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Supreme Court Settles Hurricane

Supreme Court Settles Hurricane Mayor Lawsuit (WSAZ NewsChannel 3 West Virginia)
West Virginia's highest court has settled a controversy surrounding the mayor's race in Hurricane.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 06:15 PM

February brings bumper crop

February brings bumper crop of winemakers to Southwest Florida (Naples Florida Weekly)
Who says Florida doesn't have seasons? There's hurricane season. Love bug season. And, shortly after license plates start changing colors in December, there's festival season. This year, two February wine fests mean a bumper crop of vintners in Southwest Florida.

Florida Chamber event calls for insurance reform (Orlando Sentinel)
The Florida Chamber of Commerce's annual property insurance summit in Orlando is focused on the need for reforms in the state's insurance market.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 06:20 PM

Central Florida Law Firm

Central Florida Law Firm Wins a Whopping $20 Million Hurricane Trial Against Insurance Giant QBE (HispanicBusiness.com)
No Related Stories at this time! ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Katzman Garfinkel Rosenbaum won a $20 million verdict against QBE Insurance Company in Miami on February 13, 2009. Two weeks of testimony in Federal court resulted in the largest verdict ever against QBE for hurricane damage.

Experts: More Insurers Could Pull Out Of Florida (The Tampa Tribune)
State Farm won't be the last property insurer to pull up stakes in Florida if insurance companies aren't allowed to charge their customers higher rates, industry experts said Tuesday.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 09:35 PM

Ike price hike settlement

Ike price hike settlement (WTSP-TV Tampa)
Florida's Attorney General gave the American Red Cross a $40,000 check as a result of a settlement with one company that admitted to price gouging during Hurricane Ike last September.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 10:35 PM

Pensacola celebrates 450th birthday

Pensacola celebrates 450th birthday (NBC 15 Mobile)
Long overlooked in favor of hot spots like Orlando and Miami, Pensacola hopes a yearlong 450th birthday bash will lure visitors to this city on the western edge of Florida's...

Elder Affairs, Ombudsman Program Honor Chairman's Years Of Service (WJHG Panama City)
After more than nine years of advocacy for long-term care facility residents, ombudsman Farrell Groves has resigned as chair of the Florida Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program s state council.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 02:40 AM

In Navy, you can

In Navy, you can shop 7 seas or at Orlando exchange (Orlando Sentinel)
Over the past decade, Orlando's Navy Exchange has survived the closing of the Naval Training Center, hurricane damage and a forced move.

North Miami Beach condo wins $20.4 million in Hurricane Wilma suit (Miami Herald)
A North Miami Beach condominium association trying to repair structural damage to its two-building complex from Hurricane Wilma, has won a $20.4 million verdict against QBE Insurance, one of the largest condo insurers in Florida.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 04:55 AM

Free money! Courtesy of

Free money! Courtesy of My Safe Florida Home (The Palm Beach Post)
These days, I can't have a conversation that doesn't involve layoffs, salary cuts or heartsick ruminations about the economy.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 06:10 AM

Local Residents Irked About

Local Residents Irked About State Farm (The Lakeland Ledger)
When Ron Hall heard State Farm would be dumping him and 1.2 million other property insurance policyholders in Florida, he didn't get mad.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 06:50 AM

Spanish king and queen

Spanish king and queen visit Pensacola, Florida (The Star)
PENSACOLA, Florida (AP): In the City of Five Flags on Thursday, it was the red and yellow of the Spanish banner that dominated as King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia helped celebrate the history Pensacola shares with their country.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 07:25 AM

North Miami Beach condo

North Miami Beach condo wins $20.4 million in Hurricane Wilma suit (Miami Herald)
A North Miami Beach condominium association trying to repair structural damage to its two-building complex from Hurricane Wilma has won a $20.4 million jury verdict against QBE Insurance, one of the largest condo insurers in Florida.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 11:40 AM

Katzman Garfinkel Rosenbaum Attorneys

Katzman Garfinkel Rosenbaum Attorneys Win Federal Jury Trial Over Hurricane Insurance Proceeds for Structural Damages ... (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
Katzman Garfinkel Rosenbaum Partner Daniel Rosenbaum, lead counsel for Buckley Towers, won a $20.4 million verdict against QBE Insurance Company in Miami Federal Court on February 13, 2009, after two weeks of testimony, for Hurricane Wilma damages. Buckley Towers is a 39-year-old condominium complex with 564 units in two seventeen-story towers in North Miami, Florida.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 03:35 PM

