Latest Florida Headlines

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

Progressive Expanding in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Texas

Oct 6 2010 // Progressive Insurance recently announced plans to add hundreds of new jobs in Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Texas by the end of January 2011.The additions include sales, service and claims positions. Progressive said it will...

Florida Weighs 8.3% Workers’ Compensation Rate Increase Today

Oct 5 2010 // Workers’ compensation insurers in Florida will be asked to explain their request for an average 8.3 percent rate hike today before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR).The OIR is holding a public hearing...

Florida Cheerleader’s Mom Not Satisfied with Insurance Settlement

Oct 4 2010 // Two years after her 18-year-old daughter died from a rare genetic condition during plastic surgery, Joanne Kuleba can talk about her without crying.The devastating sadness has been replaced by new emotions: Anger....

Business Moves

Oct 4 2010 // Markel, HiscoxInsurer Markel has acquired the rights to American Live Stock, the animal mortality business of Hiscox Insurance Co. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction, which includes the rights to the...

Business Moves

Oct 4 2010 // Markel, HiscoxInsurer Markel has acquired the rights to American Live Stock, the animal mortality business of Hiscox Insurance Co. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the companies said it would close the transaction...

Florida Approves 10.3% Average Rate Hike for State-Backed Citizens

Oct 4 2010 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has approved a statewide average homeowners insurance rate increase of 10.3 percent for policies written by state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The actual rate...

Florida Concerned Medical Ratio Rule Will Marginalize Agents

Oct 4 2010 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) recently conducted a public hearing with the Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board (FHIAB) to review the impact of the federal Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) requirements. The...

Saved From Death Suits in Florida

Oct 4 2010 // In 2003, lawmakers approved a 182-page rewrite of the state’s laws for workers’ compensation.They are two of Central Florida’s biggest and best-known employers — and both face the prospect of...

Florida Man Sues Bar for Serving Him Too Many Drinks

Sep 27 2010 // A 73-year-old Bradenton, Fla.-area man who crashed his motorized scooter after too many drinks is suing the bar that served him. The Bradenton Herald reported John Wasko of Manatee filed a lawsuit last week against The...

Gremesco Sells Florida Office Only to New Jersey Wholesaler PRS

Sep 27 2010 // New Jersey-based Professional Risk Solutions (PRS), a wholesale insurance broker, has purchased the assets of Gremesco of Florida, LLC, one of seven members of the Gremesco group of companies.All of the other offices of...

Florida Approves 10.3% Rate Hike for Citizens Property

Sep 23 2010 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has approved a statewide average homeowners insurance rate increase of 10.3 percent for policies written by the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.Citizens had filed...

Florida Workshop to Review New Mitigation Credit Inspection Form

Sep 21 2010 // Florida insurance officials are holding a public workshop to review the form used by inspectors to document eligibility for wind mitigation discounts for personal residential property tomorrow, Wed., Sept. 22, 2010.During...

Business Moves

Sep 20 2010 // Unisource Program, U.S. RiskSpecialty lines underwriting manager and wholesale broker U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. has taken over Florida-located Unisource Program Administrators, a wholesaler of workers’...

Florida Insurer Blames Exit on Fraud

Sep 20 2010 // With a letter sent out a few weeks ago, Explorer Insurance announced that it will no longer write private automobile policies in Florida because there is too much fraud.“The company is taking this action in light of...

Florida’s Citizens Says Sinkhole Claims Require Rate Hike

Sep 20 2010 // At a hearing before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. officials blamed sinkholes as the major reason the public insurer needs a rate increase.Testifying at the public hearing in...

America’s Best Independent Agencies to Work For

Sep 20 2010 // The results are in from the 2010 Best Independent Insurance Agency to Work For survey by Insurance Journal.The owners of the Best Agencies to Work For in 2010 accent different programs or benefits depending upon their...

Florida Workers’ Comp Law Shields Disney World, SeaWorld from Suits

Sep 17 2010 // They are two of Central Florida’s biggest and best-known employers — and both face the prospect of potentially ugly lawsuits stemming from a worker’s death on the job.And yet Walt Disney World, which is...

U.S. Judge Sets December Date for Health Care Suit Hearing

Sep 15 2010 // A Florida judge said Tuesday he would hear arguments Dec. 16 on a lawsuit by 20 U.S. states seeking to block President Barack Obama’s overhaul of the U.S. health care system.U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, who is...

Florida Arrests Alleged Citizens Property Scammer

Sep 13 2010 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today announced the arrest of Aylin Hernandez, 23, of Miami, for fraudulently diverting mail and stealing payments intended for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.Hernandez...

Blue Cross Leads Health Insurers in Florida

Sep 10 2010 // Florida released a report yesterday listing the market share and earnings of accident and health insurers, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. ranked first in premiums earned, with $3.9 billion in direct...