Latest Florida Headlines

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

Florida Shrimpers Lost Boats, Homes in Surge; Hope to Get Battered Fleet Back to Sea

Oct 12 2022 // The seafood industry in southwest Florida is racing against time and the elements to save what’s left of a major shrimping fleet — and a lifestyle — that was battered by Hurricane Ian.The storm’s...

Search for Victims Done, Florida Coast Begins Recovery from Storm

Oct 12 2022 // An army of 42,000 utility workers has restored electricity to more than 2.5 million businesses and homes in Florida since Hurricane Ian’s onslaught, and Brenda Palmer’s place is among them. By the...

Ian Claims in Florida Topping 449,000 So Far, But Many More Expected

Oct 11 2022 // The number of claims filed from Hurricane Ian continues to rise, topping 449,000 as of Monday, and estimated insured losses stand at more than $4.2 billion, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reported.Some 322,268...

Alligators, Broken Infrastructure, Wreckage Greet Claims Adjusters in SW Florida

Oct 11 2022 // Damaged infrastructure created new obstacles for claims adjusters responding to Hurricane Ian, along with widespread flooding, damaged cell phone towers and even an occasional alligator.Sedgwick Executive Vice President...

Ending Florida Agency Led to More Development, Losses in Ian, Report Says

Oct 10 2022 // The shuttering of a state agency that was created to manage growth in Florida’s vulnerable coastal areas may have helped fuel the steady development that during Hurricane Ian resulted in some of the largest insured...

Florida Citrus Industry Squeezed by Hurricane Ian; Crop Insurance to Cover Some Losses

Oct 7 2022 // The waters have receded, but the stink lingers. As Emma Reynolds Ezell surveys the damage that a night of 100 mile-per-hour winds wrought on her orange groves, she just can’t get over the stench. It’s nothing...

Florida Comp Workshop on Physician Dispensing Rules Moved to November

Oct 6 2022 // The Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation has rescheduled two workshops on proposed rules governing physician dispensing of medications. The workshops were set for Sept. 29 but were postponed due to the arrival...

After Ian Swamped His Office and Home, Florida Insurance Agent Picking Up the Pieces

Oct 6 2022 // John Gardner this week found himself in a position no insurance agent would like to be in: no office to work in, no electrical service and no internet, but with hundreds of policyholders clamoring to file claims. And...

Most Habitable Homes in Florida Should Get Power Restored by End of Week, FPL Says

Oct 5 2022 // Nearly a week after Hurricane Ian smashed into Florida and carved a path of destruction that reached into the Carolinas, hundreds of thousands of Florida residents faced another day without electricity Tuesday as rescuers...

Will Ian Consume Florida Cat Fund, Forcing More Back-Breaking Reinsurance?

Oct 5 2022 // While some analysts are predicting that the property insurance industry will be able to manage Hurricane Ian and its estimated $50 billion in insured losses, a few are now warning that the storm could significantly erode...

Regulatory Roundup: Florida Warns of Crypto Scam, Louisiana Helps with $129 Million in Additional Claims, Connecticut Weighs in on Federal Subsidies

Oct 4 2022 // This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. State by state variations of laws, compliance protocols, industry transparency, and general regulatory cultures can lend one the impression that keeping up with...

In Ian’s Wake, Dangers Worsen in Parts of Florida

Oct 4 2022 // People kayaking down streets that were passable just a day or two earlier. Hundreds of thousands without power. National Guard helicopters flying rescue missions to residents still stranded on Florida’s barrier...

Florida Cities Crushed by Ian Face Highest Borrowing Costs in Decade

Oct 4 2022 // Florida cities looking to rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Ian will be financing their efforts during the worst environment for municipal borrowing in more than a decade.Washed-out roads and bridges are only the...

Video Shows Ian Storm Surge Devastated Part of Florida; Losses Mounting

Oct 3 2022 // FORT MYERS, Fla. – Dave Lusk, who lives on San Carlos Island, sandwiched between Fort Myers and devastated Fort Myers Beach, Florida, told the story of how his daugther and her family decided to ride out Hurricane Ian in...

Misrepresentation by Insured? It’s Complicated, Florida Appeals Court Says

Oct 3 2022 // Proving that an insured misrepresented the extent of damage from a storm may have become a little more complicated for Florida insurance companies this year.Florida’s 5th District Court of Appeals in September...

Hurricane Ian Losses Up to $47B in Florida, Sinking More Insurers, CoreLogic Calculates

Sep 30 2022 // Wind and storm-surge losses from Hurricane Ian could reach as $47 billion in Florida alone, a figure made larger by inflation and rising interest rates, the property analytics firm CoreLogic said in a new...

Florida Hospital Gets Hit from Above and Below in Hurricane

Sep 30 2022 // Hurricane Ian swamped a Florida hospital from both above and below, the storm surge flooding its lower level emergency room while fierce winds tore part of its fourth floor roof from its intensive care unit, according to a...

Citizens’ Early Estimate of $3.8B in Ian Losses; Florida OIR Suspends Use and File

Sep 29 2022 // Hurricane Ian continued to churn through central Florida Thursday morning, leaving widespread flooding and wind damage in its wake. It was too early to know the extent of property insurance claims from the storm, although...

Jury: Sheriff Should Pay $15M for Death of Florida Teen Outside Fair in 2014

Sep 28 2022 // A Florida sheriff has been ordered by a jury to pay $15 million to the parents of a teenager who died while trying to cross a highway after being kicked out of the state fair by deputies.The 10-person jury reached its...

Florida Keys Boat Captain Charged in Fatal Parasailing Accident

Sep 28 2022 // A boat captain has been charged with manslaughter in a Memorial Day parasailing crash in the Florida Keys that killed a 33-year-old Illinois woman and injured her young son and nephew.Daniel Gavin Couch, 49, was booked...