Foreclosed Florida homes considered

Foreclosed Florida homes considered for hurricane housing (Miami Herald)
The state's top disaster-management official has a use for all those foreclosed homes in Florida: temporary hurricane housing. ''This option didn't exist two or three years ago before the real-estate market crashed,'' said Ruben Almaguer, interim director of Florida's emergency management division.

Foreclosed Florida homes considered

Huge South Florida levee

Huge South Florida levee needs repairs (The Palm Beach Post)
A 105-mile-long mound of dirt and rock helps stop the Everglades from flooding South Florida communities sitting on former swampland.

Foreclosed Florida homes considered for hurricane housing (Miami Herald)
The state's top disaster-management official has a use for all those foreclosed homes in Florida: temporary hurricane housing. ''This option didn't exist two or three years ago before the real-estate market crashed,'' said Ruben Almaguer, interim director of Florida's emergency management division.

Florida Counties Prepare for

Florida Counties Prepare for 2009 Hurricane Season With WebEOC Emergency Management Software (Marketwire)
AUGUSTA, GA--(Marketwire - June 4, 2009) - Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the country, having been hit by seven hurricanes just since 2004. This year, many emergency responders throughout the state have a powerful new tool to help them manage the impact of the inevitable storms. WebEOC , the world's first web-enabled crisis-information management system, is being widely implemented ...

FEMA may house future

FEMA may house future hurricane evacuees in foreclosed homes (Montgomery Advertiser)
MIAMI -- The federal government is exploring how to put Florida hurricane evacuees in foreclosed homes if a Katrina-like storm devastates the region and shelters, hotels and other housing options are full.

Foreclosed Homes May Become Hurricane Shelters (The Huffington Post)
FILE - In this March 24, 2009 file photo, a sign lies on the ground in front of a foreclosed home in Homestead, Fla. The federal government is exploring how to put Florida hurricane evacuees in foreclosed homes if a Katrina-like storm devastates the region and shelters, hotels and other housing options are full, The Associated Press has learned.

Hurricane Season Begins, Officials

Hurricane Season Begins, Officials Remind Florida Residents to Prepare (WQOW Eau Claire)
The hurricane season began Monday and officials in Florida are telling residents to be prepared.

The Florida Business Continuity

The Florida Business Continuity Center Created Ahead of Hurricane Season (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
The Florida Business Continuity Center has been launched ahead of the upcoming hurricane season, providing workspace recovery backup facilities for businesses and governmental entities throughout Florida seeking a secure, inland location.

POLL: Hurricane season is

POLL: Hurricane season is here, but residents not bustling to stock up on supplies (Marco Eagle)
More than half of residents in hurricane-prone areas don t feel vulnerable to storms, nor do they have a plan in place. Those are the findings of a Mason-Dixon poll commissioned by American Initiatives and announced Thursday at the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University in Miami just in time for today s start of the hurricane season. Sunday, the day before ...

Your Home Team for North Central Florida (WCJB Gainesville)
Hurricane season is on its way and state leaders want people to be prepared. Major storms are predicted to splash the Florida coasts and the Alachua County Emergency Operation Center prepares for the unknown.

Hurricane apathy: Don't let

Hurricane apathy: Don't let it affect your preparation (WTSP-TV Tampa)
For all of the storms to strike Florida -- Jacksonville, Daytona and Tampa historically have better odds of dodging landfalling storms. Those odds create hurricane apathy, leaving residents unprepared.

If a major hurricane

If a major hurricane strikes Florida this season, we all pay (The Palm Beach Post)
Forecasts of an "average" hurricane season starting Monday sound almost good at least compared to a hyperactive 2008 (which mostly spared Florida) or the 2004-5 carousel of cyclones (which did not).

Live near an abandoned home with dangerous debris? If hurricane threatens, call your city (The Palm Beach Post)
Mary McClenehan cast a wary eye on a once pretty pink house. Behind it, a dry, in-ground pool was filled with a large grill, love seat and children's toys. If a hurricane comes, she fears the debris could go airborne.

As hurricane season nears,

As hurricane season nears, states and local governments ramp up preparedness efforts (The Champions Sun)
With the beginning of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season upon us, hurricane prone states across the country are doing their part to help prepare their citizens and communities. From sales tax holidays on hurricane and emergency preparedness equipment in Virginia and Louisiana, to a major hurricane exercise in Florida, states are taking actions to ensure that citizens and the emergency response ...

Forecaster urges Treasure Coast

Forecaster urges Treasure Coast to get ready for hurricane season (TCPalm.com)
Forecasters are calling for an "average" hurricane season this year. Does that mean an "average" amount of angst as we track the "cone of possibility" across the Atlantic? An "average" number of just-missed-us sighs of relief?

Hurricane expert to review

Hurricane expert to review storms' lessons (Palm Beach Daily News)
Christopher Landsea, science and operations officer for the National Hurricane Center in Miami, will discuss "Hurricanes and Climate Change: What Can Florida's Hurricane History Tell Us?" at 6 p.m. Friday at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, 141 S. County Road.

Hurricane supplies exempt from tax for 7 days (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Starting today, Virginians will not be charged the 5 percent sales tax on the purchase of hurricane-preparedness merchandise, including batteries, flashlights and about two dozen other items. The savings come thanks to the state, which is waiving the sales tax to encourage people to get ready for hurricane season, which starts next Monday. The Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday runs ...

Is Florida ready for

Is Florida ready for hurricane season? (ABC Action News Tampa Bay)
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the federal agency that responds to natural disasters is ready for the next hurricane season which starts June 1.

As Seen at Florida's Governors Hurricane Conference: Inland Fiber & Data Technology Park Establishes the Florida ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
The 6/10 Corporation's Inland Fiber & Data Technology Park has established the Florida Business Continuity Center within the Park, ahead of the upcoming hurricane season, providing workspace recovery backup facilities for businesses and governmental entities throughout Florida seeking a secure, inland location.

As Seen at Florida's

As Seen at Florida's Governors Hurricane Conference: Inland Fiber & Data Technology Park Establishes the Florida ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
The 6/10 Corporation's Inland Fiber & Data Technology Park has established the Florida Business Continuity Center within the Park, ahead of the upcoming hurricane season, providing workspace recovery backup facilities for businesses and governmental entities throughout Florida seeking a secure, inland location.

Rain-drenched Florida surveys flood

Rain-drenched Florida surveys flood damage (USA Today)
Parts of the Daytona Beach International Speedway were under water Friday as rains drenched northeast Florida for a fifth straight day, but no significant damage to the motorway was reported.

FEMA's Craig Fugate stresses

FEMA's Craig Fugate stresses hurricane preparedness (Miami Herald)
Two weeks before the start of hurricane season, Florida's Craig Fugate made his debut as Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, stressing the importance of disaster preparedness at home.

NHC says Florida storm

NHC says Florida storm will not develop (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Development of the low pressure system near the central Bahamas and Florida is now unlikely, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday.

Make Emergency Plans for

Make Emergency Plans for Pets in Advance of Hurricane Season (Chipley Bugle)
Hurricane season gets under way in just two weeks, and Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is reminding people to get an emergency plan in place now for their animals.

As hurricane season nears,

As hurricane season nears, FP&L makes final preparations (BizJournals)
When Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida, one of the biggest frustrations for business owners was anticipating when electrical power would be restored.

