Latest Florida Headlines

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

What is ‘Incurred Cost’ in Insurance Policy? Florida Appeals Court Weighs in

Dec 22 2023 // Property insurance contracts often contain provisions requiring insureds to “incur” costs before insurance companies issue payments. For example, “ordinance or law” provisions provide “you may...

Novo Nordisk Sues Florida Pharmacies After Finding Impurity in Compounded Wegovy

Dec 21 2023 // (Reuters) – Novo Nordisk has sued one compounding pharmacy and refiled a lawsuit against another after finding their products claiming to contain the active ingredient for its in-demand weight-loss drug Wegovy were...

30 Florida Counties Join Suit Against Tax-Bill-Based Home Hardening Program

Dec 21 2023 // Tax collectors in more than 30 Florida counties have joined a lawsuit against a home-hardening and energy efficiency program, arguing that it misleads homeowners and saddles them with huge property tax bills.The Florida...

Gas Eyed as Source of South Florida House Explosion That Injured 4

Dec 20 2023 // WEST PARK, Fla. (AP) — Four people were injured in an explosion early Tuesday that severely damaged a Florida house, authorities said. Investigators were focused on gas as the possible cause.The Broward Sheriff`s...

Bird Global, Which Started the Scooter Craze, Files for Bankruptcy in Florida

Dec 20 2023 // (Bloomberg) — Bird Global Inc., the company that put electric scooters onto the sidewalks of major cities, filed for bankruptcy with a plan to sell itself two years after raising $414 million from shareholders.The...

Parkland Deputy’s Legal Team Says He had No Duty to Confront Gunman

Dec 20 2023 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida sheriff`s deputy is claiming he had no legal duty to confront the gunman who murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Parkland`s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School...

Parts of South Carolina and Florida Recovering after Flooding, Winds

Dec 19 2023 // GEORGETOWN, S.C. (AP) — An intense late-year storm barreled up the East Coast on Sunday with heavy rains and strong winds that shattered rainfall records, forced water rescues from flooded streets and washed out...

Florida Court Rulings, Legislation Could Impact Insurers’ Claims Practices

Dec 19 2023 // Recent Florida legislation that has limited plaintiffs’ attorney fees and has raised the bar for bringing bad-faith claims against insurers appears to have already had an impact on the level of claims litigation in...

Florida Judge Slams Universal for ‘Stonewalling,’ Demands Answers From Company

Dec 19 2023 // Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Co. officials are discounting the significance of recent Florida judges’ rulings that have slammed the company for violating court orders, have forced Universal to default...

Hurricane Season May be Over, but High Winds Still Lashing South Florida

Dec 18 2023 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It’s beginning to look at lot like … hurricane season — at least across much of South Florida, where it’s been windy and rainy for two days and the forecast...

Are Billions in Wind Mitigation the Answer for Florida’s Insurance Problems?

Dec 18 2023 // While Florida’s property insurance landscape appears to be leveling out, much more funding is needed to fortify homes against hurricane winds and prevent devastating losses for insureds and insurers, a few panelists...

From Litigation to Capital, Florida Insurance Market Improving, Panelists Say

Dec 18 2023 // The Florida property and casualty insurance market is not out of the woods but it is showing signs of progress, from litigation trends to capital investments in the state, according to almost two dozen people who spoke at...

Tesla Autopilot Recall Threatens Its Defense in Lawsuits Over Crashes

Dec 15 2023 // Tesla Inc.’s biggest vehicle recall ever threatens to hurt the company’s defense in several high-profile lawsuits it faces over crashes linked to Autopilot.The automaker’s recall of 2 million cars comes...

A Year After Florida Adjusters Dropped a Bomb, They’ve Heard Little and Now Want Investigators Fired

Dec 14 2023 // One year ago, three independent claims adjusters stood before the Florida House Commerce Committee and charged that several insurance companies had frequently and misleadingly altered their damage estimates on wind...

KBRA: Florida Insurers Got Creative in 2023 but Higher Reinsurance, Storms Coming

Dec 13 2023 // Things are looking up in the buffeted Florida market, but reinsurance rates will continue to rise for the next two years, and a 2024 hurricane season could be busy. It all suggests that property insurers will continue to...

Former Florida Adjuster Sentenced to Five Years in Robbing of Tampa Drug Dealers

Dec 13 2023 // A former Florida claims adjuster has been sentenced to five years in prison and three years of probation for her role in a scheme to rob alleged drug dealers in the Tampa area.Jasmine Weber, 28, of Tampa, a former adjuster...

Florida Trial Lawyer State Rep Offers Condo ACV Bill as a Solution to Costs

Dec 12 2023 // A bill introduced by a Democrat and trial attorney would take a step toward something that property insurers have longed for in recent years – actual cash value coverage on roofs, at least condominium roofs.State Rep....

Real Estate Titans Battle DeSantis Over China Property Crackdown

Dec 12 2023 // (Bloomberg) — Ron DeSantis rattled corporate America by making Walt Disney Co. a target of his conservative culture wars. Now, the Florida governor’s campaignto rid the state of Chinese influence is fueling a...

In Florida, One Coast Is Soaked. The Other Is Parched.

Dec 11 2023 // ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — In Florida, this year has been a tale of two states as far as rainfall totals, with the southeast coast deluged by sometimes-record rainfall and much of the Gulf of Mexico coast facing a...

With Differing Court Rulings on Pre-Suit Notice of Intent, Florida Insurers Left Guessing

Dec 11 2023 // On October 27, 2023, Florida’s 5th District Court of Appeal ruled that a personal injury protection pre-suit demand letter needs to include only a billing ledger and does not need to state the exact amount that the...