Latest Florida Headlines

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

Florida Quelled Attorney Fees But WV Doctrine is Alive – With Limits

Jul 24 2023 // The Florida Legislature made national headlines late last year when it effectively curtailed one-way attorney fees and greatly limited plaintiffs’ fee multipliers in claims litigation. Property insurers celebrated...

LAAIA Names Diaz-Padron President, Elects Other Board Members

Jul 24 2023 // The Latin American Association of Insurance Agents has elected new a new board of directors for the term that lasts through 2025. At its 53rd annual convention this month in Hollywood, Florida, the association named Juan...

Florida Insurers Have Until Aug. 1 to Show They Have Proper Claims Manuals, OIR Says

Jul 21 2023 // Florida property insurers now have a week to attest that they have and use claims-handling manuals that reflect industry practices and standards, the state Office of Insurance Regulation said in a bulletin. By Aug. 1,...

Jury Awards Florida Girl Burned by McNugget $800,000 in Damages

Jul 21 2023 // A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald`s...

Coastal Construction, Rising Replacement Values Contribute to Costly Hurricane Claims

Jul 21 2023 // Insured losses from hurricanes have risen steadily over just the past 15 years, with nine of the 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history occurring since 2005, according to the Insurance Information Institute...

Miami-Dade Moves to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat. Will State Block Rule?

Jul 20 2023 // With record heat in Florida and the rest of the U.S., officials in Miami-Dade County are moving to protect about 80,000 outdoor workers in the construction and agriculture trades. The Miami-Dade County Commission gave...

Hurricanes Getting Costlier and Wetter, Triple I Report Finds

Jul 20 2023 // U.S. population growth in hurricane-prone states, coupled with the increasingly heavy rainfall which accompany these storms, has generated costlier insurance claim payouts for wind and flood-caused property damage,...

Hub Acquires Edbrooke/Stelcner Associates in Florida

Jul 18 2023 // Global insurance broker Hub International Limited announced that it has acquired the assets of Edbrooke/Stelcner and Associates, Inc. in Coral Gables, Florida. Edbrooke/Stelcner is an employee benefits brokerage and...

AAA Is Not Exiting Florida But Will Non-Renew ‘Small Percentage’ of Policies

Jul 17 2023 // The Auto Club Insurance Company (AAA) of Florida has announced that it will not renew a “very small percentage” of auto and home insurance package policies in Florida. But, the insurer stressed, it is not...

Disney Hopes to Toss Board’s Lawsuit Against It

Jul 17 2023 // Walt Disney Co asked a Florida judge on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit by a state oversight board as part of the entertainment giant’s effort to pursue its case against Governor Ron DeSantis, the latest development in a...

US Insurance Market Forecast to Withstand Losses From Large Hurricane This Year: Fitch Report

Jul 17 2023 // With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this...

Why the Investor-Driven Hard Reinsurance Market Will Persist

Jul 17 2023 // Reinsurers will continue to command adequate rates for property-catastrophe in 2024, even if the market comes through hurricane season unscathed, reinsurance company executives said. Kevin O’Donnell, president and...

Construction-Defect Subrogation on the Rise But it Just Became More Difficult in Florida

Jul 17 2023 // Florida lawmakers this year approved a law that could help reduce liability insurance premiums for home and condo builders – and limit exposure and litigation for liability insurers. But Senate Bill 360, which took...

Fire Kills Almost Every Animal at Florida Wildlife Center

Jul 14 2023 // An early morning fire on Thursday killed nearly all the animals at a wildlife center in Florida, officials said. News outlets reported the fire broke out around 3 a.m. Thursday at the Alligator and Wildlife Discovery...

Florida Sinkhole That Swallowed Sleeping Man Reopens, This Time Harmlessly

Jul 14 2023 // A Florida sinkhole that in 2013 fatally swallowed a man sleeping in his own house has reopened for a third time, only now it`s behind chain-link fencing and doing no harm to people or property. Hillsborough County...

Florida High Court Rule Change Seen as a Win for Med Mal Insurers

Jul 14 2023 // Like a sports league deciding to make greater use of in-game instant replay on crucial calls, the Florida Supreme Court has made it a little easier for hospitals and other medical malpractice defendants to challenge expert...

Order Up: Next Florida Citizens Takeout Deadline is July 28

Jul 13 2023 // Florida regulators are reminding carriers that the deadline to participate in the November round of takeouts from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is fast approaching. Carriers must submit an application by July 28, the...

Florida Boy Dies After Dog Attack, Ahead of New Law That Bars Local Bans on Pit Bulls

Jul 12 2023 // A 6-year-old Florida boy has died after he was attacked by a pit bull-mix dog that lived in the same home. The North Port Police Department said the boy suffered extensive injuries to his upper torso and was flown to...

Water Damage Exclusions, on the Rise, May Frustrate Insureds but Are OK, Court Says

Jul 12 2023 // A federal appeals court has affirmed a lower court ruling that a Scottsdale Insurance commercial policy for a community center excludes almost all non-weather water damage. It’s the type of “infuriating”...

Farmers Insurance Further Reducing Florida Business

Jul 11 2023 // One month after it announced it would stop writing new homeowner policies in Florida, Farmers Insurance now says it plans to cut back further on its presence in the hurricane-prone state. The Florida Office of Insurance...