Latest Florida Headlines

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

Frustration After Former NFL QB, Nine Others Drown at Florida, Alabama Beaches

Jun 30 2023 // A firefighter from Georgia and two fathers who drowned while trying to save their children are among at least 10 recent victims of dangerous rip currents along Gulf of Mexico beaches stretching across Florida’s...

Starting July 1, Florida Insurers Face New Guardrails on Force-Placed Insurance

Jun 30 2023 // Starting Saturday, insurers and mortgage lenders for Florida homeowners will face some new restrictions on lender-placed insurance policies, thanks to a bill approved by state lawmakers this year.House Bill 793 takes...

Part of Florida Quarantined Due to Stucco-Eating Giant African Land Snail

Jun 29 2023 // If it’s not malaria-carrying mosquitoes, it’s stucco-eating giant snails.Neighborhoods in Broward County are still under quarantine in an effort to limit the spread of the giant African land snails, which were...

Why the Investor-Driven Hard Reinsurance Market Will Persist in 2024

Jun 29 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...

Five Teens Killed in Car That Sank in Florida Pond

Jun 29 2023 // Five teenagers were killed when their car ran off a curving street and landed in a southwest Florida retention pond where it went underwater, authorities said. It happened either late Sunday or early Monday, killing...

Engineering Report Not Covered in Kidwell AOB Case, Florida Appeals Court Finds

Jun 29 2023 // Insurance carriers do not have to pay for an engineering report if it’s not used in the repair of a property and is not covered by the policy, a Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday in a rebuke of one of the...

Florida Police: Theft Ring Targeted Luxury Cars Using Fake VINs, Phony Insurance

Jun 29 2023 // Florida law enforcement pushed back this week against a nationwide surge in auto thefts, announcing that 23 people were arrested for their alleged participation in a crime ring that forged vehicle identification numbers...

Regulatory Weaknesses, Politics Driving Marketplace Exits, Industry CEOs Say

Jun 28 2023 // A trio of property/casualty carrier executives voluntarily offered their views on a growing insurance availability crisis in a state like California at an industry conference last week, pointing to regulatory disconnects...

Travelers Must Pay $2M for Yacht Lost in Irma: Florida Law Bars ‘Technicality’ Denials

Jun 28 2023 // Travelers must pay a $2 million claim by the owner of a 92-foot-long yacht that was sunk by Hurricane Irma because Florida law does not allow insurers to deny claims based on inconsequential technicalities.A panel of the...

Catholic Church in Florida Struck as Insurance Costs Soar Toward the Heavens

Jun 27 2023 // It seems that few are safe from soaring property insurance rates in Florida, not even those with strong connections to a higher authority.The Crux, a Catholic news outlet, reported that the Catholic Church’s...

FIGA Sells Muni Bonds to Keep Up with Insolvent Insurer Claims

Jun 27 2023 // The Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, which handles the claims of insolvent insurers, plans to borrow $600 million by selling municipal bonds, according to preliminary offering documents. It is the first time in...

Construction-Defect Subrogation on the Rise But it Just Became More Difficult in Florida

Jun 27 2023 // Florida lawmakers this year approved a measure that could help reduce liability insurance premiums for home and condo builders – and limit exposure and litigation for liability insurers.But Senate Bill 360, which took...

Florida Homeowner Charged for Double-Dipping on Kitchen Water Damage Claim

Jun 22 2023 // A homeowner in Florida has been charged with fraud after failing to report a previous claim on her house, the state’s Department of Financial Services said Wednesday. Nancy Salomon, of Port St. Lucie, applied for an...

Structured Settlement Cash-out Left Impaired Man with Little. Transamerica Not Liable

Jun 22 2023 // Transamerica’s annuity and life insurance units have dodged a bullet and are not liable for their roles in a mentally challenged man giving away most all of his lifetime structured-settlement benefits, a federal...

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

Jun 21 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...

Senator Says DeSantis’ Veto of Flood, Other Projects is Political Retaliation

Jun 21 2023 // Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed flood-control and other measures in central and west Florida and at least one Republican claims that it was retaliation for his support for the governor’s rival in the 2024...

Texas Panhandle Storm Blamed for 3 Deaths, Wrecked Mobile Homes and Main Street

Jun 19 2023 // PERRYTON, Texas (AP) – As Sabrina Devers watched what would turn out to be a deadly storm approach her ranch just north of the Texas Panhandle town Perryton, she first spotted golf ball-sized and then softball-sized...

Tornadoes, Strong Winds Caused Property Damage Across South

Jun 19 2023 // Damaging winds and possible tornadoes toppled trees, damaged buildings and blew cars off a highway Wednesday as powerful storms crossed the South from Texas to Florida to Georgia late last week.The National Weather Service...

Stalled Contract Jeopardizes Relations Between New Disney District and Firefighters

Jun 19 2023 // After appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over Walt Disney World’s governing district earlier this year, its firefighters were among the few employees who publicly welcomed them with open arms.But that warm...

Florida Agents Optimistic About Market – and Don’t Fear the A.I. Reaper

Jun 19 2023 // ORLANDO – Just as some California insurance agents are expressing grave concerns about the future of that state’s insurance market, a number of Florida agents feel like they’ve turned something of a...