Hundreds of South Florida

Hundreds of South Florida Families Benefit from Record $20.4 Million Hurricane Insurance Trial Verdict (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Hurricane Wilma victims only have until October of this year to file their claims. The statute of limitations on filing a lawsuit for un-reimbursed insurance claims ends October 23, 2009.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 06:30 PM

Central Florida edges Tulsa

Central Florida edges Tulsa 74-72 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
A.J. Rompza scored with 0.1 seconds left and Central Florida overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Tulsa 74-72 on Saturday night, snapping a three-game losing streak. Central Florida (16-9, 6-5 Conference USA) outscored the Golden Hurricane (17-9, 7-4) 24-9 in the final 7:21. Jermaine Taylor scored 35 points and pulled down seven rebounds following a 38-point effort in a loss at UTEP on ...

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 08:05 PM

A visit to some

A visit to some of Florida's famous houses, grand estates (Miami Herald)
A coffee-table book that would appeal to Florida history or architecture buffs is Great Houses of Florida (Rizzoli, $55), written by Beth Dunlop, architectural critic whose work appears in The Miami Herald, and Joanna Lombard, with photos by Steven Brooke. The 272-page book gives a brief sketch of 39 houses in Florida, from Miami's grand Vizcaya to the modest Cross Creek house of author Marjorie ...

Central Florida Edges Tulsa 74-72 (News On 6 Tulsa)
Justin Hurtt led the Golden Hurricane with 18 points.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 10:00 PM

TU falls to UCF

TU falls to UCF after huge lead fizzles (Tulsa World)
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tulsa suffered a major meltdown in the Sunshine State on Saturday night. The Golden Hurricane let a 17-point second-half lead evaporate, and the University of Central Florida captured a 74-72 win over Tulsa in Conference USA action.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 11:50 PM

Florida OKs State Farm

Florida OKs State Farm pull-out, with conditions (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Florida regulators approved on Friday a plan by State Farm to pull out of the property insurance market in the state, but only if it avoids dumping policyholders into a state-run pool.

Guest Commentary: State Farm's exit leaves Florida on the brink (Crestview News Bulletin)
State Farm s decision to quit providing homeowners insurance in Florida shows the state s insurance market simply can t survive in its current form. Moreover, the company s exit won t merely leave thousands of Florida homeowners

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 11:50 PM

Florida State to play

Florida State to play Miami in Labor Day season opener (The News Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - Florida State and Miami will rekindle the annual football rivalry on Labor Day next season, it was announced on Thursday. The Atlantic Coast Conference released schedules for each of the league's 12 teams. The coveted slot to open on Labor

State Farm Gets Approval to Leave Florida Home Market (Update1) (Bloomberg)
Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., the largest U.S. home insurer, received permission to withdraw from Florida s residential market after agreeing to transfer policyholders to other private companies.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 01:20 AM

Florida's disaster czar in

Florida's disaster czar in line for FEMA slot (Miami Herald)
Craig Fugate, who led Florida's disaster response during the eight hurricanes that ravaged the state in two years, might soon face one of his toughest challenges yet: leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

State insurance chief shops plan to bolster hurricane catastrophe fund (Miami Herald)
Florida's top insurance regulator is lobbying congressmen to help prop up the state's troubled hurricane catastrophe fund. Office of Insurance Regulation Commissioner Kevin McCarty is shopping a new idea: If a big storm hits and the fund can't borrow large amounts of money from private sources, he wants the federal government to promise to loan the state money.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 01:30 AM

Florida Attorney General Settles

Florida Attorney General Settles Hurricane Price Gouging Case Against Flash Foods (WJXT Jacksonville)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The office of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has reached a settlement with Flash Foods, Inc., resolving accusations of price gouging during Hurricane Ike.

Florida convenience store chain fined for price gouging (WTSP-TV Tampa)
Flash Foods and the Florida Attorney General's office have negotiated a settlement related to charges that the convenience store chain jacked up gasoline prices last September when Hurricane Ike hit Florida.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 05:05 AM

Florida convenience store chain

Florida convenience store chain fined for price gouging (WTSP-TV Tampa)
Flash Foods and the Florida Attorney General's office have negotiated a settlement related to charges that the convenience store chain jacked up gasoline prices last September when Hurricane Ike hit Florida.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 09:55 AM

Student group volunteers in

Student group volunteers in The Big Easy (FSView)
A Florida State University student organization traveled to New Orleans last month to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. The FSU chapter of Progressive Black Men, Inc., was the first FSU organization of black males to take a service trip to the New Orleans area since Hurricane Katrina.

