Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Citizens Revises Ian Loss Estimate to $3.8B, Including Litigation Expenses
Nov 15 2022 // Direct losses, litigation and other expenses from Hurricane Ian will reach $3.8 billion for Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp., but that’s still below the threshold that would trigger an assessment on...
Nicole’s Insured Losses Less Than $1B, but Some Florida Homes Washed Into the Sea
Nov 14 2022 // Insured losses from Hurricane Nicole, a category 1 storm that came ashore on Florida’s east coast last week, will be no more than $750 million, a fraction of the level of losses caused by Hurricane Ian six weeks...
Tropical Storm Nicole Weakened Over Florida But Emergency Orders Remained in Effect
Nov 10 2022 // Tropical Storm Nicole was over west central Florida to the northeast of Tampa at 10 a.m., having weakened from being a Category 1 hurricane when it made landfall earlier in the morning on the coast. Nicole’s maximum...
Rare but Not Unprecedented: Nicole Threatens Florida as a November Hurricane
Nov 9 2022 // With just over three weeks to go until the official end of the 2022 North Atlantic Hurricane season, Subtropical Storm Nicole – the fourteenth named storm of the year, could be a rarely seen event – a hurricane in...
Florida Approves 8.4% Decrease in Workers’ Comp Rates Without Asking for More
Nov 8 2022 // The Florida insurance commissioner has approved a decrease in overall workers’ compensation rates for 2023, and he did not demand a sharper decrease from actuaries. The National Council on Compensation Insurance in...
Florida Insurance Agent Charged with Absconding with $41,000 in Premiums
Nov 8 2022 // When a big property owner in Naples, Florida, recently tried to refinance some loans, the owner was surprised to discover that 31 properties had no insurance – despite having paid thousands of dollars in premiums. Late...
Ahem, Florida Lawmakers: State Insurance Market Badly Needs an Oil Change
Nov 7 2022 // As the Florida Legislature prepares for its 2nd Special Session on property insurance in 2022, it’s time we examine why our market sputtered out of control and discuss the necessary solutions to fix it. Many...
Florida Workers’ Comp Agency Sets Workshop for Rules on Exempt Officers
Nov 7 2022 // The Florida Division of Workers Compensation will hold a workshop Nov. 16 on proposed changes to rules that govern when and how corporate officers can exempt themselves from workers’ compensation coverage. Current...
Hurricane Ian Wrecked Man-Made Reefs, Brings Algae Bloom to Florida
Nov 4 2022 // Hurricane Ian not only ravaged southwest Florida on land but was destructive underwater as well. It destroyed man-made reefs and brought along red tide, the harmful algae blooms that kill fish and birds, according to...
As Special Session Nears, Florida Chamber Urges More Property Insurance Reforms
Nov 2 2022 // Florida is in the midst of a swirling storm with a property insurance market that has been described as in free fall. In late August, we marked the 30th anniversary of Category 5 Hurricane Andrew making landfall in South...
Exclusion Wording Not Clear, Florida Appeals Court Says in Air Quality Case
Nov 1 2022 // Despite repeated references to “water damage,” the ambiguous wording of a policy exclusion by Southern-Owners Insurance Co. does not necessarily bar those types of claims, a Florida appeals court found in a...
Lawyer Who Fought Florida Helmet Laws Died in Crash Without Helmet
Oct 31 2022 // In the late 1990s, when Florida bikers were still required to wear helmets, Pinellas lawyer Ron Smith was an aggressive advocate for overturning the law. Smith was a member of ABATE — A Brotherhood Against...
Florida Cat Fund May Borrow Billions Next Year, Even Without Another Storm
Oct 28 2022 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund is well equipped to handle losses from Hurricane Ian, which are now estimated to cost the fund about $10 billion, but it could mean the fund will have to borrow billions next year –...
Fagan to Replace Koscielny at Florida Peninsula Insurance
Oct 26 2022 // The Florida Peninsula Insurance group of companies announced that Joe Fagan will replace Michael Koscielny as vice president of underwriting for Peninsula and its subsidiary, Edison Insurance Co. Fagan Fagan has spent 16...
Florida High Court: Settlement Stands, Even Though Comp Insurer Named on Check
Oct 25 2022 // Adam Sounders agreed to settle his personal-injury lawsuit against a trucking company for $500,000, but pulled out of the deal when he received a settlement check that included a workers’ compensation lien holder as...
With Less Reinsurance for Reinsurers, Prices Set to Rise Again for Florida Carriers
Oct 25 2022 // It has been three weeks since Hurricane Ian struck Florida on Sept. 28, 2022. The storm took at least 119 lives and caused estimated insured losses ranging from $31 billion to $74 billion, with most estimates in the $60...
Hurricane Ian Came at the Worst Possible Time for SW Florida Agriculture
Oct 24 2022 // Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida at the worst possible time for many in the agricultural community, cutting a path through the heart of Florida’s citrus belt and smashing tomato fields just before the...
Florida Offering $5 Million to Help Needy Hurricane Victims Pay Insurance Deductibles
Oct 24 2022 // The Florida Housing Finance Corp. is providing $5 million to help low- to moderate-income families and individuals in six counties hit by Hurricane Ian to pay their homeowners’ property insurance deductibles, Gov....
Florida Sees Rise in Flesh-Eating Bacteria Amid Ian Flooding and Destruction
Oct 21 2022 // Florida has seen an increase in cases of flesh-eating bacteria this year driven largely by a surge in the county hit hardest by Hurricane Ian. The state Department of Health reports that as of Friday there have been 65...
Florida Governor Plans to Call Second Special Session to Tackle Insurance Crisis
Oct 21 2022 // Florida’s besieged property insurance industry is hoping the second time will be the charm, after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he is working with lawmakers to schedule another special session to help stablilize...