An ancient mariner enjoys

An ancient mariner enjoys a hurricane swim (The Washington DC Examiner)
The 7:30 a.m. start of my first open-water race of the season came early last Saturday. I was among 12 swimmers from the Montgomery Ancient Mariners who flew to St. Pete Beach, Fla., last weekend for the annual Hurricane Man race in the Gulf of Mexico.

Odds are 1 in

Odds are 1 in 3 a hurricane will strike Florida in 2009, researchers say (Sun-Sentinel)
Two climatologists from Colorado State University, both scorned and respected for their hurricane season forecasts, took to the podium Wednesday to discuss their prediction for 2009: 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes of Category 3 or worse.

Florida's interim emergency official

Florida's interim emergency official discusses hurricane season (The News-Press)
FORT LAUDERDALE The new interim director of the state's Division of Emergency Management said today that communicating with Floridians both before...

Florida Agents, Consumer Advocate Agree: Insurance Rates Must Go Up (Insurance Journal)
With the start of the hurricane season just a few weeks away, a leading Florida consumer advocate joined independent agents at a press conference today to warn that property insurance rates need ...

Hurricane conference convenes (Pensacola

Hurricane conference convenes (Pensacola News Journal)
Interim director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management presented his goals for emergency response this morning at the Governor's Hurricane Conference. Sign up to get severe weather alerts sent to your phone.

Hurricane Ready Florida (WJHG

Hurricane Ready Florida (WJHG Panama City)
With just three weeks to go until the start of Hurricane Season Florida finally has an interim director to run the Division of Emergency Management.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez interviews 2 for hurricane-response job (Miami Herald)
With less than a month until hurricane season starts June 1, Miami-Dade County has yet to fill the top job in the department that plans for and responds to hurricanes.

Special report: The LPGA

Special report: The LPGA s agent of change (GolfWeek)
A storm brewed off the west coast of Florida in late October 2005. Hurricane Wilma threatened to interrupt the LPGA s Tournament Owners Association meeting in Naples.

Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference:

Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference: Gov. Charlie Crist to speak (Sun-Sentinel)
The Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference returns to Fort Lauderdale today, allowing about 2,000 forecasters, government officials, emergency managers and first-responders to gear up for the storm season.

Crist Senate bid could threaten GOP control in Fla. (The Hill)
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist s (R) candidacy would provide a good bit of clarity in a jumbled Senate race, but it...

Study: 90 percent of

Study: 90 percent of Florida businesses ready for hurricane season (Business Journal of Tampa Bay)
A study released Thursday by AT&T shows that nine out of 10 Florida companies have continued to invest in planning and backup systems to ensure business continuity in the face of the coming hurricane season.

Florida preps for hurricane

Florida preps for hurricane season with conference's start on Sunday (Sun-Sentinel)
The Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference returns to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, allowing about 2,000 forecasters, government officials, emergency managers and first responders to gear up for the storm season.

Study: 90 percent of Florida businesses ready for hurricane season (Business Journal of Tampa Bay)
A study released Thursday by AT&T shows that nine out of 10 Florida companies have continued to invest in planning and backup systems to ensure business continuity in the face of the coming hurricane season.

The 6/10 Corporation's Inland

The 6/10 Corporation's Inland Fiber & Data Technology Park Announces the Creation of the Florida Business Continuity ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
The 6/10 Corporation's Inland Fiber & Data Technology Park has established the Florida Business Continuity Center within the Park, ahead of the upcoming hurricane season, providing workspace recovery backup facilities for businesses and governmental entities throughout Florida seeking a secure, inland location.

Senator blocking ex-Florida emergency chief Craig Fugate from taking over FEMA (Sun-Sentinel)
Hurricane season starts in just a few weeks, but the nomination of former Florida emergency chief Craig Fugate to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency still is in limbo.

Hurricane watchwords: Plan, prepare,

Hurricane watchwords: Plan, prepare, protect (Englewood Sun)
ENGLEWOOD -- Hurricane Charley tore through southern Charlotte County five years ago, knocking down trees and buildings and causing millions of dollars in damage, in addition to taking lives.

Florida bridge slammed as

Florida bridge slammed as waste of stimulus (CNN Money)
The most expensive item on Florida's list of economic stimulus projects is drawing fire from some residents and at least one public official, all questioning whether it's needed at all.

Summer gardening means veggies

Summer gardening means veggies bred for Florida's rain-sun-rain-sun days (Naples Daily News)
In Southwest Florida, the SCP time zone that is, Standard Crop Planting time is in autumn. That doesn t mean you can t grow vegetables in the summer. It does mean you can t indiscriminately pull packets from the racks at big-box garden centers and expect a great crop.

John C. Metz Distinction:

John C. Metz Distinction: Hurricane Grill & Wings franchisee (The Palm Beach Post)
Never heard of John C. Metz before? Not surprising. But surely you've heard of one of his businesses. Metz is founder of the multi-brand franchise company RREMC Restaurants LLC - which includes restaurant, hotel and real estate groups.

Key Provisions of Property Insurance Bill Passed in Florida (Insurance Journal)
Key provisions of the measure, HB 1495, sent to Gov. Charlie Crist by lawmakers on May 1, as identified by the Florida Banking and Insurance Committee staff include: Citizens Property Insurance ...

Mario Diaz-Balart to co-host

Mario Diaz-Balart to co-host hurricane readiness hearing (Miami Herald)
Representatives of federal, state and local emergency management offices, the National Hurricane Center and the Red Cross are scheduled to speak.

Florida House passes sweeping property insurance bill (Sun-Sentinel)
Floridians risk would be reduced The Florida House approved compromise legislation today that would increase homeowner insurance rates statewide but reduce Floridians' financial risk of having to pay for damages if a major hurricane hits.

Florida regulators grant State

Florida regulators grant State Farm hearing on exit plan (The Tampa Tribune)
State regulators have granted State Farm's request to appeal the state-approved plan for the company's withdrawal from Florida's property insurance market.

Legislature agrees on key home insurance legislation (Sun-Sentinel)
The compromise comes the day before the end of the 60-day annual legislative session. Florida legislators struck a compromise Thursday on a sweeping property insurance bill that would increase homeowner insurance rates statewide but reduce Floridians' financial risk of having to pay for damages if a major hurricane hits.

Florida Senate Passes Insurance

Florida Senate Passes Insurance Bill (NBC 15 Mobile)
The Florida Senate has passed a hurricane insurance bill that would raise rates for more than one million customers of the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.

Florida House approves some

Florida House approves some sales tax holidays (INO News)
(AP:TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) The Florida House has voted to bring back sales tax holidays for back-to-school and hurricane preparation purchases. They are part of a broader bill that passed unanimously Monday.

Florida House approves some

Florida House approves some sales tax holidays (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
The Florida House has voted to bring back sales tax holidays for back-to-school and hurricane preparation purchases. They are part of a broader bill that passed unanimously Monday. It also would repeal sales tax exemptions for newspaper and magazines delivered by mail and most charter fishing trips.

Florida State-Created Insurer to

Florida State-Created Insurer to Lead $6 Billion in Muni Sales (Bloomberg)
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Florida s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. leads borrowers planning to sell about $6 billion of municipal bonds this week, after benchmark yields rose from five-year lows.

Hurricane girls make all-conference

Hurricane girls make all-conference lacrosse team (Florida Keys Keynoter)
Four lacrosse players for Coral Shores' Lady Hurricanes were named to the all-league team of the Florida Interscholastic Association.

