Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Four Dead in Plane Crash off Florida’s Gulf Coast
Apr 10 2023 // The bodies of two men and two women have been recovered following a small plane crash just off Florida’s Gulf Coast, police said Thursday. The plane had just taken off from Venice Airport when it crashed into the...
Florida Officials Cut Key Data from Vaccine Study, Report Finds
Apr 10 2023 // An analysis that was the basis of a highly criticized recommendation from Florida’s surgeon general cautioning young men against getting the COVID-19 vaccine omitted information that showed catching the virus could...
Altering Adjusters’ Reports a No-No Under Florida Insurer Accountability Bill
Apr 6 2023 // As trial lawyers and news reports around the state continue to criticize Florida lawmakers for the far-reaching tort-reform passed last month, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee has approved a bill designed to...
NHC Report Ranks Ian as Costliest Florida Hurricane, Shows Forecasting, Storm Surge
Apr 4 2023 // The National Hurricane Center’s report on Hurricane Ian, posted Monday, six months after the storm hit southwest Florida, pegs Ian as the most expensive to hit the Sunshine State, causing twice as much damage as...
Florida DWC Gives Long-Awaited Nod to Surgical Center Reimbursement Manual
Apr 3 2023 // After almost three years of hearings, workshops and debate between insurers and medical centers, the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation has given final approval to the 2020 reimbursement manual for ambulatory...
Florida Governor Turns Heads with Comment that Citizens Insurance is ‘Not Solvent,’ Just as Board Approves Catastrophe Bond
Apr 3 2023 // Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised some questions when he suggested that Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-created insurer, has “not been solvent” and may be unable to pay all claims from a major...
Whipped Cream Vodka Not so Sweet for Florida Woman Linked to False Insurance Claims
Mar 31 2023 // A broken bottle of whipped cream-flavored vodka may have turned into a just dessert for an Orlando-area woman who allegedly filed false insurance claims. Florida authorities announced Thursday that Anita Jovic, of Seminole...
Florida Regulators Now Reviewing Rate Hikes of 14%, 62% and 103%
Mar 31 2023 // Three Florida insurance carriers, one large and two small, are seeking approval for major rate increases, with one condominium policy increase as high as 103%. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s board of...
Toxic Connection Not Proven, Appeals Court Finds in Florida Cancer Suit vs. Raytheon
Mar 30 2023 // In closely watched and widely publicized toxic-tort litigation that has percolated through the courts for more than a decade, federal appeals judges this week underscored the strict standard that expert witnesses are held...
In Filing With Regulators, Florida Citizens Wants Appraisers to Be Licensed Adjusters
Mar 28 2023 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has weighed in on a question that could shake up the appraisal process in Florida insurance claims disputes, urging state regulators to require that appraisers be licensed adjusters. In a...
Unlicensed Roofing Contractor in Florida Charged After Soliciting Homeowners
Mar 27 2023 // Florida authorities on Friday charged a man with unlicensed contracting, insurance fraud and failing to obtain workers’ compensation coverage on his workers, after he solicited Tampa-area homeowners for roof...
25,000 Lawsuits by Today? Florida Plaintiff Firms Rushing to File Before Tort-Reform Bill Signed into Law
Mar 23 2023 // The Florida Senate approved a take-no-prisoners tort-reform bill Thursday and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law Friday. The bill, which extends limits on one-way attorney fees, assignments of benefits, and other...
Florida Insurance Agent Who Used $5M in Premiums for Safari, Condos Gets 14 Years
Mar 23 2023 // More than 18 months after he pleaded guilty to absconding with almost $5 million in premiums, a Florida insurance agent has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. John M. Thomas, 52, the former owner of Thomas Insurance...
With Sex Assault Cases on the Rise, Insurers Tighten Hospital Liability Exclusions
Mar 22 2023 // South Floridians may remember the case of a patient at Westchester General Hospital in Miami, who said she was sexually assaulted by a hospital worker on New Year’s Eve in 2019 while she was sedated. The...
Boaters Did Not Survive After Trying to Rescue Woman, Florida Sheriff Says
Mar 21 2023 // Two men were found dead after a boating incident on a central Florida lake near the Legoland theme park. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference that the two men had jumped into Lake Eloise Saturday to...
Orderly Runoff Didn’t Work; Florida’s United P&C Now Insolvent, Headed for Liquidation
Mar 20 2023 // Just days after some 90,000 policies from troubled United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. were transferred to Slide Insurance as part of a wind-down of the carrier, it was announced that UPC is officially broke and...
Florida House, Senate Committees Advance Slightly Different Tort-Reform Measures
Mar 17 2023 // A Florida bill that would clamp further limits on attorney fees and litigation passed another Senate committee Thursday, moving it closer to a Senate floor vote. Senate Bill 236, sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Palm...
Carolina Town to Phase Out Golf Carts on Streets; Florida Lawmakers Want Age Limit
Mar 16 2023 // A beach town in North Carolina is cracking down on golf carts on city streets, after the number of carts, unlicensed drivers and accidents has grown in recent years. The Port City Daily newspaper reported that the town...
Florida Lobbying Firm Hires Altmaier as Lobbyist and Consultant
Mar 16 2023 // Former Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier has been hired as a lobbyist and consultant by one of the largest and most influential lobbying firms in the state, The Southern Group, the company announced. The...
Amendment to Florida Tort-Reform Would Grant One-Way Attorney Fees in Some Cases
Mar 15 2023 // A sponsor of a far-reaching Florida tort-reform bill warned last week that the measure, unlike previously adopted insurance legislation, is subject to change as it moves through the House and the Senate. On Tuesday, that...
