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Staff ReportsSeptember 14, 2017

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. had fielded 15,900 Irma-related storm damage claims at last count — a fraction of the more than 100,000 claims the company expects in the weeks ahead. The tally was good as of 9 a.m. Thursday, company spokesman Michael Peltier said. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has yet to say how […]

Michael MolineSeptember 13, 2017

Some 8,000 Irma-related insurance claims have landed with Citizens Property Insurance Corp. — and counting. That was the number as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, company spokesman Michael Peltier said. Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation was tallying claims filed but had not yet posted the numbers on its website. Citizens, established by the Legislature as the […]

Michael MolineSeptember 13, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott has ordered a three-month freeze on insurance rate increases for homeowners struggling to recover from Hurricane Irma — plus a three-month grace period for policyholders who received non-renewal or cancellation notices just before the storm hit. “Due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma, Floridians should be focused on getting back to […]

Staff ReportsJune 2, 2017

State regulators have approved two private insurers to assume more than 19,000 policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. during August. National Specialty Insurance Co., based in Fort Worth, Texas, will take over as many as 4,520 personal coastal residential policies. Southern Oak Insurance Co., of Jacksonville, will assume as many as 5,000 personal lines and […]

Michael MolineMay 9, 2017

A state appeals court has upheld a 14.5 percent increase in workers’ compensation insurance premiums, rejecting legal arguments that it was approved in violation of Florida’s open-government laws. “This argument ignores the plain language of the statute and the ordinary meaning of the terms within it,” a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of […]

Michael MolineMarch 14, 2017

The Legislature has been arguing over assignment of benefits reform for years, to no avail. Tuesday, Tampa Republican James Grant found out why — the hard way. The lesson was delivered by the House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee, which defeated by a single vote Grant’s bid to resolve the issue by boosting consumer protections and […]

Staff ReportsMarch 7, 2017

The new deputy commissioner for property and casualty insurance in the Office of Insurance regulation is Susanne Murphy, Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier announced Tuesday. Eric Johnson becomes deputy for life and health insurance, Altmaier said. “Susanne has been an invaluable resource to the office since joining in 2013,” Altmaier said in a written statement. “Over those years, […]

Michael MolineFebruary 17, 2017

Legislation sought by regulators, insurance, and business interests to reform assignment of benefits agreements finally dropped Friday — and the first thing it would do is bar attorney fee awards to contractors who use those contracts to sue insurers. “Nothwithstanding any other law, as to suits based on claims arising under property insurance policies, attorney […]

Michael MolineFebruary 7, 2017

Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier laid out his office’s solution to the insurance assignment-of-benefits problem to Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet Tuesday, and it includes limiting contractors’ ability to recover attorney fees in litigation against insurance companies. Florida’s one-way attorney fee statute is intended to shield policyholders against legal bills if they want to sue their insurers for failure […]

Michael MolineFebruary 7, 2017

The Office of Insurance Regulation and an organization that proposes workers’ compensation premium rates have filed legal briefs refuting arguments that they calculated Florida’s recent 14.5 percent rate hike in violation of the Sunshine Law. James Fee, a Miami workers’ compensation attorney fighting the increase, and a group of press and press-freedom organizations, had argued […]

Tag: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation

Irma-related damage claims continue to trickle in to Citizens Insurance

Citizens Insurance reports 8,000 claims and rising as policyholders return home

Rick Scott blocks insurance premium hikes, cancellations during Irma recovery

Private insurers OK’d to take over 19,000 Citizens Insurance policies

State appeals court upholds 14.5 percent workers’ comp premium increase

AOB reform passes House subcommittee, but it wasn’t pretty

Personnel note: New deputies appointed at Office of Insurance Regulation

Legislation introduced in Senate would tighten protections against AOBs

Insurance Office going after one-way attorney fees in AOB fight

Insurance office, NCCI refute Sunshine Law claims in workers’ comp appeal