4,000 Florida National Guardsmen

4,000 Florida National Guardsmen to be called up for active duty (Miami Herald)
More than 4,000 Florida National Guard soldiers, including some 600 from South Florida, are to be called to active duty in the next few months in what is the largest mobilization in state history.

Early decisions felt in Florida (The Tampa Tribune)
Florida schools can forestall budget cuts. Cuban immigrants can visit relatives back home. Construction can start on a long-delayed Interstate 4 connector road. Some homeowners may avoid foreclosure.

Florida's Craig Fugate, picked

Florida's Craig Fugate, picked to lead FEMA, impresses senators (Miami Herald)
Craig Fugate, who led Florida's disaster response during back-to-back hurricanes, told senators at his confirmation hearing Wednesday for the top post at the Federal Emergency Management Agency that he'll hold the troubled agency to a ''much higher standard of success'' than its Hurricane Katrina performance.

Florida National Guard readying for huge deployment (The Tampa Tribune)
Florida is preparing for one of its largest National Guard mobilizations in history.

Bill seeks federal guarantee

Bill seeks federal guarantee for hurricane catastrophe funds (Miami Herald)
A new bill to be introduced in the U.S. Senate seeks to provide a Federal Reserve guarantee for the Florida hurricane catastrophe fund.

Bill seeks federal guarantee

Bill would tax mailed

Bill would tax mailed Florida newspapers, magazines (CBS 47 Jacksonville)
A Florida House committee has agreed to file a bill that would tax newspaper and magazine subscriptions and most charter fishing trips.

South Florida TV Family

South Florida TV Family Says Goodbye To Colleague (CBS4 Miami)
Hundreds of people, including staff from virtually every television station in South Florida, came together at a Hialeah funeral home Saturday evening to say farewell to Ernest Lester, a CBS4 satellite truck operator who died last Saturday in a motorcycle accident. So many friends and colleagues attended, some flying in for the service, that many had to stand at the door to hear tribute paid to ...

Florida State Falls In

Florida State Falls In Semifinals Of ACC Tournament To Miami, 4-0 (Florida State Seminoles)
After upsetting their fifth opponent of the season yesterday and making just its third semifinal appearance in program history, the No. 17 Florida State women's tennis team hit the end of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament road today as it fell to No. 6 Miami, 4-0.

Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund In Good Shape (CBS4 Miami)
Florida governor Charlie Crist and his cabinet finally received some good news about the state's hurricane catastrophe fund. The agency investing the fund indicated on Tuesday that the loosening of credit provides the state an additional $5 billion if needed.

Land deal an old

Land deal an old story in Florida (Miami Herald)
Myriam Marquez mmarquez@MiamiHerald.com T he old Florida bait and switch -- come, buy cheap land! -- turned out to be overpriced swampland barely good enough to pitch a tent.

Florida House to consider reviving hurricane, back-to-school sales tax holidays (Sun-Sentinel)
The House Finance and Tax Council this afternoon will consider legislation that would revive Florida s back-to-school sales tax holiday from Aug. 8-10. A three-day tax holiday on hurricane supplies would run from June 5-7.

Lake Weir's Brittany Baker

Lake Weir's Brittany Baker signs with Florida Gulf Coast (The Ocala Star-Banner)
CANDLER - Brittany Baker has come a long way in 10 years.Her mother tells the story."The first time Brittany ever hit the ball everybody yelled 'run'," Becky Baker told the crowd of her daughter's supporters who gathered in the Lake Weir High School cafeteria. "So she took off running and picked up the ball. She had no idea what...

Opinion: Florida legislature looking

Opinion: Florida legislature looking at creating new insurance (TCPalm.com)
Let s say there was a new kind of insurance you could buy for your house in Florida. Let s say it would be the exact opposite of the consumer experience we ve had in recent years.

Florida Weighs Options After Buffett Wins Storm Bet (Update2) (Bloomberg)
April 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which paid Warren Buffett s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. $224 million in 2008 to protect against storms that never came, needs to look for other options this year, an advisory group said.

Florida House to consider

Florida House to consider reviving hurricane, back-to-school sales tax holidays (Sun-Sentinel)
The House Finance and Tax Council this afternoon will consider legislation that would revive Florida s back-to-school sales tax holiday from Aug. 8-10. A three-day tax holiday on hurricane supplies would run from June 5-7.

Florida Weighs Options After

Florida Weighs Options After Buffett Wins Storm Bet (Update2) (Bloomberg)
April 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which paid Warren Buffett s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. $224 million in 2008 to protect against storms that never came, needs to look for other options this year, an advisory group said.

Florida Weighs Options After Buffett Wins Storm Bet (Update1) (Bloomberg)
April 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which paid Warren Buffett s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. $224 million in 2008 to protect against storms that never came, should look for other options this year, an advisory group said.

Not again: Hurricane Katrina

Not again: Hurricane Katrina homes containing tainted Chinese drywall may have to be rebuilt (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
CHALMETTE, La. - Thomas Stone and his wife rebuilt after their home was flooded by six feet of water during Hurricane Katrina, never dreaming they would face the agony of tearing it apart all over again.

Are Florida's home insurers

Are Florida's home insurers in good hands at Capitol? (Sun-Sentinel)
The main property-insurance legislation gaining momentum this year in Tallahassee is a departure from laws passed in 2007 and 2008 that aimed to lower homeowner-insurance premiums and beef up the state's authority to hold insurers accountable.

Tainted Chinese drywall shows

Tainted Chinese drywall shows up in Katrina homes (KATC 3 Lafayette)
CHALMETTE, La. -- Thomas Stone and his wife rebuilt after their home was flooded by six feet of water during Hurricane Katrina, never dreaming they would face the agony of tearing it...

Hispaniola Was A Tropical Cyclone 'Target' Five Times In 2008 (Science Daily)
In 2008, residents of Hispaniola experienced one of their worst hurricane seasons in recent memory. Hispaniola, the Caribbean island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is located directly within the hurricane belt, and was pummeled by five tropical cyclones last year: Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, and low over the Dominican Republic on Sept. 24 what would become Kyle after moving north. ...

Florida home insurance legislation

Florida home insurance legislation mainly favors the insurers (The Palm Beach Post)
The main property insurance legislation gaining momentum this year in Tallahassee is a departure from laws passed in 2007 and 2008 that aimed to lower homeowner insurance premiums and beef up the state's authority to hold insurers accountable.

Baseball Hurricanes pick up a win in Central Florida (Florida Keys Keynoter)
Coral Shores' Hurricanes picked up an opening win in this week's Orlando National Baseball Classic.

Treasury won't aid Cat

Treasury won't aid Cat Fund (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Do not look for the federal government to bail out Florida's over-leveraged insurance fund. An aide to Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson confirmed that U.S. Treasury officials have said they will not issue a line of credit for the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, the financial backstop for insurance companies in case of a major storm.

Hurricane Outlook Cut by

Hurricane Outlook Cut by Colorado State to 12 Storms (Update2) (Bloomberg)
April 7 (Bloomberg) -- Colorado State University s Atlantic hurricane forecast, the most-watched annual prediction, was lowered today to 12 named storms for the 2009 season, with six developing into hurricanes.

No End to Florida Property Insurance Crisis (First Coast News)
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The issue of Property Insurance in Florida is very complex and insurance experts say the crisis is deeper than it seems.