Coins from sunken 1622 galleon to be displayed in Cape Coral (The News-Press)
Coins from the Spanish treasure galleon Atocha, which sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622, will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 01:20 PM

Coastal officials receive training

Coastal officials receive training (The Mississippi Press)
Coastal Mississippi county leaders are in Miami this week for a crash course in weather patterns and emergency hurricane response.

Fla.'s Hurricane Catastrophe Is Fund in Jeopardy (The Lakeland Ledger)
Months before hurricane season, Florida faces an unprecedented threat to its fragile home insurance market, again risking price spikes and policy shortages.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 03:20 PM

Can't there be a

Can't there be a `Hurricane Doyle'? (Miami Herald)
Q. I would like to add my name for the next hurricane season. As far as I know, there has not been a Hurricane Doyle. Can you help?

Fla.'s Hurricane Catastrophe Is Fund in Jeopardy (The Lakeland Ledger)
Months before hurricane season, Florida faces an unprecedented threat to its fragile home insurance market, again risking price spikes and policy shortages.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 06:35 PM

Hurricane updates set to

Hurricane updates set to go live online (Miami Herald)
Hurricane forecasters in South Florida will now stream their briefings live on media websites like MiamiHerald.com and others when a storm threatens to make U.S. landfall.

Florida Governor Declares February Hiking Trails Month (Environment News Service)
, February 5, 2009 (ENS) - Florida Governor Charlie Crist has proclaimed February to be Florida Hiking Trails Month to celebrate the more than 2,500 miles of hiking trails on the state's public lands.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 08:45 PM

Madoff's Palm Beach Victims:

Madoff's Palm Beach Victims: "Our 9/11" (CBS News)
Hidden among the palm trees and perfect lawns of Palm Beach is the fallout from a financial hurricane. The chic Florida getaway was hit by Hurricane Bernie (Madoff, that is) on Dec. 11, 2008, when the fraudulent money manager was arrested.

30 flavors of wings always in season at Hurricane Grill (Orlando Sentinel)
Wing joints seem to be a dime a dozen these days. But Hurricane Grill & Wings (six Central Florida locations) has freshened up the concept with more than 30 flavors and the option to blend your own sauce by combining some of theirs. Broken into appropriate hurricane levels by intensity (cat 1, mild and sweet; cat 5, seek shelter), the sauces can be sampled before ordering. ...

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 01:10 AM

Miller Heads Hurricane Signing

Miller Heads Hurricane Signing Class (Local 10 Miami)
The player widely considered South Florida's best running back, Lamar Miller of Killian High, signed a national letter of intent with the University of Miami Wednesday.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 04:45 AM

Feds tap DSU for

Feds tap DSU for inauguration aid (The Bolivar Commercial)
They were there in May 2008 when wildfires ravaged parts of Florida. Four months later they were there when Hurricane Gustav threatened to cause Katrina-esque havoc along the Gulf Coast.

Florida to assist in ice storm recovery (FOX 35 Orlando)
Six mobile communication units and 30 personnel from the Florida National Guard and the Division of Emergency Management have been sent to Kentucky to assist victims of a recent ice storm which crippled the Midwest.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 05:55 AM

Analysis: Decaying insurance market

Analysis: Decaying insurance market in Florida is ... gasp ... worse than in Louisiana (Canadian Business)
For Louisiana homeowners stunned by their rising insurance rates, remember that it could be worse. You could live in Florida.State Farm

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 06:40 AM

Hurricane futures, options trading

Hurricane futures, options trading growing on Chicago market (Sun-Sentinel)
Hurricane futures, options trading grows The markets are literally bracing for a stormy 2009.

Analysis: Worse than La., Fla.'s ins. market dries (KATC 3 Lafayette)
BATON ROUGE, La. -- For Louisiana homeowners stunned by their rising insurance rates, remember that it could be worse. You could live in Florida.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 07:25 AM

State Farm Abandons Florida's

State Farm Abandons Florida's Homeowners Market (NPR)
State Farm has notified officials in Florida that it plans to stop selling property insurance there. The move may leave 1.2 million State Farm customers in the hurricane-prone state looking for an insurance company.

Broward mayor's vote aided lobbyist husband's client (Miami Herald)
Broward Mayor Stacy Ritter voted last year to shift tens of millions of dollars in insurance risk from the owners of the Florida Panthers to the public. At the same time, a Panthers company was paying her lobbyist husband tens of thousands of dollars.

Posted by PCA Public Adjusters at 10:50 AM