Latest Florida Headlines

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

AM Best Places Florida Farm Bureau Ratings Under Review After Idalia Losses Pile On

Nov 20 2023 // AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “bbb+” (Good) of Florida Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co. and...

Choice Financial Acquires Hackmeier Agency in South Florida

Nov 20 2023 // Virginia-based Choice Financial Group has acquired Jeff D. Hackmeier and Associates, a south Florida insurance agency catering to high net-worth clients. Hackmeier, based in Bay Harbor Islands, near Miami, has been in...

Skanska Ordered to Pay $1.7M to Florida Oyster Farm for Barges Loosed in Storm

Nov 20 2023 // Skanska USA, part of one of the world’s largest construction firms, was ordered to pay almost $1.7 million to a Florida oyster farmer, three years after the firm’s barges broke loose in Hurricane Sally.The...

Best Agency to Work For – Southeast Gold Winner: Wiglesworth-Rindom Insurance Agency

Nov 20 2023 // Education Is Key to SuccessFlorida insurance agents have been through the wringer in the last five years, with repeated rate increases for properties across the board, carriers pulling out of the market, and continual...

Heavy Rains, High Winds Bring Flooding, Damage to South Florida

Nov 17 2023 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Why has it been raining so much in south Florida? Experts say the latest windy, rainy storm system seen this week has nothing to do with hurricane season.The storm system that formed over...

Mom Not Liable in Son’s Crash of Family Car, Florida Supreme Court Says

Nov 17 2023 // Florida families and their auto insurers can rest a little easier after the state Supreme Court decided Thursday that a mom cannot be held vicariously liable for an accident caused by her son who had borrowed the family...

Is Miami-Dade, Once the Leader in Strong Building Requirements, Now Out of Step?

Nov 16 2023 // Editor’s note: For almost three decades, Florida contractors and building officials have operated under two different building codes: One for most of the state and another for the southeastern corner – Miami-Dade...

Disney Study Says it Has $40B Impact on Florida as it Battles DeSantis in Court

Nov 15 2023 // ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney on Tuesday released a study showing its economic impact in Florida at $40.3 billion as it battles Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees over their takeover of the district that...

Florida Officials Pause Plan to Disband Pro-Palestinian Student Groups, Citing Liability

Nov 15 2023 // ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A plan to prohibit a pro-Palestinian student group from state university campuses in Florida has been temporarily shelved while officials reassess the proposal.State University System Chancellor...

Florida OIR Approves Record Workers’ Comp Rate Cut, Despite Roofers’ Concerns

Nov 15 2023 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and the state insurance commissioner have approved a 15.1% average decrease in workers’ compensation rates, despite calls from roofing contractors to freeze rates for a...

American Coastal, Once Affiliated with UPC, Has Buyer for Interboro in New York

Nov 14 2023 // American Coastal Insurance Corp., formerly affiliated with Florida-based United Property & Casualty Insurance, announced it has a cash buyer for Interboro Insurance Co. in New York.According to the company, the unnamed...

At SpaceX, Worker Injuries Soar in Elon Musk’s Rush to Mars

Nov 13 2023 // One windy night at Elon Musk’s SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, Lonnie LeBlanc and his co-workers realized they had a problem.They needed to transport foam insulation to the rocket company’s main hangar but...

Florida Firm Fined $16 Million Over Defect in Clothing Steamer Products

Nov 13 2023 // The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that HSN Inc., of St. Petersburg, Florida, has agreed to pay a $16 million civil penalty. to settle charges that it failed to report complaints and injuries related to...

Markets/Coverages: Florida Citizens Taps Verisk Aerial Imagery for Underwriting

Nov 10 2023 // Verisk, a global data analytics and technology provider, announced that Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the residual, not-for-profit insurer in Florida, will adopt Verisk’s aerial imagery analytics solution. The...

Florida’s HCI Group Rebounds: Q3 Profit, Fewer Policies, Lower Litigation Costs

Nov 9 2023 // Tampa-based HCI Group, the holding company for Homeowners Choice and TypTap property insurance companies, reported a $15.7 million net income in the third quarter, a strong improvement over Q3 last year, when the group saw...

Fed Judges Ask Florida Supreme Court to Decide if Insurers Can Sue Auto-Glass Shops

Nov 9 2023 // The Florida Legislature earlier this year struck a mighty blow for auto insurers in their years-long fight against windshield repair shops, ending assignment-of-benefits and the practice of offering gifts to insureds.Now,...

Florida Lawmakers Fund Home Hardening Program, Idalia Recovery in Special Session

Nov 8 2023 // The Florida House of Representatives and Senate moved quickly this week to approve more funding for the state’s popular home-hardening program, along with grants, loans and tax breaks for areas hit by Hurricane...

Life After Runoff? Anchor Insurance Exploring ‘Possibilities’ in Warming Florida Market

Nov 8 2023 // It’s rare for a property insurance company to emerge from an orderly runoff and re-enter the marketplace as a going concern. In fact, it has never happened in Florida, industry experts say.But that may be what is...

Deadline for More Enhanced Hurricane Idalia Claims Data is Nov. 16

Nov 7 2023 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation wants property insurers to remember that another deadline for enhanced catastrophe reporting on Hurricane Idalia claims is Nov. 16.The OIR is required by law to collect a range of...

Collab with Claims Handling is Key to Success for Insurance Defense Litigation

Nov 7 2023 // Navigating insurance defense litigation is a complex and often challenging process. Understanding the roadmap and important rules along the way ensures a smoother and more successful path. It is crucial for claims handlers...