Legislators seek to cushion

Legislators seek to cushion monetary hurricane risk (Bradenton Herald)
MANATEE Legislators are trying to scale back the multibillion property insurance risk that Florida consumers and taxpayers face if a catastrophic hurricane were to hit the state this year.

Colorado State forecasters predict average hurricane season (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Expect a near-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, with 12 named storms, including six hurricanes, of which two will be intense, with winds reaching Category 3 or greater strength, according to the latest forecast by Colorado State University meteorologists Philip Klotzbach and Bill Gray.

Florida Lawmaker Yells at

Florida Lawmaker Yells at Lobbyist During Meeting (First Coast News)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A hurricane insurance bill that would help Florida reduce its multibillion-dollar exposure in the state's tenuous insurance market moved through a Senate committee -- with sparks flying.

Bogus contractor sent to prison for Hurricane Charley scam (Naples Daily News)
When Hurricane Charley hit Florida in the summer of 2004, John Melley s carport collapsed and the roof of his Punta Gorda home was ripped off. So he was happy when Gregory Lee Saunders of East Naples , who said he was a state licensed contractor for Dr. Good Roof, showed up and agreed to do the work for $57,000.

UM Uses Long Ball

UM Uses Long Ball To Take Down Florida State (CBS4 Miami)
Harold Martinez and Yasmani Grandal each hit grand slam homers No. 7 Miami beat No. 23 Florida State, 14-8, Sunday afternoon in Coral Gables.

Florida House to consider

Florida House to consider insurance bill Friday (Orlando Sentinel)
The Florida House Committee on Insurance, Business & Financial Affairs will consider a bill related to property insurance and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund at a Friday meeting.

Fla. House panel approves hurricane insurance bill (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
With less than four full weeks left in the 2009 session, lawmakers started moving legislation Friday aimed at reducing a multibillion-dollar property insurance risk politicians have laid on Florida consumers and taxpayers.

Chinese Drywall Gets Florida

Chinese Drywall Gets Florida Lawmakers' Attention (WPBF Palm Beach)
South Florida homeowners who believe Chinese drywall is damaging their homes are applauding legislative efforts to tackle the problem.

Home insurance prices rising

Home insurance prices rising under new Florida legislation (Sun-Sentinel)
the House bill would increase Citizens Property Insurance Corp. rates by a statewide average of 10 percent, or by up to 20 percent for individual policyholders. A measure that would increase Floridians' homeowner insurance premiums, while reducing the state's financial risk if a major hurricane struck, cleared its first legislative hurdle Friday.

Chinese Drywall Gets Florida Lawmakers' Attention (WPBF Palm Beach)
South Florida homeowners who believe Chinese drywall is damaging their homes are applauding legislative efforts to tackle the problem.

Bonita Bay to host

Bonita Bay to host hurricane seminar (The News-Press)
Bonita Bay will host a hurricane seminar for its residents at 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 15 in its main clubhouse.

Florida hurricane catastrophe fund

Florida hurricane catastrophe fund under scrutiny (Miami Herald)
The two rating agencies that track Florida-based insurers are closely monitoring the state's hurricane catastrophe fund over the next few weeks.

Fla. Senate delays vote on wind insurance measure (Bradenton Herald)
A Senate committee searching Wednesday for ways to improve Florida's shaky property insurance situation and lower the state's risk recommended borrowing money from the state retirement system to obtain some short-term relief.

State retreats over insurance

State retreats over insurance (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
The 2007 rate-lowering move put Florida in too much peril

Property Insurance Rates May Increase (The Lakeland Ledger)
TALLAHASSEE | In a stark admission that its efforts to reduce property insurance rates put Florida in an untenable financial risk, the Legislature is poised to retreat from some of the major cost controls it instituted just two years ago. House and Senate leaders are moving toward agreement on legislation that would:

Florida hurricane catastrophe fund

Spring breaking with a

Spring breaking with a purpose (Tideland News)
Tideland News Writer Spring break conjures up visions of bikini-clad college students having fun on a tropical southern beach. And while thousands of young people do head down to Florida and enjoy a week away from cold weather, 10 students from the University of Wisconsin at Madison spent their spring break in the Swansboro community doing chores to help others.

Ample evidence Florida's feeling effects of climate change (The Palm Beach Post)
Maybe the fish are on to something. Don Hammond, who catches, tags and releases dolphin-fish (also known as mahi-mahi), says those Florida natives are being hooked in some unusual places.

Ample evidence Florida's feeling

Ample evidence Florida's feeling effects of climate change (The Palm Beach Post)
Maybe the fish are on to something. Don Hammond, who catches, tags and releases dolphin-fish (also known as mahi-mahi), says those Florida natives are being hooked in some unusual places.

Florida hurricane catastrophe fund under scrutiny (Miami Herald)
The two rating agencies that track Florida-based insurers are closely monitoring the state's hurricane catastrophe fund over the next few weeks.

HURRICANE! -- The Ultimate

HURRICANE! -- The Ultimate Storm (GlobeNewswire via Yahoo! Finance)
DAVIE, Fla., March 27, 2009 -- An exhilarating book that will surely put you on the edge of your seat, HURRICANE is a must read for everyone. Author Arnaldo Ricciulli takes you on an exciting adventure of two people weathering the storm--literally!

Ample evidence Florida's feeling effects of climate change (The Palm Beach Post)
Maybe the fish are on to something. Don Hammond, who catches, tags and releases dolphin-fish (also known as mahi-mahi), says those Florida natives are being hooked in some unusual places.

HURRICANE! -- The Ultimate

HURRICANE! -- The Ultimate Storm (GlobeNewswire via Yahoo! Finance)
DAVIE, Fla., March 27, 2009 -- An exhilarating book that will surely put you on the edge of your seat, HURRICANE is a must read for everyone. Author Arnaldo Ricciulli takes you on an exciting adventure of two people weathering the storm--literally!

Florida attorney general goes on offense about name-building ads (Miami Herald)
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum upped the financial and political stakes of his campaign against Internet sex crime, urging Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink Thursday to greenlight another $975,000 in television spots under a no-bid contract with his former campaign consultant.

Gardening: Act now to

Gardening: Act now to reduce hurricane, wildfire damage (The News-Press)
Don't wait until hectic time during emergency

Florida: Drywall has material

Florida: Drywall has material that can emit corrosive gas (CNN)
Strontium sulfide, a material that can emit corrosive gases in moist air, was found at trace levels in testing of Chinese-made drywall, the Florida Department of Health said.

U.S. Senator worries Florida could not pay off insurance claims if a big hurricane hits (WTVY Dothan)
Sen. Nelson looking for reassurances from the feds

U.S. Senator worries Florida

U.S. Senator worries Florida could not pay off insurance claims if a big hurricane hits (WTVY Dothan)
Sen. Nelson looking for reassurances from the feds

Florida: Drywall has material that can emit corrosive gas (CNN)
Strontium sulfide, a material that can emit corrosive gases in moist air, was found at trace levels in testing of Chinese-made drywall, the Florida Department of Health said.

Senator Nelson Asks Washington

Senator Nelson Asks Washington For Cat Fund Help (WCTV Tallahassee)
US Senator Bill Nelson is asking private investors to help rebuild Florida if a major hurricane strikes the coast.

