Latest Florida Headlines

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

Florida Democratic Senators Host Facebook Town Halls on Continuing Insurance Crisis

Jul 27 2023 // Two Florida Democratic state senators are hosting webinars this month and next on the state’s property insurance situation.“Homeowners Insurance 101: A Guide for Insurance Coverage,” a series of virtual...

Payroll Was Millions More than Florida Contractor Reported, DFS Says

Jul 27 2023 // A south Florida contractor faces significant jail time after he was arrested for vastly underreporting his payroll to his workers’ compensation insurer.Hector Gutierrez-Morales, owner of HG & AKE Construction...

What You Need to Know About States’ Insurers of Last Resort

Jul 26 2023 // This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. As Florida’s state-backed insurer of last resort takes on more than a million policies, Colorado considers devising its own insurance scheme to provide coverage...

South Florida Corals Already Bleaching as Water Temps Hit Record Highs

Jul 26 2023 // Some Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal...

New Florida Workers’ Comp Rules in Effect for Employer Penalties, Exemptions

Jul 26 2023 // This month, a number of new workers’ compensation rules took effect in Florida, affecting penalties for employers who fail to obtain comp insurance and setting new requirements for exemptions for corporate...

Head Scratcher? Claims Litigation Not Named as Major Factor in Florida Insolvencies

Jul 26 2023 // Despite years of complaints from Florida property insurers and some lawmakers that out-of-control claims litigation was destroying the industry, recent regulators’ reports about the reasons for insolvencies make...

Farmers Forced to Rescind Thousands of Nonrenewal Notices in Georgia

Jul 24 2023 // About the same time that it announced a major pull-back from the Florida and California markets, Farmers Insurance also sent thousands of nonrenewal notices to Georgia homeowners. In Georgia, though, the carrier appears to...

Map Tool Gives Grim Look at Sea Level and Flood Impact on Coastal Areas

Jul 24 2023 // Many of the lowest-lying coastal areas of the Southeastern United States, including some heavily populated parts of Florida, will be subject to increased annual flooding in less than 30 years, according to scenarios mapped...

Florida Quelled Attorney Fees But WV Doctrine is Alive – With Limits

Jul 24 2023 // The Florida Legislature made national headlines late last year when it effectively curtailed one-way attorney fees and greatly limited plaintiffs’ fee multipliers in claims litigation. Property insurers celebrated...

LAAIA Names Diaz-Padron President, Elects Other Board Members

Jul 24 2023 // The Latin American Association of Insurance Agents has elected new a new board of directors for the term that lasts through 2025.At its 53rd annual convention this month in Hollywood, Florida, the association named Juan...

Florida Insurers Have Until Aug. 1 to Show They Have Proper Claims Manuals, OIR Says

Jul 21 2023 // Florida property insurers now have a week to attest that they have and use claims-handling manuals that reflect industry practices and standards, the state Office of Insurance Regulation said in a bulletin.By Aug. 1,...

Jury Awards Florida Girl Burned by McNugget $800,000 in Damages

Jul 21 2023 // A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald`s...

Coastal Construction, Rising Replacement Values Contribute to Costly Hurricane Claims

Jul 21 2023 // Insured losses from hurricanes have risen steadily over just the past 15 years, with nine of the 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history occurring since 2005, according to the Insurance Information Institute...

Miami-Dade Moves to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat. Will State Block Rule?

Jul 20 2023 // With record heat in Florida and the rest of the U.S., officials in Miami-Dade County are moving to protect about 80,000 outdoor workers in the construction and agriculture trades.The Miami-Dade County Commission gave...

Hurricanes Getting Costlier and Wetter, Triple I Report Finds

Jul 20 2023 // U.S. population growth in hurricane-prone states, coupled with the increasingly heavy rainfall which accompany these storms, has generated costlier insurance claim payouts for wind and flood-caused property damage,...

Hub Acquires Edbrooke/Stelcner Associates in Florida

Jul 18 2023 // Global insurance broker Hub International Limited announced that it has acquired the assets of Edbrooke/Stelcner and Associates, Inc. in Coral Gables, Florida.Edbrooke/Stelcner is an employee benefits brokerage and...

AAA Is Not Exiting Florida But Will Non-Renew ‘Small Percentage’ of Policies

Jul 17 2023 // The Auto Club Insurance Company (AAA) of Florida has announced that it will not renew a “very small percentage” of auto and home insurance package policies in Florida.But, the insurer stressed, it is not...

Disney Hopes to Toss Board’s Lawsuit Against It

Jul 17 2023 // Walt Disney Co asked a Florida judge on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit by a state oversight board as part of the entertainment giant’s effort to pursue its case against Governor Ron DeSantis, the latest development in a...

US Insurance Market Forecast to Withstand Losses From Large Hurricane This Year: Fitch Report

Jul 17 2023 // With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this...

Why the Investor-Driven Hard Reinsurance Market Will Persist

Jul 17 2023 // Reinsurers will continue to command adequate rates for property-catastrophe in 2024, even if the market comes through hurricane season unscathed, reinsurance company executives said.Kevin O’Donnell, president and...