Latest Florida Headlines

All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.

S. Fla. Cracks Down: Car-wreck Insurance Fraud Con Artists Targeted

Jan 17 2005 // South Florida insurance fraud artists are becoming so rampant in the area that authorities have launched a campaign to catch area con artists who stage car wrecks and bilk insurance companies of hundreds of thousands of...

Patkus Resigns as President/COO of Harleysville; Moves to The Hanover as Regional VP

Jan 17 2005 // M. Lee Patkus, president and chief operating officer of Harleysville Group Inc., has resigned his positions and will leave the company on Jan. 21, 2005. He will begin a new position as regional vice president of The...

AIR White Paper Analyzes Multiple Catastrophes

Jan 14 2005 // Boston-based AIR Worldwide Corporation has released a white paper entitled “Analyzing and Preparing for Multiple Event Seasons,” which it said demonstrates how the industry can “prepare for multiple...

Fla. H.B. 117 to Require Certification for Mold Remediation Professionals

Jan 14 2005 // Legislation to require mold professionals working in Florida to be trained, licensed and certified has been filed by Rep. Carl J. Domino (R-West Palm Beach). House Bill 117, co-sponsored by Rep. Franklin Sands (D-Weston),...

PCI Asks Fla. Committee: Give Hurricane Reforms Time Before Making Changes

Jan 14 2005 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America urged Florida lawmakers meeting today in Tallahassee to allow the reforms made to hurricane insurance deductibles during the special legislative session to have time to...

Fla. Legislative Committees Preparing for 2005 Session

Jan 12 2005 // An overview of property and casualty issues, homeowners, commercial property, PIP, medical malpractice and workers’ compensation have been presented to Florida legislative committees by Gary Guzzo, Florida Insurance...

Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. Personal Lines Division Back to Accepting New Applications; Fla. Targeted Market

Jan 12 2005 // Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. on Wednesday announced that its personal lines division, Liberty American Insurance Group, has resumed accepting new insurance applications for its homeowners, condominium and rental...

Citizens to Dramatically Raise Fla. Premiums

Jan 11 2005 // Florida homeowners with Citizens Property Insurance Corporation policies will be shocked this spring when their renewal notices arrive and they discover that the cost of premiums have risen dramatically, some by as much as...

Fla. Agent Fled to Ga.; Apprehended on Felony Charges

Jan 11 2005 // A Florida insurance agent who allegedly failed to place auto and general liability coverage for at least 11 trucking companies has been apprehended in Georgia on an outstanding warrant. Kim Laustra, 43, was an agent at the...

Snow-birds Flocking to Fla., Filing 8,000 Damage Claims Per Week

Jan 10 2005 // Snow-birds who only come to Florida in the winter are accounting for an average of 8,000 new hurricane damage claims per week according to the Hurricane Insurance Information Center and the Florida Insurance Council. More...

State Farm, Fla. A/G Crist Agree to Reimburse Customers Who Bought Damaged, Stolen Cars

Jan 10 2005 // Florida motorists may be eligible for refunds of as much as $20,000 under a nationwide agreement to benefit individuals who unknowingly purchased damaged or stolen cars from State Farm Mutual Insurance Company. Attorney...

Four Fla. Companies Canceling 9,000 Policies, One Firm Leaving the State

Jan 7 2005 // Four small insurance companies are in the process of canceling 9,000 policies, while one is leaving Florida, according to Valerie Beynon, an Office of Insurance Regulation spokeswoman. Liberty American, Penn Charter,...

Mutiple Deductible Reimbursement Program Lauched to Aid Fla. Hurricane Victims

Jan 6 2005 // The program to reimburse Floridians who were subject to multiple insurance deductibles because their homes were damaged by more than one hurricane in 2004 was launched today by Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom...

Thirteen Fla. Insurers Request 11 to 60 Percent Policy Rate Hikes

Jan 5 2005 // Thirteen Florida insurance companies have requested 11 to 60 percent premium rate increases from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). Regulators will be reviewing the requests this month and will either...

Fla. CEO Gives Citizens Task Force Performance-Improving Goals

Jan 5 2005 // With the next hurricane season due to begin in six months, Tom Gallagher, Florida Chief Financial Officer met with the Citizens Property Insurance task force today in Tallahassee and outlined performance-improving...

Florida: Still a Long Way to Go

Jan 3 2005 // Disgruntled homeowners attempting to repair residences destroyed by hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne applauded Florida legislators after they unanimously approved a bill to reimburse them for multiple...

WINDSTORM CONFERENCE SLATED IN TAMPA:

Jan 3 2005 // Max Mayfield, National Hurricane Center director and Bill Bailey, Hurricane Insurance Information Center director will join leading property insurance industry experts speaking at the Feb. 1 — 4, Sixth Annual...

Fla. Legislature Approves Refunds, Slates Special January Sessions

Jan 3 2005 // Florida’s storm-ravaged hurricane victims made top-of-the page headlines in newspapers and were interviewed “Live at Five” on television news broadcasts during mid-December as the Florida Legislature met...

North Pointe Taking Over 60,000 American Superior Policies

Jan 3 2005 // North Pointe Casualty Insurance Company has agreed to offer replacement homeowners’ coverage to 60,000 Florida policyholders previously covered by American Superior Insurance Company, according to Tom Gallagher,...

Two New Insurance Companies Receive Fla. Approval, Certificates

Jan 3 2005 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has issued Certificates of Authority to two new insurance companies, Gulfstream Property and Casualty Insurance Company, and Southern Oak Insurance Company. Both companies will...