Consumer group says gas facility is crucial (The Palm Beach Post)
Hurricane-prone Florida has no natural-gas storage plants - but it needs them to avoid "a crippling supply disruption that could plunge the entire peninsula into darkness," a consumer advocacy group warned in a report released Monday.

UM's long jumpers excel

UM's long jumpers excel (Miami Herald)
The University of Miami concluded the three-day Hurricane Invitational with impressive performances by its long jumpers Saturday at Cobb Stadium.

People's Trust Insurance draws

People's Trust Insurance draws state scrutiny (Miami Herald)
Ken Eastment, a homeowner in South Miami-Dade, checked out homeowners insurance rates with People's Trust Insurance, which promised as much as 70 percent savings compared with what other Florida insurers were charging.

FEMA Approves Regional Hurricane

FEMA Approves Regional Hurricane Shelter, Clinic For Pasco (The Pasco Tribune)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given the go-ahead for construction to begin on a regional hurricane shelter and health care clinic that will be built in Arthur F. Engle Memorial Park. FEMA sent an approval letter Wednesday to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the office of state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, reported.

Obama's FEMA Director Brings Hurricane Experience from Florida (Insurance Journal)
Florida emergency manager Craig Fugate would bring a lot with him if he takes over the Federal Emergency Management Agency: plenty of hurricane experience, a blunt style, and a belief that ...

NIT: Florida advances, Va.

NIT: Florida advances, Va. Tech wins in two OTs (Sports Illustrated)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Nick Calathes broke out of a shooting slump with 19 points, Chandler Parsons added 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Florida beat Jacksonville 84-62 Wednesday night in the opening round of the NIT.

Florida investigates smelly drywall claims (UPI)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 18 (UPI) -- Florida health officials say they are getting more complaints from residents who suspect the drywall in their homes is giving off dangerous fumes.

Florida Hurricane Survivors to

Florida Hurricane Survivors to Help in New Orleans at ELCA Youth Gathering (Worldwide Faith News)
Title: Florida Hurricane Survivors to Help in New Orleans at ELCA Youth Gathering ELCA NEWS SERVICE >March 18, 2009 Florida Hurricane Survivors to Help in New Orleans at ELCA Youth Gathering 09-066-SH CHICAGO (ELCA) - When Liz Kourtesis of Florida heard that 37,000 Lutherans -- mostly teens -- were heading to New Orleans this summer to help hurricane survivors, she raced to add her name to the ...

Citizens' reassessments hit some

Citizens' reassessments hit some South Florida homeowners hard (TCPalm.com)
Walter Baker is reeling from sticker shock: The insured value of his Lake Worth home has nearly tripled to $300,000, a jump that increased his windstorm insurance premium with Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from $1,300 to $3,000.

Florida lawmakers asked to be smarter on hurricane insurance (The News-Press)
Florida lawmakers need to make some smart decisions on reducing the risk for Florida property owners from hurricane damage, the state's chief...

Americas Watchdog Warns Florida

Americas Watchdog Warns Florida & Virginia Homeowners About A Quick Fix For Toxic Chinese Drywall & WarnsThe Gloves ... (PRWeb)
Americas Watchdog & Its Homeowners Consumer Center have been the leaders in a national, and state by state investigation of toxic Chinese drywall in Florida, Virginia and numerous other US states. Americas Watchdog is now warning homeowners in Florida, Virginia and other states; "do not accept a homebuilders offer to re-drywall their home, until we have had a chance to see if the toxic gasses ...

Captivans attend program, ready for hurricane season (CaptivaSanibel.com)
Last Friday, Captivans attended a special hurricane preparedness program at the Captiva Civic Association meeting room, listening to speakers explain how to be ready in the event of a storm and how to be prepared should an evacuation be necessary.

Geoff Oldfather: Hunker down

Geoff Oldfather: Hunker down for heightened hurricane hype (Stuart News)
Nail on the plywood shutters and get ready for more hurricane hype. Forecasts may soon resemble movie trailers from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, thanks to a National Weather Service report.

Florida's CFO asks lawmakers

Florida's CFO asks lawmakers to reduce storm risks (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
Florida lawmakers need to make some smart decisions on reducing the risk for Florida property owners from hurricane damage, the state's chief financial officer said Thursday.

Florida CFO Sink: 4 Steps to Reduce State's Hurricane Exposure (Insurance Journal)
Citing the high level of catastrophic risk exposure Florida faces, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today suggested guidelines for the Legislature to follow in working to reduce the state's ...

CFO Sink recommends steps

CFO Sink recommends steps to reduce hurricane risk (Business Journal of Tampa Bay)
Alex Sink, Florida s chief financial officer, is advising state legislators to implement gradual steps to reduce hurricane risk and protect homeowners

National Hurricane Center forecasters to get help from team leader (Sun-Sentinel)
Team leader position will add layer of expertise at storm center The elite forecasters at the National Hurricane Center will have an extra set of eyes to help develop more accurate storm predictions this year: their new boss.

Floridian will bring hurricane

Floridian will bring hurricane experience, and more, to FEMA (Sun-Sentinel)
Craig Fugate is called "absolutely the right person for this job." Florida emergency manager Craig Fugate would bring a lot with him if he takes over the Federal Emergency Management Agency: plenty of hurricane experience, a blunt style, and a belief that preparation begins on the local level.

Florida's CFO asks lawmakers to reduce storm risks (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
Florida lawmakers need to make some smart decisions on reducing the risk for Florida property owners from hurricane damage, the state's chief financial officer said Thursday.

Florida Officials Searching For

Florida Officials Searching For Ways to Back Up Hurricane Fund (Insurance Journal)
The state board that oversees the fund designed to pay homeowner claims in the event of a catastrophic hurricane searched this week for ways to reduce its risk with hurricane season only months ...

Florida lawmakers asked to be smarter on hurricane insurance (The News-Press)
Florida lawmakers need to make some smart decisions on reducing the risk for Florida property owners from hurricane damage, the state's chief...

Citizens Property Insurance to

Citizens Property Insurance to sell $2.5 billion of bonds (Miami Herald)
Florida's state-run property insurer plans to begin selling $2.5 billion of bonds next month to raise funds for claims from the coming hurricane season.

State: U.S. should back hurricane fund (The Florida Times-Union)
TALLAHASSEE - The federal government can, should and likely will provide the backing the state needs to make sure the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund could pay claims in the event a major storm hits this year, Gov. Charlie Crist and others said Tuesday. read more

Hurricane Fund Answers Sought

Hurricane Fund Answers Sought in Case Big One Hits (The Lakeland Ledger)
By LLOYD DUNKELBERGERLEDGER TALLAHASSEE BUREAUTALLAHASSEE | With Florida's hurricane season looming, Gov. Charlie Crist and other state officials are still scrambling to find a way to shore up the state hurricane catastrophe fund, which could come up billions of dollars short if a big storm hits this year.

Gladys Chern glimpsed beauty

Gladys Chern glimpsed beauty in battered hammock, rescued it (Miami Herald)
A small piece of Florida hammock near the Redland sat untended for many years. Battered by Hurricane Andrew, it was disfigured by tossed trees and a tangle of jasmine, wood rose and air potato -- three of the meanest invasive exotic plants that would challenge the most skilled professional forester.

Credit woes could increase

Credit woes could increase Florida hurricane insurance rates (Punta Gorda Herald)
TALLAHASSEE (AP) Florida's insurance commissioner says the national credit crunch could lead to higher hurricane coverage premiums and more home foreclosures.

