Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Independent Adjusters Charge Florida Insurers With Doctoring Damage Estimates
Dec 14 2022 // Do some Florida property insurance companies hire independent adjusters to inspect property claims, then routinely alter their inspection reports to reduce estimated losses? Yes, and it’s a widespread and fraudulent...
California, Florida and Texas have the most properties at risk of wildfire
Dec 13 2022 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Wildfires continue to be a massive threat to millions of properties across the United States. With the population growing and major metro areas continuing to develop...
Florida Senate Committee Passes Reform Bill; Would Make Citizens ‘Noncompetitive’
Dec 13 2022 // A Florida Senate Committee spent about two hours Monday reviewing a sweeping property insurance reform bill before approving it along party lines – with no changes. All nine Republicans on the Senate Banking and...
USDA: Florida Orange Crop Down 36% After Two Hurricanes
Dec 12 2022 // Production of oranges in Florida this season is forecast to be down 36% from earlier estimates, in part a reflection of twin hurricanes that battered growing regions, according to U.S. Agriculture Department figures...
AM Best Urges ‘Immediate and Substantive’ Reforms by Florida Lawmakers
Dec 12 2022 // Ahead of this week’s special legislative session in Florida, the AM Best financial rating firm predicts that “without immediate and substantive long-term legislative reforms,” further insurer insolvencies...
Florida Bills Offer Broad Attack on Insurance Costs: Legal Fees, AOBs, Reinsurance
Dec 11 2022 // After years of what some insurers have labeled half-measures, Florida lawmakers appear to be on the cusp of delivering “historic” and “transformational” reforms that would end one-way attorney fees,...
Suspended Florida Claim Center Lawyer Agrees to Interim Probation
Dec 9 2022 // A Florida lawyer whose law license was suspended after setting up a “mobile claim center” near Fort Myers is able to resume the practice of law under the terms of an agreement she reached with the Florida...
Unlicensed Contractor, Deputy Sheriff in Florida Charged in Insurance Fraud Cases
Dec 8 2022 // An unlicensed contractor and a deputy sheriff in Florida have been charged in separate incidents of contracting fraud and insurance fraud, state and local authorities said. Ty Lamonte Hillman was arrested this week after...
Florida Ratings Crisis: Fannie and Freddie Agree to Accept Citizens-as-Backstop Plan
Dec 8 2022 // It took more than four months, but Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have now agreed to accept an innovative but temporary solution to Florida’s property insurer rating predicament. The mortgage-buying giants on Wednesday...
Florida OIR Wants Longer Notice on UPC’s Policy Cancellations for Runoff
Dec 8 2022 // United Property & Casualty Insurance Co., now in the midst of an orderly run-off after years of heavy losses, had planned on giving 60 days’ cancellation notice to policies still in force as of May 31, 2023. But...
Florida Chamber Summit Panelists Confident Lawmakers will Stem Attorney Fees
Dec 7 2022 // If Florida lawmakers had any doubts about what reforms they need to consider at next week’s special legislative session, the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Insurance Summit on Tuesday provided plenty of...
Florida Session Agenda Calls for Claims Process Changes, More Oversight of Insurers
Dec 6 2022 // Florida legislative leaders posted a proclamation Tuesday painting the broad outlines of the special session scheduled to begin Monday, Dec. 12. And it quickly had tongues wagging around the industry. As expected, the...
Florida and Reinsurance – Pulling Back the Covers
Dec 6 2022 // The Florida Legislature will conduct a special session during the week of December 12 focusing on fixes for a failing, flailing insurance market in the state that has reached crisis levels. Symptoms of the crisis include...
SUV crashes into Florida Fireworks Store, Sparking Huge Fire
Dec 6 2022 // A Florida man drove his SUV into a fireworks store last week, sparking a huge fire in a crash that destroyed the building, authorities said. The driver was killed. The 53-year-old driver had rear-ended another vehicle...
Disbarred Florida Attorney Indicted on Racketeering Charges in NFL Cases
Dec 5 2022 // A workers’ compensation claimants’ attorney and injury lawyer who represented NFL players in concussion litigation has been indicted for allegedly swindling millions of dollars from his clients, the latest...
Demotech Likely Won’t Rate Any New Florida Insurers, Petrelli Says
Dec 5 2022 // The head of the Demotech insurance rating firm said the company likely won’t take on new clients in Florida, due to the turbulent insurance market and an outcry from state officials last summer. The Business Observer...
Update: Pickleball Explosion in Florida Creating New Hits and Misses for Insurers, Agents
Dec 5 2022 // If the insurance industry hasn’t noticed, the sport known as pickleball is exploding across the country, especially in Florida, where more than 15 indoor clubs, replete with air conditioning, cafes, locker rooms,...
View from Defense Counsel’s Office: Hope on the Horizon for Florida Insurers?
Dec 2 2022 // Despite recent hurricanes in Florida, continued insurance claims litigation, and steadily rising reinsurance rates, insurers and reinsurers have reason to be optimistic about the next few years. Due to a variety of...
Update: Florida Consultant on Demotech Alternatives Faced Issues in Other States
Dec 1 2022 // A Mississippi-based consulting firm hired to figure out Florida’s insurance company financial rating conundrum has faced scrutiny in other states after audits found improper disbursement of funds, long delays in...
Florida Supreme Court Approves Suspension of Mobile Claims Center Attorney
Nov 30 2022 // The Florida Supreme Court has approved the emergency suspended the law license of North Fort Myers attorney Jennifer Perez, who was in charge of a “mobile claim center” that was set up in a trailer in North...
