Florida property insurance crisis News

Contractors Can’t Advertise ‘Insurance Negotiating’ Skills, Texas Supreme Court Says

A contractor cannot be the public adjuster on a claim and cannot advertise itself as an insurance claims negotiator if it does not hold an adjusters’ license, the Texas Supreme Court decided in a case that could give support to …

Universal Says it Completed Reinsurance Program With Only a Slight Bump in Cost

Universal Insurance Holdings, the publicly traded parent of one of Florida’s largest property insurers, said it has completed its reinsurance program for its two subsidiaries ahead of the June 1 renewal. “For this renewal, we approached the market with considerably …

‘Cautiously Optimistic’ on Florida: Defense Costs Down, but Reinsurance Still a Drag

Analysts with the AM Best financial rating firm and other stakeholders are cautiously optimistic about the resurrection of the Florida property insurance market, 18 months after state lawmakers approved monumental litigation reforms. That was the sentiment gleaned from a Thursday …

Florida Agents Will Soon Need Three Appointments Before Selling Citizens

Starting July 1, Florida insurance agents must have at least three appointments with authorized carriers before they can sell policies for the state-created Citizens Property Insurance Corp. That’s the mandate laid down by Florida House Bill 1503, signed into law …

Florida’s 125% Surge in Property-Insurance Bills Sows Havoc

For Filicia Porter, the insurance bills were the final straw. They’d been climbing steeply for her assisted-living business as Florida was battered with ever more-powerful storms, and eventually, the numbers stopped adding up. So in March, she finally decided to …

After Two Years in the Eye of the Storm, Neal Steps Down From FIGA. Brown Up Next

Corey Neal took over as executive director of the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association in early 2022, at the height of what many would say were some of the darkest days for the Florida property/casualty market. Two carriers had just been …

Security First Touts 5% Rate Decrease for HO-3, Renters Policies in Florida

Citing the stabilizing impact that legislative reforms have had on the Florida market, Security First Insurance Co. executives this week announced two residential property rate reductions of more than 5%. “For the first time in nine years, we’re going to …

DeSantis, Amid Criticism, Signs Bill Making Climate Change Less of a Priority

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Climate change will be a lesser priority in Florida and largely disappear from state statutes under legislation signed Wednesday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that also bans power-generating wind turbines offshore or near the state’s lengthy …

Greater Chance of Major Hurricane on East Coast This Year, Less in Gulf, Scientist Says

Multiple computer models from forecasting organizations across the globe have predicted a very active hurricane season starting next month, spelling trouble for Florida and much of the Eastern United States. The models aren’t wrong, said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research …

Florida OIR Fines Heritage P&C $1M for Ian Claims Issues

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation in recent weeks has fined five property and casualty insurers, including Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Co., which was hit with a $1 million penalty for failing to properly handle hundreds of claims after …