Latest Florida Headlines

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

Florida Woman Sues Airline Over Rough Landing

Jul 25 2013 // A Tampa-area woman has sued US Airways, saying she was injured after a rough landing at Tampa International Airport.Nancy Linker, who is 48, said in the lawsuit that she was hospitalized after the front tires of US Airways...

Florida Supreme Court Rules Replacement Cost Includes Contractor’s Profit

Jul 24 2013 // Florida’s high court has ruled that insurers under a 2008 law must pay a contractor’s overhead and profit as part of the expense of repairing a homeowner’s property despite the fact the repairs may not...

Florida Auto Policy Covers Modified Golf Cart: Court

Jul 22 2013 // A Florida appeals court has ruled that an automobile insurer must cover a Florida man for injuries from a collision in a golf cart that had been modified to exceed a speed of 20 miles per hour.The ruling overturned a lower...

Florida’s Citizens Seeks Rate Hike, Sinkhole Increase Cap

Jul 22 2013 // Florida’s state-backed property insurer requested a statewide average 6.6 percent increase in homeowners’ rates along with a cap on sinkhole rate increases in three high-risk counties at between 20 percent and...

Florida Agents Challenged to Profit on Homeowners Business: FAIA

Jul 22 2013 // Many Florida independent insurance agencies are challenged to make money on the initial placement of the homeowners insurance policies.That’s a finding from The Agent Compensation Study commissioned by the Florida...

Florida Court Rules on Requiring Examinations Under Oath

Jul 22 2013 // The Florida Supreme Court ruled that prior to a 2012 state law, auto insurer Geico didn’t have the right to force a policyholder to answer questions under oath before paying a personal injury protection (PIP)...

Florida Among States Allowing Electronic Proof of Insurance

Jul 22 2013 // Florida recently joined a growing list of states that allow electronic proof of insurance via smartphones for motorists at traffic stops. Among Southeast states, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky now...

Lawsuits Could Follow Zimmerman Acquittal

Jul 15 2013 // The acquittal of George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer cleared of state charges in the death of black teenager Trayvon Martin, spurred new calls for a federal civil rights prosecution and suggestions...

Florida Consumer Advocate to Review Insurers’ Homeowners Claims Handling

Jul 12 2013 // Florida’s insurance consumer advocate is launching a group to look at how insurance companies are handling claims from homeowners.Robin Smith Westcott said she is creating a working group to come up with...

Tropical Storm Chantal May Form in Atlantic This Week

Jul 7 2013 // Tropical Storm Chantal strengthened as it moved west across the Atlantic toward the Lesser Antilles, including the islands of Martinique and Saint Lucia, on a track that may take it east of Florida, the U.S. National...

Florida Consortium Reaches Deal on Use of Oil Spill Payments

Jul 3 2013 // Gov. Rick Scott and the Gulf Consortium – a group comprising 23 Gulf Coast counties – have reached a deal for using recovery funds related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the governor’s office...

Assurant Finalizes 2013 P/C Reinsurance Program

Jul 2 2013 // Assurant, Inc., a provider of specialized insurance and insurance-related products and services, has finalized the structure of the company’s 2013 Property Catastrophe Reinsurance Program, including $185 million of...

Trial Attorneys Challenge Florida’s Medical Malpractice Law

Jul 2 2013 // Florida trial attorneys filed five lawsuits against health care providers challenging a state law that imposes new restrictions on medical malpractice claims.The attorneys allege that the law allows medical malpractice...

Timothy Martin Joins Morstan General Agency, Inc. as Senior VP of Field Operations

Jul 2 2013 // Manhasset, NY, 7/2/13 – Morstan General Agency, Inc. announces the hiring of Timothy P. Martin as Senior Vice President – Field Operations. Martin, previously Chief Operating Officer of Burlington Insurance...

Insurers Can’t Require Examinations Under Oath in Pre-2012 PIP Claims: Florida Court

Jul 1 2013 // The Florida Supreme Court ruled that prior to a 2012 state law, auto insurer Geico didn’t have the right to force a policyholder to answer questions under oath before paying a personal injury protection (PIP)...

The Disaster Issue – Where Insurers Fear to Tread

Jul 1 2013 // One storm is all it takes these days.Anyone who’s been paying attention needn’t be reminded that even a post-tropical cyclone can cause major damage. That’s what Sandy was when she came on shore in New...

Florida Extends Fast-Track Policy Form Approval Until Year-End

Jun 28 2013 // Florida regulators, citing a backlog in property/casualty form filings and the need to train new staff, have extended a fast-track approval process for personal lines forms until the end of the year.Florida Insurance...

Florida’s Citizens Seeks 6.6% Home Rate Hike; Cap on Sinkhole Rates in High-Risk Areas

Jun 27 2013 // Florida’s state-backed property insurer requested a statewide average 6.6 percent increase in homeowners’ rates along with a cap on sinkhole rate increases in three high-risk counties at between 20 percent and...

Florida Supreme Court Nixes Pre-Surgery Damages Clause without Concession

Jun 27 2013 // The Florida Supreme Court has ruled unenforceable a doctor’s financial and arbitration agreement with a patient prior to surgery because it lacked an admission of liability by the medical provider.To be enforceable...

Florida Panel Certifies Latest AIR Hurricane Model Release

Jun 25 2013 // The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology (FCHLPM) has certified the latest version of AIR Worldwide’s hurricane model. The commission has been certifying models for use by insurers for...