Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Patient Info Exposed After Data Breach at South Florida Hospital System
Jan 4 2022 // Hackers broke into a South Florida hospital system’s computer network in October, potentially exposing patients’ pesonal information, including medical treatments, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers...
FAIA Posts Infographics to Help Explain Florida’s Ailing Insurance Market
Jan 3 2022 // In an effort to increase awareness of the need for further reforms that could improve the state’s distressed property insurance market, an independent agents’ organization has released a set of infographics for...
2022 Means More Claims Data From Florida Insurers, Notification on Surplus Lines
Jan 3 2022 // New Florida laws and regulations that govern insurance matters took effect Sunday. Some are minor changes to existing laws, but others could affect insurers and agents for years to come. Here’s a look at some of the...
Judge Holds Skanska Negligent for Barge Damage During Florida Hurricane
Dec 30 2021 // A federal judge has found that Skanksa USA, part of one of the largest construction companies in the world, failed to secure its barges before a 2020 Florida hurricane hit. The ruling opens the door to hundreds of lawsuits...
$1 Million in Hermes Handbags Stolen from Florida Store
Dec 29 2021 // More than a dozen one-of-a-kind Hermes handbags with an estimated value of about $1 million were stolen in a smash-and-grab burglary from a boutique store in South Florida, the store owner said. The unique luxury bags were...
Florida Woman Who Lost Leg After Pedicure Settles for $1.75M
Dec 29 2021 // A Florida woman whose leg had to be amputated because of an infection after a pedicure has reached a $1.75 million settlement with the nail salon, her attorney said. An employee at Tammy’s Nails 2 in Tampa cut Clara...
Florida Ringleader Sentenced After Security First Audit Uncovers Fraud
Dec 28 2021 // A Florida claims adjuster that authorities called the mastermind behind an extensive property insurance fraud scheme has been sentenced to three years in prison. Walter Malet, 32, of Orlando, was convicted of pilfering...
$9,000 an Hour for Comp Attorney Fee Has Tongues Wagging in Florida
Dec 28 2021 // Few things in Florida workers’ compensation have been a bigger issue over the last decade than claimants’ attorneys’ fees. Despite two landmark appeals court rulings barring limits on fees, employers and...
People Moving: Reagan, Grosso Join Alliant; Mesadieu to Villages in Florida
Dec 22 2021 // Alliant Insurance Services, a distributor, announced it has expanded its Florida team with the addition of William “Jib” Reagan as vice president over the employee benefits group, and Stephanie Grosso as...
Comma-tose: Florida Coverage Case Hinged on Punctuation Question
Dec 22 2021 // Coverage disputes often hinge on the exact wording of an insurance policy. In a case in federal court in South Florida, the issue came down to not only the wording, but the punctuation – namely, a question about a single...
Title Insurer Stewart Acquires Midwest, Florida Title Firms
Dec 21 2021 // Stewart Information Services Corp. reported it has acquired firms in the Midwest and Florida as it continues to gain scale. Stewart has acquired Greater Illinois Title Co., which is headquartered in Chicago, and operates...
Florida Man Sentenced for Starting Fires Behind Tampa Publix
Dec 21 2021 // A Florida man has been sentenced to five years in prison for setting fires behind the same Tampa Bay-area grocery store three days in a row starting on Christmas last year. Robert Timon Lovett, 50, of Bradenton, was...
New Kid on Block Will Use Tech, Rapid Repair Networks to Survive Florida Market
Dec 21 2021 // When the Florida insurance world heard that a newly formed homeowners’ insurance carrier was stepping into the troubled Florida waters, reactions ranged from cynical to apoplectic. Vyrd President David Howard Few...
Insurer Can Keep Using its Own Repair Contractor, Florida Appeals Court Finds
Dec 21 2021 // For the fourth time this year, a Florida appeals court has decided in favor of People’s Trust Insurance Co., requiring homeowners to let the carrier’s chosen contractor make the needed repairs. Josh...
Citizens’ Board Requests Larger Than Expected Rate Hike for Florida Homeowners
Dec 16 2021 // The board of governors for Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s state-backed insurer of last resort, wants the maximum allowed rate increase – 11% for next year and 12% for 2023 – in an effort to stem the...
400 Adjuster Firms Licensed Under Florida’s New Law
Dec 14 2021 // More than 400 claims-adjusting firms have been licensed in Florida in the last month, in keeping with a state law that requires that firms, not just adjusters, go through the licensing process, the state’s chief...
Brown & Brown Acquires Florida’s Corporate Insurance Advisors
Dec 13 2021 // Insurance agency Brown & Brown of Florida, Inc. has acquired substantially all of the assets of Corporate Insurance Advisors. J. Scott Penny, chief acquisitions officer of Brown & Brown, Inc., and Mark R. Schwartz,...
In Big Florida Ponzi Scheme Fallout, Security National Sues Firm’s Lawyers
Dec 13 2021 // Finger-pointing in one of the largest Ponzi schemes to hit Florida has spilled over into the legal and insurance industries. Security National Insurance Co. has filed suit against a Miami law firm, alleging the lawyers...
Florida Supreme Court Suspends Plaintiffs’ Lawyer for Second Time
Dec 10 2021 // The Florida Supreme Court has suspended a Tampa plaintiffs’ lawyer for the second time in three years after judges and the Florida Bar charged that he had wrongly accused courts and other lawyers of racial bias, then...
Auto Insurers Can Use ‘Hybrid’ Model on Med Reimbursement, Florida High Court Rules
Dec 9 2021 // Automobile insurance carriers in Florida may limit reimbursement to health providers in keeping with a fee schedule in a personal injury protection policy, the Florida Supreme Court decided in a decision posted...
