Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lawsuit: Teens’ Bodies Misidentified, Switched After Fatal Florida Car Crash
Mar 10 2020 // The parents of two teenagers killed in a car crash are suing the Florida Highway Patrol and others, claiming the bodies of their daughters were misidentified and switched. The lawsuits follow a July 29 crash in the...
Florida Insurer Security First Appoints Burt DeVriese as President
Mar 10 2020 // The Security First Board of Directors has approved Melissa Burt DeVriese to serve as president and Locke Burt as chairman and chief executive officer of Security First, effective immediately. Quality Assurance led by Mark...
Auto Insurer Windhaven National Ordered Into Liquidation by Texas Court
Mar 9 2020 // Texas-based private passenger auto insurer Windhaven National Insurance Co. (WNIC), a subsidiary of Windhaven Insurance, has been ordered into liquidation at the request of the Texas Department of Insurance, which was...
Windhaven Insurance Ceasing Operations; Texas Placing Windhaven National into Receivership
Mar 9 2020 // Auto and home insurer Windhaven Insurance has alerted its agents and employees that it is winding down the insurance operations of its entities, including Windhaven National Insurance Co., ClutchAnalytics and The Hearth...
One U.S. State May Look at Insurers’ Fossil Fuel Investments and Underwriting to Combat Climate Change
Mar 5 2020 // A Connecticut lawmaker has plans for a bill that not only calls for the state to look at which insurers have fossil fuel investments – a growing trend among government entities as of late – but also which ones are...
Update: Demotech Evaluating 2019 Results of Florida Carriers, Expects ‘Many’ Downgrades
Mar 4 2020 // Ratings agency Demotech is currently reviewing the 2019 fourth quarter earnings and year-end financials of the Florida insurers it rates after indicating in January that several Florida domestic insurers could receive...
Popular Climate Change Mitigation, Clean Energy Financing Plan Has Its Fans and Foes
Mar 4 2020 // A decade ago, if a Floridian wanted extra cash to replace a roof, install solar panels or a brand new air conditioner, the most common choice was a bank loan. But for the last few years, homeowners also have had a...
Three Florida Men Plead Guilty to Scamming Homeowners After Hurricane Michael
Mar 2 2020 // Three men have pleaded guilty to scamming Florida Panhandle homeowners out of about $319,000 by promising to repair hurricane damage and never doing the work. Edward Newton, Christoper Mayes and Christian Pantazonis each...
Agency M&As: Private Equity Still in Driver’s Seat; Digital Agencies Attract Attention
Mar 2 2020 // The private equity bandwagon continued to roll through the insurance agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions territory in 2019. As many as two-thirds of all deals involved private equity, according to experts. Most...
Florida Police Sergeant Arrested for Filing Fraudulent Claim Over Sunken Boat
Mar 2 2020 // A sergeant with the Tampa Police Department has been arrested on a charge of filing a false and fraudulent insurance claim to defraud his insurance company after his 23-foot boat sank, a statement from the Florida...
New Florida Law Ensures Police Officers Can Park Marked Vehicles at Home
Feb 28 2020 // Some Florida law enforcement officers have been told they aren’t allowed to park their marked cars at home, but that’s about to change. One of the first bills in the 2020 legislative session signed into law...
The Hagar Group, Bruening Insurance Agency Join Renaissance Alliance in Florida
Feb 28 2020 // Renaissance Alliance Insurance Services, a membership alliance for independent insurance agencies, has added two new independent insurance agencies to its Florida network. The new agencies include Bruening Insurance Agency...
Windhaven Insurance Ceasing Operations, Assets to be Auctioned Off
Feb 27 2020 // Auto and home insurer Windhaven Insurance has alerted its agents and employees in Florida that it is winding down the insurance operations of its entities, including Windhaven National Insurance Co., ClutchAnalytics and...
AssuredPartners Acquires Superior Benefits of Florida
Feb 26 2020 // AssuredPartners, Inc. has acquired Superior Benefits, Inc. of Tampa, Fla., a national employee benefits agency with $1.5 million in annualized revenues. Superior Benefits staff will remain under the operational leadership...
Florida Carriers Seek Staggering Rate Increases Amid Market Turmoil
Feb 25 2020 // It’s no surprise that Florida carriers are raising homeowners’ insurance rates given several years of catastrophes and losses from litigation related to assignment of benefits and water damage claims. What may...
AM Best: Florida Insurers Brace for Challenging June Reinsurance Renewals
Feb 24 2020 // Anticipated reinsurance rate increases for Florida-specific property insurance companies in the upcoming June 2020 renewal period potentially could pressure the more thinly capitalized companies in the market, according to...
Agricultural Industry Looks to Dogs as the Next Crop Inspectors
Feb 24 2020 // Dogs specially trained by the federal government’s Agricultural Research Service scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing — also known as citrus greening — according to...
Appalachian Underwriters Adds Ashman as External Marketing Rep in West Florida
Feb 21 2020 // Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. has hired Carol Ashman as its new external marketing representative for Western Florida. She will focus on building agent relationships in the Florida Panhandle. She comes to AUI with 16...
Fort Lauderdale Fined $1.8M by Florida Officials After Multiple Sewage Spills
Feb 21 2020 // The state of Florida is fining the city of Fort Lauderdale $1.8 million for a series of massive sewage spills that have sent sent toxic sewage onto streets and into waterways since December. The Florida Department of...
Bills in Congress, States Seek to Curb Litigation Funding
Feb 20 2020 // Lawmakers in three states and in Congress have introduced bills to impose more controls on litigation funding companies, which insurers contend are one of the factors leading to an increase in “nuclear...