Need for Salvation Army services increasing (Galveston County Daily News)
The Texas City Salvation Army office has seen a dramatic increase in need for rent, utilities and food aid since Hurricane Ike.

State Farm appealing Florida

State Farm appealing Florida withdrawal order (The Pantagraph)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- State Farm Florida on Friday appealed stipulations that Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has put on its plan to withdraw from the state's property insurance market because of the high risk of hurricanes.

Obama names Florida emergency boss as FEMA chief (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
President Barack Obama picked Craig Fugate, the top emergency response official in Florida, on Wednesday to head the federal agency that was widely panned for its response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Americas Watchdog Calls Sulphur

Americas Watchdog Calls Sulphur Smelling Chinese Drywall A Storm In Florida That's About Turn Into A National Hurricane (PRWeb)
Americas Watchdog and its Homeowners Consumer Center are saying the Chinese drywall disaster in Florida is about to become a national disaster. According to the group, "the Chinese drywall used in US new home construction from 2003 to 2007 is about to become a biblical type disaster, for US homeowners unfortunate enough to have this building product in their new home, or condominium. If it's ...

FEMA nominee Fugate to the Florida Keys: Stay vigilant with hurricane preparedness (Florida Keys Keynoter)
The next director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told the Keynoter on Wednesday to continue carrying his message of hurricane awareness to Keys residents.

Florida manager tapped for

Florida manager tapped for FEMA (Honolulu Advertiser)
President Obama will nominate Florida emergency manager W. Craig Fugate to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, asking one of the nation's most experienced hurricane hands to direct the much-criticized U.S. disaster-response arm, the White House announced yesterday.

Florida official Obama's pick

Florida official Obama's pick to lead FEMA (Chicago Tribune)
WASHINGTON President Obama will nominate the head of Florida's emergency management office to lead FEMA, a post that came under national scrutiny in 2005 over what many said was the inept response to the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina.

Florida emergency chief to

Florida emergency chief to head FEMA: Obama (AFP via Yahoo! News)
President Barack Obama has chosen the head of emergency operations in hurricane-prone Florida to lead FEMA, the federal agency tasked with responding to domestic disasters, the White House said Wednesday.

Florida plan would shift hurricane insurance coverage to state (Miami Herald)
A group of leading state legislators is considering a dramatic way to try to fix Florida's property insurance market: Have the state cover the hurricane portion of virtually all homeowner policies statewide.

Florida insurance regulators grapple

Florida insurance regulators grapple with hurricane coverage (BizJournals)
JACKSONVILLE Insurance companies and lawmakers are torn betwen two conflicting goals: forcing lower property insurance rates during a recession to help strapped homeowners or raise rates so insurers will be sound when a hurricane hits.

Environmental group gives Florida

Environmental group gives Florida C on coastal protection (Naples Daily News)
Florida has led the nation in climate change focus, but needs to coordinate its coastal and ocean oversight and redouble efforts to prevent offshore drilling, a coalition of environmental groups urged Monday in a critique of recent state initiatives. Meeting with reporters, representatives from the environmental groups outlined a series of improvements still needed to protect the coastal ...

Americas Watchdog Wants to Hear From Homeowners in Florida, & All U.S. States Who Have Potentially Toxic Chinese Drywall (PRWeb)
Americas Watchdog & its Homeowners Consumer Center have been leading a national investigation, and a state by state investigation into what could be extremely toxic Chinese drywall in new homes, built after 2001, in Florida. Virginia, California, Arizona, Nevada, Louisiana, New Jersey Texas and all other U.S. States. According to the Homeowners Consumer Center, "the potentially toxic Chinese ...

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.

Financing Florida's CAT Fund (WTSP-TV Tampa)
Some of Florida's top politicians are trying to prevent the State of Florida from going bankrupt and they want to make sure your claims get paid if a hurricane strikes.

Florida plan would shift

Florida plan would shift hurricane insurance coverage to state (Miami Herald)
A group of leading state legislators is considering a dramatic way to try to fix Florida's property insurance market: Have the state cover the hurricane portion of virtually all homeowner policies statewide.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson wants federal aid for Florida in event of natural catastrophe (TCPalm.com)
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is asking federal lawmakers to cover Florida from the financial risk of a natural catastrophe as the state struggles to provide its own coverage.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ...

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. ...

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

State Farm's departure from

State Farm's departure from Florida sparks scramble for coverage (Bradenton Herald)
The shopping has begun. Some Florida residents aren't waiting for State Farm Florida Insurance to tell them their policies won't be renewed. They've started calling agents and insurers to check if other companies are willing to provide the coverage they are about to lose from State Farm.

State Farm Abandons Florida's

State Farm to pull

State Farm to pull out of Florida homeowners market (The Pantagraph)
BLOOMINGTON -- State Farm Insurance Cos. said Tuesday it plans to discontinue homeowners and other property insurance coverage in Florida, saying it can no longer afford to write policies in the hurricane-prone state.

State Farm Abandoning Florida Property Market (CNBC via Yahoo! Finance)
State Farm Insurance said Tuesday it will leave the Florida property insurance market within two years because it cannot raise premiums high enough to offset the hurricane risks.

State Farm Abandons Florida's

State Farm plans to

State Farm plans to end property insurance in Florida (Naples Daily News)
Florida's largest private homeowners insurer State Farm Florida is planning to stop selling property insurance in the state. State Farm spokesman Chris Neal said Tuesday that some 1.2 million customers with residential and other related property insurance policies would be affected, but said that none need to worry immediately.The Illinois-based insurer can't do anything either before ...

State Farm pullout leaves Florida policyholders scrambling (The Palm Beach Post)
State Farm Florida, in a move that's expected to turmoil in the Florida insurance marketplace, State Farm Florida said Tuesday that it is pulling out of the state over the next two years.

Houston Personal Injury Lawyer

Houston Personal Injury Lawyer Assists Victims of Hurricane Ike (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
Houston personal injury lawyers at the Walker Texas law firm continue their efforts to help insured Hurricane Ike victims find recourse months after the devastating storm that resulted in more than 730,000 insurance claims filed.

Remote Caledesi Beach's 3-mile stretch of soft sugar sand is beginning to draw raves and tourists (The Fresno Bee)
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Caladesi beach is a secret getaway in Florida, an undiscovered gem. Read comments

Redundancy? 2nd emergency center

Redundancy? 2nd emergency center planned for airport (Florida Keys Keynoter)
A second emergency operations center might be coming to Florida Keys Marathon Airport.

Dayton files FEMA reimbursement

Dayton files FEMA reimbursement appeal (Dayton News)
The City of Dayton filed an appeal with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Jan. 23 to officially object to the amount of reimbursement money offered by the agency for Hurricane Ike debris removal.

Swiped statue of baby

Swiped statue of baby Jesus returned after 12 years (Florida Today)
BELLVIEW A baby Jesus statue stolen from northwest Florida nativity scene is back at the church 12 years after it was swiped. Rev. Jack Gray, pastor at St. Anne s Catholic Church, says the statue and a note were discovered in a pew Thursday.

Marshall - Team Notes

Marshall - Team Notes (USA Today)
Now, at least, Central Florida knows which player to guard if the Golden Knights' game against Marshall on Sunday comes down to a final shot.

