Arthur J. Gallagher Refund Motivates Fla. AG to Continue Brokerage Investigation
Aug 3 2005 // The Florida Attorney General’s Office is investigating why Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. sent a $1.3 million refund check to the City of Gainesville, Fla. to reimburse the city for overcharges that took place over...
PIA of Fla. Plans September ‘Hurricane Lessons,’ Legislative Summary
Aug 1 2005 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Florida have scheduled four meetings in September during which it will presented morning “Hurricane Lessons” and an afternoon summary of Florida insurance regulations and...
New Hampshire Insurance Requests Rate Hike In South Florida
Aug 1 2005 // New Hampshire Insurance Co. has asked state insurance regulators for permission to increase rates for its homeowner and condominium policies. Should state regulators give approval, the company’s premiums for...
DFS Tells PIA of Fla.: Global Insurance Group an ‘Unauthorized Entity’
Aug 1 2005 // Some Professional Insurance Agents of Florida members have contacted the association’s headquarters in Tallahassee to ask about Global Insurance Group Inc. headquartered in Aventura, Fla. Global has been aggressively...
Safeco Stops Writing New P/L Property Policies in Fla.; Will Stop Renewing Them in 2006
Jul 26 2005 // As of July 26, Safeco stopped writing new personal property policies in Florida and has notified the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation that at the beginning of 2006, it plans to stop renewing personal lines property...
Bill Gunter Elected to Florida Assoc. of Insurance Agent’s Board of Directors
Jul 26 2005 // Bill Gunter has been elected to the board of directors of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents in Tallahassee, Fla. Gunter is chairman and chief executive officer of Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn Insurance Inc., a...
Hurricane Dennis Losses Estimated at $900 Million in Four S.E. States
Jul 26 2005 // Insurance companies are expected to pay policyholders in four states $900 million on claims for insured property losses from Hurricane Dennis according to damage estimates released by the Florida Insurance Council and...
U.S. Rep. Seeks to Halt Denial of Insurance Due to Travel Plans
Jul 25 2005 // U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., was outraged when she applied for additional life insurance and was denied because she might travel to Israel at some unspecified point. So now she’s planning to file a...
Fla. Commissioner McCarty Issues Statement Backing TRIA’s Renewal
Jul 22 2005 // The removal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, set to expire Dec. 31, could return the insurance market to the uncertainty of the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, according to Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin...
Labor, Material Shortages Result in Unfinished Repairs in Florida
Jul 21 2005 // Contractors attempting to rebuild buildings destroyed in the Florida Panhandle by Hurricane Ivan last year, and Hurricane Dennis this month, claim their inability to complete repairs is due to a lack of labor; while...
