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May 23 2005 // GEORGIA Licensing System Changes The Georgia Insurance Comm-ission held “Ind-ustry Day Meet-ings” across the state in May to discuss recent changes to the licensing system. In an effort to be responsive to...

Gov. Bush Pledges to Sign SB1486; Insurers Uneasy About Its Provisions

May 23 2005 // Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pledged during the May 11 opening of the annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference at the Tampa Convention Center to sign and approve Senate Bill 1486, controversial legislation that consumer...

Ga. Climatologist Cautions Residents to Prepare Now for Hurricanes

May 23 2005 // The seasonal hurricane out-look should have no impact on hurricane plans,” David Stooksbury, the Georgia state climatologist cautioned participants at the Governor’s Emergency Management Conference at the...

May 23 2005 // Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., were two of five cities the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center forecasters and NOAA Aircraft Operations Center crew visited during a May 2-6...

Allstate Floridian Scaling Back on Risk; Applies to Drop 95,000 Homeowners

May 19 2005 // Allstate Floridian, the state’s third-largest provider of homeowners insurance has applied to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation in Tallahassee to scale back its insurance risk in Florida by dropping 95,000...

Citizens Property Considering Direct Reporting of Claims

May 18 2005 // New policies soon to be implemented by Citizens Property Insurance Corp., were presented last week to representatives from major insurance companies in Florida and Florida Association of Insurance Agents representatives...

Experts Predict 70 Percent Above Normal Hurricane Activity

May 18 2005 // As the season’s first tropical storm now brews in the Pacific and is about to cross-over into the southern Gulf of Mexico toward Cuba, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted there will be...

So. Texas TV Outlets Air Hurricane Awareness Series

May 18 2005 // Television stations in Corpus Christi and Harlingen have begun airing a series of news reports on hurricane awareness, the Insurance Council of Texas reported. The impetus to focus on what homeowners along the Texas coast...

Hurricane Relief Property Tax Refunds Being Mailed to Fla. Homeowners

May 18 2005 // Florida homeowners forced out of their homes for 60 days or more last year as a result of named tropical storms or hurricanes have begun to receive hurricane relief payments from the Department of Revenue. Checks averaging...

Florida Legislation: It’s More Than Hurricanes NAMIC Analysis Reveals

May 16 2005 // Although much of the attention during this year’s legislative session focused on hurricane-related issues, Florida lawmakers also succeeded in passing several other bills of interest to the insurance industry, a...

Hurricane Preparedness Week Begins

May 16 2005 // With predictions being made that this year’s hurricane season is likely to be as bad as last year’s, which ended with 15 named storms, nine hurricanes and six bad ones, Hurricane Preparedness Week is kicking...

Meteorologist Leans Toward Forecasting More Hurricanes

May 13 2005 // The warm temperature of Atlantic Ocean waters and the absence of El Nino development could increase the number of tropical storms predicted to occur during the upcoming hurricane season, well-known hurricane forecaster...

DOI Investigating: Did Citizens Pay Bogus Hurricane Claims?

May 13 2005 // Florida Office of Insurance Regulation officials are investigating 42 cases of suspected fraud in hurricane-related damage claims filed last year with Citizens Property Insurance Co., the state-run insurer of last...

Fla. Gov. Urges: Be Prepared for 2005 Hurricane Season

May 12 2005 // Gov. Jeb Bush urged Florida homeowners to read and understand the provisions of their insurance policy; study their vulnerabilities; and have an evacuation plan; during the May 11 opening of the annual Governor’s...

NHC Director: Homes Meeting New Building Codes Fared Better in Hurricanes

May 12 2005 // Upgrading older homes to meet new building standards, which require new homes to withstand hurricane-force winds, is a key to surviving hurricanes, Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami,...

FEMA Taxed to Its Limits; Promises to Maintain Recovery Funds

May 12 2005 // “The hurricanes of 2004 taxed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to its limits, Michael Brown, FEMA director and undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security told more than 1,500 state emergency...

Governor Proclaims May 15-21 Hurricane Preparedness Week in N.C.

May 10 2005 // North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley has proclaimed May 15-21 hurricane preparedness week, just as a new survey of residents from Florida to Maine shows that people are not worried about hurricane season. The Mason-Dixon poll...

2,500 Attending Fla. Conference; Prepare for June 1 Hurricane Season

May 10 2005 // A record turnout of more than 2,500 conferees are attending the 2005 Governor’s Conference at the Tampa Convention Center, where they are learning about hurricane prediction, precautions and disaster management. The...

Fla. Water Management Officials Prepare for Hurricane Season

May 9 2005 // Florida water management officials have begun their annual drawdown of 17 lakes in the Kissimmee Basin, near Orlando, in anticipation of the upcoming hurricane season and are starting to put lessons into effect they...

‘Mixed Feelings’ Result as Fla. Legislature Passes SB 1486; Carriers’ Burdens Could Increase Overall Costs

May 9 2005 // The Florida Legislature debated SB 1486, an 83-page insurance bill, until the early morning hours on Saturday and approved a document that makes major changes in how claims will be handled, starting with the next storm....