Latest Florida Headlines

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

Despite Reform Laws, Florida Premiums Won’t Drop, Karen Clark & Co. Says

Oct 11 2023 // State laws adopted in 2022 and 2023 may have stemmed excessive claims litigation in Florida, helping to stabilize the distressed property insurance market and slow rate increases. But premiums, which have doubled for some...

Less Red Ink in Florida, 2 New Insurers, and Citizens Wants Commercial Take-outs

Oct 11 2023 // Florida-based insurers still aren’t profitable, overall, but their net losses and underwriting losses are getting smaller. Two more property insurance companies are preparing to enter the Florida market. And the...

Is Mar-a-Lago Worth $1 Billion? Valuations at the Core of Trump’s Fraud Trial

Oct 10 2023 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — How much is Donald Trump`s Mar-a-Lago worth? That`s been a point of contention after a New York judge ruled that the former president exaggerated the Florida property`s value when he said...

Sarasota and Ocala Named Florida Housing Hot Spots — Ocala Due to Lower Insurance

Oct 10 2023 // Two areas in Florida have become hot spots for home buying and building, one of them due to higher insurance costs in the rest of the state, according to news and insurance agency reports.Ocala, in the central part of...

Are Florida Workers’ Comp Rates Getting Too Low? Roofers, Insurer Urge Freeze

Oct 6 2023 // Workers’ compensation rates have shrunk to such a low level in Florida, at least for some classifications, that they are causing problems and could be masking issues that will lead to higher premiums in coming years,...

Climate Change Can Cause U.S. Households ‘Significant Financial Strain’

Oct 5 2023 // Households can experience significant financial strain through pressures to income and expenses due to climate hazards, a report from the U.S. Department of Treasury shows.The report, The Impact of Climate Change on...

Florida OIR Approves Another 153,000 Citizens Takeouts; Assumption Rate is Low

Oct 5 2023 // Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation has approved the take out of another 153,000 policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state’s price-controlled residual insurer.Almost half of the takeouts...

Bill Gates-Backed Florida Startup Aims to Turn Oil-Drilling Gas into Useful Methanol

Oct 3 2023 // (Bloomberg) — Semi trailer-sized machines could provide a unique solution to a major source of the fossil fuel industry’s methane problem. Rather than flaring or venting the planet-warming gas into the...

Video Shows Officers Surrounding Bloodied Man During Florida Traffic Stop

Oct 3 2023 // JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A traffic stop captured on video by a bystander shows a handcuffed Black man with swollen eyes and a bloody face sitting on the ground surrounded by officers outside a vehicle in northeast...

Progressive Drops Some Agents, Non-Renews 100,000 HO and DP Policies in Florida

Oct 3 2023 // Almost two years after Progressive Insurance announced it would stop renewing some homeowners policies in Florida, Flo and crew have dropped another 100,000 HO and landlord policies in the state.The insurance giant and...

FEMA Sets Up Free Legal Help for Florida Idalia Victims

Oct 2 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that free legal assistance is now available to help Hurricane Idalia victims in Florida with insurance claims, government benefits and other matters.For people in 16...

NSM Buys Student Insurance Provider Envisage, Based in Florida

Oct 2 2023 // NSM Insurance Group, a global specialty insurance provider, has acquired Florida-based Envisage International, which writes health and travel insurance plans for international students and cultural exchange...

Education Is Key to Success for Wiglesworth-Rindom Insurance Agency

Oct 2 2023 // Florida 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 complaints from insureds about...

Business Moves

Oct 2 2023 // McConkey Insurance & Benefits, Gallen Insurance AgencyMcConkey Insurance & Benefits, an independent insurance agency based in York, Pennsylvania, has acquired Gallen Insurance Agency, located in Berks County....

Higginbotham Makes 2nd Florida Move with Stahl & Associates

Sep 29 2023 // Higginbotham has continued its expansion this year with another acquisition, this one of Stahl & Associates, one of the largest privately held commercial brokerages in Florida. Texas-based Higginbotham, which...

DFS: Florida Claims Adjuster Arrested in $11M Scheme that Sent Checks to Conspirators

Sep 29 2023 // Additional arrests are expected after a 41-year-old south Florida claims adjuster was charged this week in an elaborate scheme that allegedly rang up more than $11 million in fraudulent insurance payments to hundreds of...

New MGA in Florida Shows More Growth in Private Flood Market

Sep 28 2023 // The private flood insurance market continues to expand, with a new managing general agent starting up in Florida.Titan Flood Inc., based in Tampa, is being launched by Stephanie Lee, the co-founder and chief operating...

Florida Company Claims Simple Device Makes Sandbag Filling Faster Before Floods

Sep 28 2023 // The Florida-based company that produces a quicker way to bag leaves is now offering a tool that it says makes filling sandbags three times faster, potentially saving property owners time before floodwaters rise.The Sandbag...

South Florida Public Adjusters Charged with Forging Documents, Defrauding Citizens

Sep 27 2023 // Florida authorities have arrested four Miami people, including two licensed public adjusters, on charges that they forged an elderly homeowner’s signature on documents in an attempt to defraud Citizens Property...

People: Florida-based Risk Services Names Haskell Captive Accounting Director

Sep 27 2023 // Florida-headquartered Risk Services, a captive insurance manager and risk retention group service provider, has named Jennifer Haskell director of captive accounting. Haskell, who spent 15 years with the Alabama Department...