Editorial: Florida Water Scam Is Soaking Consumers, Must Be Plugged

Palm Beach Post – August 30, 2016 State-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is looking for a 9 percent increase from Palm Beach County homeowners – and an average 6.8 percent statewide – even though there hasn’t been a hurricane in more than 10 years. The reason has nothing to do with the ravages of nature.…

POINT OF VIEW: Contractor Took Advantage, Now Trying to Soak My Insurer

Palm Beach Post I recently attended a forum hosted by Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate Sha’Ron James in Boca Raton to discuss the explosion in insurance claims related to water damage. During the event, multiple speakers talked about problems associated with Assignment of Benefits (AOB), and how it is harming the insurance market and increasing rates…

Some Insurers Restricting Renewals, New Business in South Florida

Sun Sentinel  Ron Hurtibise  Some property insurance companies are not taking on new business in ZIP codes with high claims rates in South Florida and canceling or deciding not to renew customers in high-risk areas. The action is a result of rising water damage claims in the region, the same problem that is leading to…

Florida’s Citizens Says AOB Abuse to Blame for Statewide Rate Increase of 6.8%

Citizens Board of Governors has approved recommended rates for 2017 that equal an average rate increase of nearly 7 percent statewide. The company said the increase is a necessary response to rising non-weather water losses and assignment of benefit (AOB) abuse that is now affecting all regions of the state. By unanimous vote, board members…

Citizens Property Insurance Board of Governors Signs Off on Possible Rate Hikes

By Jim Saunders The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Pointing to a “crisis” in costly water-damage claims, the Citizens Property Insurance Board of Governors on Wednesday unanimously approved a proposed 6.8 percent statewide rate increase. The proposal would have varying effects for customers of the state-backed insurer, with some homeowners seeing premiums go up…

Sides in Insurance Standoff Find Reason for Optimism

Ron Hurtibise – Sun Sentinel The arguments were familiar at a daylong forum in Boca Raton attended by 150 players in Florida’s homeowner insurance rate crisis. But unlike their usual methods of venting over the past four years — legislative hearings in Tallahassee, websites, letters to the editor — the opposing sides listened to each…

Troubled Waters Panel Wades Into Divisive Insurance Fight

Charles Elmore – Palm Beach Post The CEO of one of Florida’s 10 biggest property insurers told a forum in Boca Raton Tuesday that inflated water-damage claims are “morally wrong” and hurt all consumers by raising rates, while an attorney accused insurers of crying wolf about the latest “crisis” that serves their own needs. More…

Shady Lawyers are Exploiting Loopholes in Property Insurance Policies

JAX Times Union Opinion Lead Letter: Shady lawyers are exploiting loopholes in property insurance policies By Michael Carlson, president, Personal Insurance Federation of Florida Fri, Jun 10, 2016 @ 3:31 pm Last year, Florida broke a record by going 10 straight years without a major hurricane. But not everything is calm as we enter this…

Citizens Negotiating Managed Repair Program

Sun-Sentinel Posted: 04/19/2016, 01:57pm Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is sharing scant details about the scope of its new managed repair program — a cost-reduction initiative that industry experts figure will be imitated widely throughout Florida’s property insurance industry. The managed repair program is intended to allow state-run Citizens to control the claim from beginning to…