Latest Florida Headlines

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

Palm Beach Elite Are Raising Money to Lure Vanderbilt to Florida

Apr 3 2024 // Wealthy Florida residents and developers are looking to raise at least $300 million for Vanderbilt University to build a sprawling campus in West Palm Beach.Billionaire developer Steve Ross hosted a reception at his Palm...

Migrants Flown to Martha’s Vineyard by DeSantis Can Sue Charter Flight Company

Apr 3 2024 // BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers representing migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard nearly two years ago by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can sue the charter flight company that transported them, according to a ruling Monday by a...

Georgia’s Latest Effort on Plaintiff Demands Aims to Deter Bad-Faith Claims

Apr 3 2024 // Georgia lawmakers have approved two bills that could have a significant impact on windstorm and bad-faith claim losses for property insurers.First, the bad-faith reform legislation. Auto insurers have for years fought for...

Florida Supreme Court Lets Recreational Marijuana Stay on November Ballot

Apr 2 2024 // U.S.-listed shares of pot producers rose premarket on Tuesday after the Florida Supreme Court on Monday allowed voters to decide on the fate of recreational use of marijuana in the state through a referendum on the...

AJG Acquires Florida’s Specialty Risk Management Agency

Apr 2 2024 // The global insurance brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher has acquired Fort Myers-based Specialty Risk Management Services and its affiliate agency, Private Client Insurance Services, the broker announced Monday. Specialty Risk...

NICB Praises Florida’s New Law on Predatory Tow Truck Practices

Apr 2 2024 // The National Insurance Crime Bureau is hailing a new Florida law that aims to deter predatory tow-truck practices and limit the fees that tow companies can charge.House Bill 179 was signed by the governor in March and it...

US Home Insurance Premiums May Hit a Record This Year, Report Warns

Apr 1 2024 // US home insurance rates are expected to reach a record high this year, with the biggest increases occurring in states prone to severe weather events, according to a new analysis.The average premium for homeowners insurance...

FEMA: SW Florida Stripped of Flood Insurance Discounts After ‘Improper Rebuilds’

Apr 1 2024 // After spiking premiums, nonrenewals and complaints about unpaid claims, more than 115,000 property owners in southwest Florida are now facing a new slap in the face after 2022’s Hurricane Ian: 25% higher flood...

Fire Chasing May be Latest Iteration of Unscrupulous Tactics

Apr 1 2024 // Fire chasing may be only the latest example of some public claims adjusters and contractors using aggressive and underhanded tactics to tap into property insurance payouts.In hurricane-prone Florida, a state with more than...

Florida High Court Clarifies Things. Ruling Could Cut Damages for Bars Serving Booze to Minors

Apr 1 2024 // Liquor liability insurers in Florida can contemplate potentially lower loss costs on policies, after a recent state Supreme Court ruling that clarified when bars and restaurants can be held partially versus completely...

Creditors Want Court to Force Giuliani to Insure His Florida Condo Until It’s Sold to Pay His Debts

Apr 1 2024 // Full-time Florida residents and snowbirds aren’t the only ones having trouble obtaining insurance on their condominiums. Rudy Giuliani, the former New York Mayor and longtime attorney for Donald Trump, has told a...

Property Restoration Industry: A Culture in Need of Repair?

Apr 1 2024 // Jatiek Smith, a Bloods gang member convicted on extortion and racketeering charges in New York, blamed ruthless competition and a culture of violence in the fire restoration industry for the accusations made against him by...

Disney Ends Fight With Governor DeSantis by Settling Florida Lawsuit

Mar 27 2024 // A board appointed by Ron DeSantis to oversee the municipal authority that governs Walt Disney Co. in Florida has voted to settle a state lawsuit against the company. The board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight...

Med Mal Trial Must Resume in Mysterious Case of Broken Hips at Florida Hospital

Mar 26 2024 // Call it the mystery of the broken hips.In 2017, 36-year-old Michael Barber attempted to take his own life by swallowing four types of medications. He then had a change of heart and called 9-1-1. He was conscious when...

People: Atlas Elevates Two in Florida, Tennessee’s Assistant Commissioner Retires

Mar 26 2024 // Atlas Insurance has named Jared Hawkins and Michael Howard partners in the Sarasota-based agency.Howard is a third-generation insurance agent at the firm and Hawkins is a second-generation agent who specializes in...

Two Crew Members on Florida-based Cruise Line Die in Ship’s Engineering Space

Mar 25 2024 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Two crew members on a Holland America cruise ship died during an “incident” in the ship’s engineering space, the cruise line said.The unidentified crew members died Friday...

Corner Turned? Top Florida Insurers See First Profit in Seven Years, S&P Global Says

Mar 22 2024 // Florida’s beleaguered property insurance market is starting to look normal again, with the top insurers in the state showing a collective profit for the first time in seven years, S&P Global Market Intelligence...

Citizens’ Cerio Pushes Back Against Senator’s Questions About Insurer’s ‘Solvency’

Mar 20 2024 // The CEO of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has denied that corporation representatives have been unresponsive to Congressional requests for financial information, in the wake of unsettling comments from Gov. Ron DeSantis...

Florida Jewish Center Burned by Arsonist But Police Say It’s Not a Hate Crime

Mar 20 2024 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida Jewish center suffered severe damage in a weekend arson fire that police believe was set by a mentally ill homeless man who previously confronted the rabbi and others.Rabbi...

Florida High Court Ruling Could Cut Damages for Bars Serving Booze to Minors

Mar 20 2024 // Insurers in Florida can can contemplate potentially lower loss costs on liquor liability policies after a recent state Supreme Court ruling that clarified when bars and restaurants can be held partially versus completely...