Southeast News

Georgia Bill Requiring Boat Livery Insurance Waiting on Governor’s Signature

Boat operators, not properly insured boat rental places, will soon be held liable for injuries or damages caused by negligent operation of water craft if Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs a bill into law. House Bill 994 was approved by …

Coral Gables, Florida Tops Beverly Hills as Ritziest Home Market in US

Floridians with homes in the ritziest neighborhoods that include Coral Gables and Naples are experiencing the nation’s biggest increases in real estate wealth as markets in the Sunshine State supplant those in California and New York at the top. In …

Harvard Study Again Stirs the Pot on Demotech Ratings of Florida Carriers

A study by researchers from Harvard and Columbia universities and at the Federal Reserve has reopened the debate about the financial fortitude and the financial rating system for dozens of Florida property insurance companies. The president of Demotech, the firm …

Storms Bring Floods and Damaging Wind Across the South

SLIDELL, La. (AP) — Severe storms blamed for a death in Mississippi spawned a tornado that demolished buildings in one Louisiana city Wednesday while inundating streets in low-lying New Orleans with hours of steady rain that snarled traffic and strained …

DeSantis Signs Bill Barring Local Worker Heat Protection Measures

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week signed into law a prohibition on local governments requiring worker protections from heat exposure, a law that could potentially lead to more workers’ compensation claims from stricken laborers. At the same time, the state …

Georgia Regulator Bars Home Warranty Company for Failing to Secure Bond

A home warranty firm is now prohibited from doing business in Georgia after a cease-and-desist order was issued, the state insurance commissioner announced. Choice Home Warranty did not secure a $100,000 surety bond as required by law, despite warnings from …

SC’s Top Officer: No Details on 2012 Hack That Forced $12M in Cyber Insurance

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Twelve years after a hacker stole personal data from more than 3.6 million people in South Carolina by obtaining Social Security numbers and credit card information from tax returns, the state’s top police officer said Wednesday …

SC High Court Strikes ‘Troubling’ Denial of Comp Claim, Says Can’t Be Based on Stats

An employer cannot use an ergonomics report, showing that a work injury is statistically unlikely, to deny a workers’ compensation claim, the South Carolina Supreme Court said this week in an opinion that sharply questioned an appellate panel’s decision making. …

Florida Peninsula Says Reforms Have Had an Impact, Announces 2% Rate Cut

After the Florida Legislature in 2022 and 2023 passed sweeping reforms designed to limit excessive claims litigation, some in the insurance industry predicted that the new rules would prevent further rate increases – but would not lead to actual decreases …

Florida’s Slide Insurance Secures $210 Million Catastrophe Bond

Tampa-based Slide Insurance announced it has finalized pricing for its $210 million Purple Re Ltd. (Series 2024-1) catastrophe bond. The largest cat bond sponsored by Slide to date, Purple Re Ltd. provides 40% more in fully collateralized reinsurance than the …

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