Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
HOA Settles Suit with Florida Woman Who Fed Vultures, Gators for $53K
Jan 27 2020 // A Florida woman who fed vultures, alligators and other wildlife behind her gated-community home has agreed to pay $53,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by homeowners association. Palm Beach County Judge Scott Kerner...
Florida Lawmakers Weigh Proposals to Fight Algae Blooms
Jan 27 2020 // The scum of blue-green algae was so thick and invasive in Florida two years ago that it suffocated fish by the thousands. Birds dropped dead. And people stayed out of the water. Offshore, a toxic swarm of rust-colored...
Industry Calls On Florida Lawmakers to Reform Lawsuit Abuse
Jan 27 2020 // Florida lawmakers are considering a number of insurance-focused issues over the course of the 60-day 2020 Legislative Session that started Jan. 14. At the top of the list for industry and consumer advocates are reforms to...
Florida Lawmakers Propose Task Force to Protect State from Sea-Level Rise
Jan 24 2020 // After years of mostly ignoring climate change, Florida lawmakers waded deeper into the matter on Tuesday, advancing a proposal that would create a statewide Office of Resiliency and establish a task force to begin looking...
Ratings Agencies Disagree Over Financial Strength of Florida Family Insurance Co.
Jan 23 2020 // The credit ratings of homeowners insurer Florida Family Insurance Co. and its subsidiary, Florida Family Home Insurance Co., have been downgraded by AM Best due to a deterioration in underwriting results for the insurer....
Reports: Florida Real Estate Could Lose $80B in Value from Sea Rise
Jan 23 2020 // Flooding due to climate change-related sea level rising, the erosion of natural barriers and long-periods of rain pose substantial economic risks to Florida, particularly to the value of South Florida real estate,...
Florida-Based Acentria Insurance Makes Executive Promotions
Jan 21 2020 // Acentria Insurance, an insurance agency operating in the Southeastern United States, has made executive leadership promotions in preparation for its plans grown and expand within the marketplace. Effective immediately,...
Feds Charge 2 Florida Women with Hurricane Irma Disaster Assistance Fraud
Jan 21 2020 // Two Florida women have been accused of lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma in separate cases, federal prosecutors announced last week. Indictments were returned charging Bernita Willette Carswell, 36, of...
Coastal Insurance Underwriters Acquires Assets of Florida Tech Company Cybercom
Jan 17 2020 // Coastal Insurance Underwriters, Inc., a Ponte Vedra Beach Florida based MGU and program administrator, acquired the assets of Cybercom International Corp. on Jan. 2, 2020. Cybercom International Corporation, Inc. (CIC) was...
Renaissance Alliance Insurance Services Adds Five New Agencies to Its Network
Jan 16 2020 // Renaissance Alliance Insurance Services, a national membership alliance for independent insurance agencies, has announced that five independent insurance agencies joined its network. New member agencies are in...
Florida Legislative Session 2020: Insurance Bills to Watch
Jan 16 2020 // The Florida insurance industry will be focused on several key issues this session, including reform for auto glass (windshield) assignment of benefits (AOB) abuse, reforms to the state’s legal system, as well as...
Florida Legislative Preview 2020: Industry Calls On Lawmakers to Reform Lawsuit Abuse
Jan 16 2020 // The Florida Legislature started its 2020 legislative session this week and lawmakers are set to consider a number of insurance-focused issues over the course of the 60-day period. At the top of the list for industry and...
HCI to Acquire Policies of Florida’s Anchor P&C; Weston to Acquire Anchor Specialty
Jan 15 2020 // Two Florida-based homeowners insurers, Anchor Property & Casualty and Anchor Specialty Insurance, have succumbed to market pressures in the state and will be acquired by other companies. Tampa, Fla.-based HCI Group has...
An Update on Florida Insurer Downgrade Situation: Demotech Commentary
Jan 14 2020 // Demotech began involvement with the Florida homeowners’ insurance market at the State of Florida’s invitation in 1996 and today reviews and rates 46 insurers that write approximately 66% of Florida’s...
South Florida Town Starts Resilience Fund to Adapt to Climate Change
Jan 10 2020 // A small ocean-side town in South Florida has created a “resilience fund” that will be used to help residents adapt to climate change in a first-of-its-kind effort. The town of Surfside’s fund will be used...
More Than a Dozen Florida Insurers Facing Ratings Downgrades
Jan 9 2020 // The rating agency responsible for assigning financial stability ratings (FSR) to more than 40 Florida domestic insurers has warned that several carriers will receive downgrades due to deteriorating conditions in the...
New York Governor Lays out Aggressive Climate Change Plan
Jan 9 2020 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing an aggressive climate change-fighting campaign for his state that includes a $3-billion bond act that would be put on the ballot this November. Cuomo, who says that money would go to...
Rehabilitation of Florida Insurer Windhaven Deemed ‘Useless’; Judge Orders Liquidation
Jan 7 2020 // Plans to rehabilitate Florida auto insurer Windhaven Insurance Co. have been deemed “useless” and the company will instead be liquidated. In a Jan. 6 order, Leon County Court Judge Ronald W. Flury said the...
Tornado Damages Buildings in Central Florida City
Jan 7 2020 // The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in a central Florida community Saturday and caused around $20,000 in damage to city property. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado traveled a quarter...
AssuredPartners Acquires Star & Shield Insurance Services of Florida
Jan 7 2020 // AssuredPartners, Inc. has acquired Star & Shield Insurance Services located in Tallahassee, Fla. The team of 11 will remain under the operational leadership of Frank Russo and Allyson Olver. The agency currently...
