florida insurance market News

Florida’s Citizens Accuses Embattled Law Firm, Others of Sham Lawsuits, Racketeering

Florida’s state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has joined a chorus of insurance companies accusing the Strems Law Firm of lawsuit abuse. Citizens says it has lost millions of dollars due to an alleged scheme of “sham” claims by the law …

Florida Supreme Court Suspends Attorney Behind Thousands of Insurer Lawsuits

The Florida Supreme Court has granted an emergency request by The Florida Bar to immediately suspend an attorney who, with his firm, has filed thousands of assignment of benefit and first party lawsuits against Florida property insurers over the last …

How Florida’s Strained Insurance Market is Facing COVID-19, Hurricane Season

From the threat of insurer ratings downgrades to mounting carrier losses because of excessive litigation to increasing insurance rates, Florida’s insurance market got off to a rocky start in 2020. Then came the COVID-19 global pandemic, causing further stress to …

Florida Cat Fund Foregoes Private Reinsurance for 2020 Hurricane Season

Reinsurance coverage for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund will not be purchased for the upcoming hurricane season after overseers of the fund evaluated the market and found a lack of private capital availability. In a statement, John Kuczwanski, manager of …

Florida Market Study Will Evaluate Exposures, Strategies for Citizens Property Insurance

Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s insurer of last resort, has moved forward with an independent study that will evaluate the insurer’s potential exposures from the state’s troubled property insurance market. The Citizens’ Board of Governors voted at its last meeting …

Prepared Insurance of Florida to be Acquired by Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp.

Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp. plans to acquire its sister carrier, Prepared Insurance Company (Prepared), from Prepared Holdings Group. Lighthouse is a Louisiana-domiciled property and casualty insurance carrier authorized to write policies in Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. Prepared …

Windhaven Insurance Ceasing Operations, Assets to be Auctioned Off

Auto and home insurer Windhaven Insurance has alerted its agents and employees in Florida that it is winding down the insurance operations of its entities, including Windhaven National Insurance Co., ClutchAnalytics and The Hearth Group, and that its assets are …

AM Best: Florida Insurers Brace for Challenging June Reinsurance Renewals

Although the 2019 hurricane season did not have a significant impact on Florida, loss creep from prior storms continues to weigh on reinsurers, leading to a likely rise in rates for the upcoming June renewal period. As noted in AM …

Rehabilitation of Florida Insurer Windhaven Deemed ‘Useless’; Judge Orders Liquidation

Plans to rehabilitate Florida auto insurer Windhaven Insurance Co. have been deemed “useless” and the company will instead be liquidated. In a Jan. 6 order, Leon County Court Judge Ronald W. Flury said the Florida Department of Financial Services, which …

Citizens to Evaluate Policyholder Count as Florida Market Conditions Tighten

Florida’s insurer of last resort Citizens Property Insurance Corporation will make shrinking its policyholder count a priority next year, despite potential headwinds that may come from Florida domestic carriers raising rates and restricting coverage. Prompted by a request from Florida …