Latest Florida Headlines

All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Florida OIR Fines Centauri Specialty for Unappointed Adjusters, Other Issues

May 13 2025 // Sarasota-based Centauri Specialty Insurance, now part of Arbol’s Lilypad Insurance Holdings, used non-appointed adjusters in the wake of Hurricane Ian in 2022 and has agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to Florida...

Four Hondurans Indicted in Florida on $89M Workers’ Comp, Tax Avoidance Charges

May 13 2025 // A grand jury in Orlando last week indicted four Honduran nationals for allegedly operating an off-the-books cash payroll scheme for construction workers that defrauded workers’ compensation insurers and avoided...

Appeals Court: Florida Deputy Used Excessive Force and is Not Immune from Suit

May 13 2025 // A Sarasota County sheriff’s deputy used excessive force on a handicapped, 100-pound driver in 2020 and is not entitled to immunity from lawsuits, a federal appeals court ruled in a case that could affect...

Tornadoes, Winds, Rain Hit Florida Panhandle and Parts of Alabama

May 12 2025 // Tornadoes, strong winds and flash flooding hit parts of north Florida and Alabama over the weekend, damaging dozens of homes and commercial and farm structures, weather and local news sites reported. In the Florida...

Citadel Lobbies for Four-Year Non-Competes in Home State of Florida

May 9 2025 // Ken Griffin’s Citadel is putting its Florida lobbying muscle behind an effort to allow four-year non-compete clauses and garden leaves in its home state, tightening employers’ hold on well-paid staffers and...

Jury Awards $3M for Defective Airbag That Seriously Injured Florida Man

May 8 2025 // MIAMI (AP) — A South Florida jury has awarded $3 million to a man who was severely injured by a defective airbag in a 2020 crash.Miami-Dade jurors reached a verdict for Jose Hernandez on Thursday, according to court...

Family Sues Over Florida Deputy’s Shooting of Airman at Apartment

May 8 2025 // The family of a U.S. airman who was shot by a Florida sheriff’s deputy inside his own home sued the deputy, the sheriff and the owner of the airman’s apartment complex on Tuesday, saying they want to ensure...

Florida Condo Bill Gives Owners Some Slack But Brings New Insurance Concerns

May 7 2025 // Florida lawmakers late last week gave final approval to a long-debated condominium bill, one designed to give condo owners a little relief on the high cost of bringing structures up to code.But the final version of the...

Florida Bill Passes Making it Easier for Agents to Seek Surplus Lines Coverage

May 6 2025 // Starting July 1, Florida insurance agents will no longer need to make a “diligent effort” to find coverage for hard-to-place properties before turning to surplus lines insurance if the governor signs House Bill...

Florida Bill Would End Board of Engineers and Other Professional Agencies, Raising Concerns for Insurance Industry

May 5 2025 // Elon Musk’s age of government efficiency has spread to Florida, with legislation that would abolish at least 22 state boards that oversee licensing and disciplinary reviews for engineers, contractors, building...

Florida Lawmakers Vote to Repeal ‘Free Kill’ Law Affecting Med Mal Suits

May 2 2025 // Adult children and parents of young adults who died under medical care will soon be able to recover punitive and pain-and-suffering damages in medical malpractice lawsuits if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a bill into...

Florida Citizens ‘Going Naked’ on Reinsurance Below Cat Fund Layer

May 2 2025 // Reinsurance prices have dropped since Florida’s 2022-2023 litigation reform measures were enacted, but the biggest rate reductions are mostly for reinsurance above what the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund...

Judge Says Local Police Must Halt Enforcement of Florida Immigration Law

May 1 2025 // MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge told attorneys for the state of Florida on Tuesday that an order freezing the enforcement of a new state immigration law absolutely applies to all of the state’s local law enforcement...

Florida Set to Be 2nd State to Ban Fluoride From Public Water Systems

May 1 2025 // Florida is poised to become the second state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, overriding the concerns of dentists and public health advocates who say the mineral is a safe, effective way to protect people of all...

Attorney Fee Amendment Shot Down by Florida Senate; Condo Relief Bill Passes

May 1 2025 // Florida’s Senate late Wednesday refused to go along with a prevailing-party attorney-fee amendment to a phosphate mine bill, likely leaving it dead for 2025 as the legislative session nears the end.The amendment to...

Many Snowbirds Looking to Pack Up and Fly North For Good; Florida Hit Hard

Apr 29 2025 // The number of Canadian “snowbirds” planning to sell their second homes in sunny Florida and Arizona has surged this spring, many of them put off by the sudden chill that has blanketed relations between their...

Did Florida House ‘Sneak’ Attorney Fee Wording Into Phosphate Mine Bill?

Apr 28 2025 // A late amendment to a phosphate mine bill has set off alarm bells among some in the Florida insurance industry, with concerns that it could cut out the heart of 2022 and 2023 legislative changes that disincentivized...

Florida Class Action Targets Litigation Funding Firm Over Data Breach

Apr 25 2025 // Third-party litigation financing have become big business across the country, much to the chagrin of businesses and insurance companies that have faced multi-million lawsuit verdicts.But now one Florida-based litigation...

Everglades Restoration Aims to Protect Florida Keys, Water, State Economy

Apr 23 2025 // ISLAMORADA, Fla. (AP) — The Everglades is more than just swamps, fan boats and alligators — and restoration efforts impact more than the land between Florida’s east and west coasts.Florida Bay, a body of water...

South Florida Insurance Broker Pleads Guilty to Fraud in $133M ACA Enrollment Scheme

Apr 22 2025 // A south Florida insurance broker is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty last week to a $134 million scheme that fraudulently enrolled thousands of people in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans.Dafud Iza, 54,...