Consumers will pay nearly $40 billion this year for product protection plans, despite the best efforts of the watchdogs who tell them not to. It’s mostly for smartphones and passenger cars, though, because everything else is perceived to be disposable and not worth fixing. The service contract industry is huge
TAMPA – Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the arrests of five NBRC Roofing Company employees for organizing a $525,000 insurance fraud scheme. The Tampa-based company is accused of leaving 97 homeowners in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties with unfinished roof repairs and liens on
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) has established the 2015 commercial residential and non-residential rates for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens), Florida’s largest property insurer. Overall, statewide average commercial rates will increase 3.3%, compared to the 5.2% increase requested by Citizens. The rate filing decision for Citizens homeowners accounts was made earlier
As Florida seeks to revive its private home insurance market after almost a decade without a hurricane, homeowners are pouring $6 billion a year in premiums into a new generation of small, in-state insurance companies with an unproven record of withstanding a major hurricane. A consumer-oriented rating agency, Weiss Ratings,
Hillsborough County’s Public Transportation Commission on Wednesday will take another crack at bringing the unlicensed ride-share companies into the legal taxicab business. There is every reason to open up competition, but these companies must first comply with public health and safety standards. The ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft have operated
TALLAHASSEE — Democrat Charlie Crist said Thursday he successfully reduced rising property insurance rates as governor and will do so again if elected, vowing to repeal a law enacted under Republican Gov. Rick Scott that he said provides weaker coverage at a higher price. It’s a familiar theme for Crist,
When it comes to 2016, Florida’s likely voters are not yet warming-up to the field of possible candidates for president. The exclusive Florida Decides Statewide Poll took the temperature of voters and how they feel about a select set of Republican and Democratic candidates. The favorability ratings were based on
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) has established the 2015 rates for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens), Florida’s largest property insurer. Overall, the statewide average homeowners rate will fall 3.7% compared to the 3.4% decrease requested by Citizens. The Order sets rates for Citizens Homeowners’, Dwelling
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced Thursday that more than 425,000 customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could be shifted in November to 16 private carriers. But don’t count on all of the policies landing in the private market. The targeted accounts, nearly double the number of policies previously
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) has approved the removal of up to 425,357 personal residential policies and 2,227 commercial residential polices from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens) by the following 14 companies: To read entire press release: .pdf | Office of Insurance Regulation