Latest Florida Headlines

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

Public Adjusters Can’t Also Be Appraisers on the Claim, Florida Supreme Court Finds

Feb 10 2023 // A public adjuster cannot act as an appraiser for a homeowner they represent when the insurance policy specifies that the appraiser must be “disinterested,” the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday.The high...

Insurers’ Files, Adjuster Notes Not Always Discoverable, Says Florida Appeals Court

Feb 10 2023 // Insurance companies in Florida may have to disclose their financial relationships with expert witnesses, but they don’t have to turn over their entire claims files and field adjusters’ notes, at least in some...

74-year-old Florida Lyft Driver Went Missing, Then Was Found Dead; One Arrested

Feb 9 2023 // A South Florida Lyft driver who went missing more than a week ago has died, his daughter confirmed Tuesday.Lindsay DiBetta posted on Facebook that the family would be announcing information on services for her father, Gary...

‘Citizens’ Web Site Not Affiliated with Florida Insurer, Takes Users to Auto Quote Site

Feb 8 2023 // Investigators with Citizens Property Insurance Corp. are looking into a website that looks a lot like Florida’s largest property insurance carrier but may actually be fraudulent.“These sites typically ask for...

Hurricane Irma Deaths at Florida Nursing Home: Accident or Manslaughter?

Feb 8 2023 // A Florida nursing home administrator charged with causing the overheating deaths of nine patients after Hurricane Irma in 2017 went on trial Monday, with a prosecutor calling him a “captain who abandoned ship”...

Rogner, Helwig Named to Workers’ Comp Charity Board in Florida

Feb 8 2023 // Kids’ Chance, a charity organization established by the the workers’ compensation industry, has named new board members for its Florida operation.The all-volunteer Kids’ Chance of Florida, like sister...

Ransomware Outbreak Hits US and European Universities, Florida Supreme Court

Feb 7 2023 // A global ransomware outbreak has scrambled servers belonging to Florida’s Supreme Court and several universities in the United States and Central Europe, according to a Reuters analysis of ransom notes posted online...

Former NFL Player Faces DUI Charge After Florida Crash

Feb 7 2023 // A former NFL player was arrested on a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge after troopers say his vehicle rear-ended a pick-up truck that was on the side of a South Florida highway because of a flat tire,...

After Florida’s insurance market failures, will Louisiana be next to fall?

Feb 6 2023 // Last week, a special session of the Louisiana Legislature passed and funded an effort to deter insurance companies from leaving the Pelican State after a raft of hurricanes wreaked havoc on the financials of several...

Appeals Court Upholds Sanctions Against Florida Insurance Defense Attorney

Feb 6 2023 // A Florida appeals court has issued a sharp rebuke to an insurance defense attorney, upholding sanctions and charging that he has engaged in a pattern of conduct designed to trigger mistrials.Dale Gobel, of Orlando, made...

Florida Citizens’ Endorsement Now in Effect: Disputes to be Heard by Admin Judges

Feb 6 2023 // As of this month, most Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corp. claims disputes will now be heard and decided by the state Division of Administrative Hearings, not in a court of law.Officials at Citizens and at DOAH...

Florida Adjusters Say No Response From State Officials After They Alleged that Insurers Have Doctored Their Damage Reports

Feb 6 2023 // Almost two months after three independent adjusters told Florida lawmakers that insurance carriers have frequently doctored their damage assessment reports, the men said they’ve had no contact from state agencies...

Florida Citizens Shucks Nationwide Search, Names Cerio New CEO

Feb 1 2023 // The Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors, in a special meeting Tuesday, surprised some in the Florida insurance industry by naming its general counsel as CEO – without a nationwide search.The board voted...

Slide Will Assume 91,000 Policies and Premium in United P&C Runoff in Florida

Feb 1 2023 // One year after Slide Insurance made waves by taking over thousands of policies from a troubled Florida carrier, the young company has done it again.The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation on Tuesday signed a consent...

Florida Approves New WC Rule: Carriers Must Verify Subcontractor Employees

Feb 1 2023 // The National Council on Compensation Insurance has laid down the law, requiring Florida workers’ compensation insurers to verify employees before arbitrarily charging premium for subcontractors’ exempt...

25 Charged in Fake Nursing Diploma Scheme in South Florida

Jan 31 2023 // Federal authorities in Florida have charged 25 people with participating in a wire fraud scheme that created an illegal shortcut for aspiring nurses to get licensed and find employment.Recently unsealed federal grand jury...

Allstate’s Castle Key Plans to Drop 33,000 Condo Policies in Florida

Jan 30 2023 // At least one of Allstate Insurance group’s Florida subsidiaries plans to non-renew 33,000 Florida condominium policies, starting in June.In a notice sent to Florida agents this month, Allstate said its Castle Key...

$1.5B Dike Repair Finally Done at Florida’s Okeechobee, Protecting Thousands of Home

Jan 27 2023 // After 18 years, a $1.5 billion project was officially completed to repair the sprawling dike around Florida’s Lake Okeechobee that protects thousands of people from potentially catastrophic flooding during...

Risk Strategies Buys Tanenbaum-Harber Agency in Florida

Jan 27 2023 // Risk Strategies, a national insurance brokerage, has acquired Florida’s Tanenbaum-Harber, a risk management and insurance advisor. Based in Miramar, Florida, Tanenbaum-Harber traces its beginnings to 1860, the...

Few Florida Carriers Filed for Arbitration in 2022, But It’s Coming, Attorneys Say

Jan 26 2023 // After American Integrity Insurance Co. filed for a binding arbitration endorsement on homeowner policies one year ago, many in the industry expected a wave of other insurers to follow suit as claims litigation costs...