Florida s debt rating

Florida s debt rating outlook falls (BizJournals)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services downgraded its rating outlook on Florida's full faith and credit debt from stable to negative, citing the state's increasing economic and financial pressures, according to a press release.

S&P: Financial pressure weakens Florida s bond rating (BizJournals)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its rating outlook on Florida's full faith and credit debt to "negative" from "stable," based on its view of the state's increasing economic and financial pressures, according to a press release.

Big Three bails out:

Big Three bails out: Jacksonville-area recruits ignored by Florida powers (The Florida Times-Union)
Fleming Island's Cory White is a rare breed - at least this year. The offensive tackle/tight end is the lone area player currently committed to one of the state's "big three" - Florida, Florida State and Miami. Parker linebacker Sam Barrington might join White as a Hurricane, but remains undecided. The First Coast area typically produces more elite recruits, but this year the ...

S&P: Financial pressure weakens Florida s bond rating (BizJournals)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its rating outlook on Florida's full faith and credit debt to "negative" from "stable," based on its view of the state's increasing economic and financial pressures, according to a press release.

Florida s debt rating

Florida s debt rating falls (Orlando Business Journal)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services downgraded its rating on Florida's full faith and credit debt from stable to negative, citing the state's increasing economic and financial pressures, according to a press release.

Frosty 40s, lethargic lizards signal winter's arrival in South Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
Iguanas are falling out of trees.

S&P: Financial pressure weakens

S&P: Financial pressure weakens Florida s bond rating (Business Journal of Tampa Bay)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its rating outlook on Florida's full faith and credit debt to negative from stable based on its view of the state's increasing economic and financial pressures, a release said.

Hurricane Inspection Program Scrambling

Hurricane Inspection Program Scrambling To Meet Deadline (The Tampa Tribune)
If you've never heard of My Safe Florida Home, the state's free hurricane inspection program, chances are you soon will.

Current Conditions V2 (KBTV

Current Conditions V2 (KBTV Beaumont)
Steve saw The Unborn. So what did he think? Click here to find out! Louisiana Prepares for Gustav Gustav could hit the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane. On Thursday, the focus is on New Orleans, the ...

Teacher pay, roads among

Teacher pay, roads among Florida stimulus ideas (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
Merit pay for teachers, road and school construction and business development grants are some of the ideas being floated as Florida begins preparing its wish list for an anticipated federal economic stimulus package.

S&P: Florida Hurricane Fund, Citizens, Guaranty Fund Ratings to Negative (Insurance Journal)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised the outlook to negative from stable on Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (AA-), Citizens Property Insurance Corp. (A+), and Florida Insurance Guaranty ...

S&P: Florida Hurricane Fund,

S&P: Florida Hurricane Fund, Citizens, Guaranty Fund Ratings to Negative (Insurance Journal)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised the outlook to negative from stable on Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (AA-), Citizens Property Insurance Corp. (A+), and Florida Insurance Guaranty ...

Bush's lowest point during presidency was 'being called a racist' post Hurricane Katrina (New Kerala)
Washington, Jan 15 : President George W. Bush has revealed that the lowest point of his presidency was 'being called a racist' in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Inspection Program Scrambling

Hurricane Inspection Program Scrambling To Meet Deadline (The Tampa Tribune)
If you've never heard of My Safe Florida Home, the state's free hurricane inspection program, chances are you soon will.

State official addresses fears about small insurers (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
The state's insurance commissioner Tuesday tried to calm fears about the solvency of small companies stepping in to replace industry giants that have reduced homeowners coverage in Florida because of the state's hurricane risk.

Hurricane Inspection Program Scrambling

Hurricane Inspection Program Scrambling To Meet Deadline (The Tampa Tribune)
If you've never heard of My Safe Florida Home, the state's free hurricane inspection program, chances are you soon will.

Florida denies State Farm's

Florida denies State Farm's 67 percent rate increase (Sun-Sentinel)
State Farm Florida Insurance Co. homeowner insurance customers can breath a sigh of relief for now.

Florida Officially Rejects State Farm Homeowners Insurance Hike (Insurance Journal)
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has affirmed the ruling of an administrative law judge and officially disapproved a State Farm Insurance homeowners rate filing that has been in ...

Girl Talk Sweats All

Girl Talk Sweats All Over Florida, Midwest, Down Under (Pitchfork)
Photo by Kathryn Yu Officially speaking, hurricane season runs from June through November. But Florida should probably brace for a second storm season, marked by abnormal amounts of indie-kid sweat this March. (Too soon?) Because--wait for it-- Girl Talk is bringing the humidity to the Sunshine State! Like, the entire state. From March 3-8, everyone from Pensacola to Miami will ...

New 'green home' grabbing

New 'green home' grabbing attention (Florida Today)
INDIALANTIC -- The couple say it will be one of the state's and country's "greenest" homes. Their dream project sprung up in the aftermath of damage caused to an existing house by Hurricane Frances in 2004.

PAT RICE: Grading George

PAT RICE: Grading George W. Bush: Pass or fail? (Northwest Florida Daily News)
In 10 days, Democrat Barack Obama will be inaugurated as president of the United States.Here in Northwest Florida - where Republican presidential candidate John McCain captured about 70 percent of the vote - many people are decidedly unenthusiastic about

Florida City drainage project

Florida City drainage project in second and final stage (Miami Herald)
Florida City continues its work toward making sure the Friedland Manor neighborhood will finally be free of flooding. The city is now in the second -- and final -- phase of the $8 million project that began more than five years ago.

Turner Motorsport announces 2009 driver lineup (Motorsport.com)
TURNER MOTORSPORT, Amesbury, MA, USA (January 6, 2009) -- Turner Motorsport's driver line-up for the opening round of the 2009 Koni Sports Car Challenge Series promises to deliver a hurricane force of talent to Florida.

Turner Motorsport announces 2009

Turner Motorsport announces 2009 driver lineup (Motorsport.com)
TURNER MOTORSPORT, Amesbury, MA, USA (January 6, 2009) -- Turner Motorsport's driver line-up for the opening round of the 2009 Koni Sports Car Challenge Series promises to deliver a hurricane force of talent to Florida.

The size of Texas

The size of Texas (The Virginia Gazette)
Hurricane Frances, a sluggish and super-sized storm, may leave as its legacy a singular image: The entire state of Florida , 435 miles from Tallahassee to Key West , enveloped in rain and wind.

Florida Deputy Swaps Uniforms after Serving in War Zone (Officer.com)
Sheriff's Deputy Adams Lin is back to patrolling Palm Beach County after serving in a war zone.

Huntington girls beat Hurricane

Huntington girls beat Hurricane (The Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
HURRICANE -- At this rate, the only thing that is going to stop Huntington High's girls basketball team is the flu bug.

Huntington girls beat Hurricane

Huntington girls beat Hurricane (The Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
HURRICANE -- At this rate, the only thing that is going to stop Huntington High's girls basketball team is the flu bug.

Florida, insurance leaders seek ways to lessen risk posed by Citizens (Sun-Sentinel)
Florida, industry leaders try to lower risk insurer poses to state Since three hurricane seasons have come and gone without a major storm, many residents might need a reminder that the state is Florida's biggest property insurer. And that means virtually all Floridians would be on the hook again should future storm seasons not be so gentle.

