Latest Florida Headlines

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

Appeals Court Finds GEICO Did Not Act in Bad Faith in Fatal Florida Crash Claim

Feb 18 2022 // In a case that went all the way to the federal appeals court level, a panel of judges has found that GEICO General Insurance adequately investigated a Florida claim after an insured motorist killed a cyclist, and did not...

Jersey DOL Cites 5 Southeast Contractors for Misclassifying Workers

Feb 17 2022 // Contractors based in Florida, North Carolina and Georgia have been ordered to stop work in New Jersey and now face penalties for allegedly misclassifying workers.The New Jersey Department of Labor said it had issued the...

Florida Insurance Rescue Bills Move Closer to Becoming Law

Feb 17 2022 // Two bills that many in the insurance industry hope will solve some of Florida’s worsening property insurance problems moved a step closer to becoming law Wednesday when they passed a key Senate subcommittee.The...

After Months of Decline, Florida Claims Litigation Rose Sharply in January

Feb 16 2022 // Just when insurers saw signs that last year’s reform legislation may be having an impact on claims litigation, bad news appeared in the inbox Wednesday.CaseGlide, the maker of litigation management software, which...

Florida House Committee Approves Home Hardening Tax Breaks

Feb 16 2022 // Florida’s chief financial officer is applauding lawmakers for approving a home-hardening measure that could affect homeowners insurance rates in years to come.“Since last year, we’ve been pushing hard on...

Relatively Weak Hurricane Elsa Caused $1B in Damage Last Year

Feb 15 2022 // Hurricane Elsa, which made landfall on July 7, 2021, with winds of 86 mph, caused about $1 billion in damage to the southern United States and multiple Caribbean countries, the National Hurricane Center reported.New data...

St. Johns, Lighthouse Insurance Suspend New Writing in Florida

Feb 15 2022 // Two more property insurers, including one of the largest insurers in Florida, have stopped writing new policies in the state, marking the fifth and sixth carriers this year to pull back from the turbulent Florida...

Man Loses Arm and Leg after Explosion at South Florida Scrap Yard

Feb 14 2022 // An explosion at a scrap-metal yard in South Florida left a man with such serious injuries that his arm and part of his leg had to be amputated Monday.News outlets reported that the man was unloading a large medical oxygen...

Florida OIR to Hold Workshop on Claims Litigation Data Call

Feb 14 2022 // Florida insurance carriers will be able to find out what claims litigation data they should be collecting and how it should be reported, thanks to a Feb. 24 workshop held by the state Office of Insurance Regulation.Senate...

Florida Teacher Dies Day After Being Hit by SUV Outside High School

Feb 14 2022 // A Florida teacher died Friday, a day after being struck by an SUV and trapped underneath it in the back parking lot of a Tampa Bay area high school, officials said.The Pasco County School District announced the death of...

S&P Report Sheds Light on Florida Farm Bureau’s Losses

Feb 11 2022 // Recently posted data provides new insight on the dire financial situation for Florida Farm Bureau, one of four carriers that announced it would stop writing or non-renew thousands of homeowner policies in Florida this...

Higher Fees Don’t Disqualify a Comp Treating Physician, Florida Appeals Court Finds

Feb 11 2022 // A workers’ compensation judge may not disqualify a treating physician simply because the doctor’s prices exceed the Florida workers’ comp fee schedule, a state appeals court decided this week.“In...

FTC Files Suit Against Auto Warranty Firm, Charging Deceptive Practices

Feb 10 2022 // The Federal Trade Commission has filed a federal lawsuit against a Florida-based vehicle warranty firm and related companies, charging that the firms’ telemarketers illegally said they represented car manufacturers...

Florida Senate Takes No Action on Bill to Repeal Malpractice Shield

Feb 10 2022 // The Florida Senate appears to have put an end to a bill that would have allowed parents of adult children to sue for damages in medical malpractice cases.The Senate Judiciary Committee last week effectively shelved...

Risk Strategies Buys Gehring Group in Florida

Feb 10 2022 // Risk Strategies, a national brokerage and risk management firm, announced it has acquired the Gehring Group, an employee benefits and risk consulting firm. Based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Gehring provides risk...

Investigation Launched after Cyclist Falls From Florida Drawbridge

Feb 9 2022 // Authorities are investigating after a bicyclist fell to her death when a drawbridge connecting Palm Beach to the Florida mainland began rising before she could reach the other side. A bystander tried to pull her to safety...

Another Big Insurer Stops Writing Homeowners Policies in Florida

Feb 8 2022 // The Florida property insurance market is showing more signs of trouble, with one of the state’s largest carriers deciding to stop writing new homeowner business in the state – while also asking for a rate increase...

Florida House Panel Adds PTSD Benefits for Prison Guards, Not Dispatchers

Feb 8 2022 // Florida corrections officers and probation officers moved a step closer to becoming eligible for workers’ compensation benefits for mental stress disorders Monday, but the bill would not extend those benefits to...

Business Moves

Feb 7 2022 // Marsh McLennan, Affinity AgencyAssociation Member Benefits Advisors, a national affinity-based membership and marketing insurance agency, has agreed to acquire the associations business of Mercer, a business of Marsh...

People & Places

Feb 7 2022 // Patrick Sterling will lead RIMS, the risk management society, as president for the 2022 term. Sterling is vice president at the steakhouse restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse in Louisville, Kentucky, and is a 34-year veteran...