LordsofPain.net Missing WWE Star

LordsofPain.net Missing WWE Star Returns At House Show, Next Twist In MVP Angle (Lords of Pain)
-- Umaga made his return to the ring at last night's SmackDown brand house show in Tyler, Texas. He defeated Hurricane Helms with the Samoan Spike. Umaga got a big face response from the audience despite acting like a heel.

LordsofPain.net Missing WWE Star

My Safe Florida Home

My Safe Florida Home extends improvements deadline, reinstates grants for hurricane-proofing (Sun-Sentinel)
About a third of the 40,000 Florida homeowners who qualified for free government money to make hurricane improvements have yet to claim it.

Housing bust top Florida

Housing bust top Florida story in 2008 (Lake City Reporter)
MIAMI Empty condominiums, stalled construction projects and thousands of families forced to leave their homes in a state hit hard by the housing bust was the top story of 2008, according to Florida newspaper editors.

Central Florida - Team

Central Florida - Team Notes (USA Today)
A season that began under a dark cloud for defending C-USA champion UCF ended the same way.

South Florida drought fears prove hard to douse (Sun-Sentinel)
A district manager says next few months key to water supplies Lackluster December rainfall ended an otherwise soggy 2008 on a dry note, heading into a New Year that forecasters warn could bring another South Florida drought.

Housing bust top Florida

Buffett Wins $224 Million

Buffett Wins $224 Million Storm Bet With Florida (Update2) (Bloomberg)
Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire Warren Buffett s Berkshire Hathaway Inc . won a $224 million bet that Florida would escape major damage from hurricanes this year.

Housing bust voted top Fla. story of 2008 (Miami Herald)
Here are 2008's Top 10 Florida stories as determined by a vote of the state's newspaper editors:

Better Business Bureau Busier

Better Business Bureau Busier Than Ever (First Coast News)
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (AP) -- When South Florida contractor complaints skyrocketed after Hurricane Wilma, the Better Business Bureau was the first line of defense for many consumers.

Former Miami newspaper titan

Former Miami newspaper titan dies at age 87 (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
Alvah H. Chapman Jr., former president and chief executive officer of The Miami Herald, chairman of Knight Ridder Corp. and a champion of philanthropic causes in South Florida, has died.

Most Memorable 2008: Tropical Storm Fay (Central Florida News 13)
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the busiest and most costly ever, causing an estimated $54 billion in damage. For Central Florida, most of the damage was caused not by a hurricane, but a tropical storm that would not leave.

State prevents insurers from

State prevents insurers from dropping customers (The Virginia Gazette)
Florida 's insurance regulators barred insurers Thursday from canceling policies held by residents of the 12 counties hit by Hurricane Charley .

Former Miami newspaper titan dies at age 87 (AP via Yahoo! News)
Alvah H. Chapman Jr., former president and chief executive officer of The Miami Herald, chairman of Knight Ridder Corp. and a champion of philanthropic causes in South Florida, has died. He was 87.

Man who once helped

Man who once helped negotiate sale of Telegraph dead at 87 (Macon Telegraph)
Alvah H. Chapman Jr., a prominent South Florida civic leader and newspaperman who helped negotiate The Macon Telegraph s transition from locally owned newspaper to part of a news corporation, died Christmas Day, according to published reports.

Better Business Bureau Busier Than Ever (The Tampa Tribune)
When South Florida contractor complaints skyrocketed after Hurricane Wilma, the Better Business Bureau was the first line of defense for many consumers.

Florida's film-industry star fades

Florida's film-industry star fades (Orlando Sentinel)
When Marley & Me, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, opened in theaters across the country Thursday, Florida moviegoers could enjoy picking out landmarks from Las Olas Boulevard to Dolphin Stadium.

Better Business Bureau Busier Than Ever (The Tampa Tribune)
When South Florida contractor complaints skyrocketed after Hurricane Wilma, the Better Business Bureau was the first line of defense for many consumers.

Miami snapper is 5th

Miami snapper is 5th Hurricane suspended for bowl (WCTV Tallahassee)
Miami punt snapper Chris Ivory will not play in Saturday's Emerald Bowl because he violated an unspecified team rule. He is the fifth Hurricane suspended for the final game of the season.

Florida's star is dimming as other states lure movie studios (TCPalm.com)
South Florida is as much a character in the film as Marley, the story's unruly Labrador. The two months spent shooting the film in the region this spring pumped more than $10 million into area businesses and paid wages for nearly 1,400 local film industry workers.

Coast Guard Auxiliary reboots

Coast Guard Auxiliary reboots Homestead flotilla (Miami Herald)
It has been 16 years since Hurricane Andrew devastated the South Dade area, destroying thousands of homes as well as marinas and boats.

IHPA Forms Consumer Safety Task Force for Hurricane Protection Products (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Bill Feeley, President of the International Hurricane Protection Association , has announced the formation of the Consumer Safety Task Force for Hurricane Protection Products, intended to act in unison with the Florida Attorney General's office to protect consumers who have been, and are being subjected to deceptive or misleading trade practices by unscrupulous hurricane profiteers.

Group Tackles Hurricane Products

Group Tackles Hurricane Products That Don't Meet Florida Code (Insurance Journal)
Bill Feeley, president of the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA), announced the formation of the Consumer Safety Task Force for Hurricane Protection Products, intended to act in ...

HURRICANE MADOFF TEARS UP

HURRICANE MADOFF TEARS UP TONY TOWN (New York Post)
The tiny, tony south Florida enclave of Palm Beach may never be the same now that Hurricane Madoff has blown through. Doug Kass, a hedge-fund manager and resident of the town, says he expects inter-family warfare to break out any day as families...

Southeast Florida Better Business Bureau busier than ever exposing fraud (Sun-Sentinel)
Bureau on lookout for shady schemes When South Florida contractor complaints skyrocketed after Hurricane Wilma, the Better Business Bureau was the first line of defense for many consumers.

1Vault Networks Successfully Completes

1Vault Networks Successfully Completes Type II SAS 70 Audit (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
1Vault Networks , a state-of-the-art, Category 5 hurricane-rated data colocation facility in Fort Lauderdale, today announced it has met the rigorous requirements for the Statement of Auditing Standards No. 70 and has achieved the highly-sought-after SAS 70 Type II certification.

Southeast Florida Better Business Bureau busier than ever exposing fraud (Sun-Sentinel)
Bureau on lookout for shady schemes When South Florida contractor complaints skyrocketed after Hurricane Wilma, the Better Business Bureau was the first line of defense for many consumers.

'Green' getaway (Pensacola News

'Green' getaway (Pensacola News Journal)
For hotels in Florida, being environmentally "green" also can put the property in line for more "green" of the financial sort.

Use It Or Lose It (The Tampa Tribune)
Six months after accepting its last applications for grants and free home inspections, the My Safe Florida Home program has yet to reimburse thousands of homeowners for making hurricane-safety improvements.

Chapter 14: A stadium's

Chapter 14: A stadium's legacy (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Orange Bowl. It drew its name and the color of its seats -- from an industry that once dominated business, politics and culture in Florida.

Lee County road projects pushed aside (The News-Press)
The $101 million road connector from Interstate 75 to Southwest Florida International Airport scheduled to be built starting in 2012 has been...

Corvo's OT goal lifts

Corvo's OT goal lifts 'Canes past Panthers 2-1 (AP via Yahoo! News)
After skating around one Florida player and faking out another, Joe Corvo lost count of how many Panthers he eluded.

Corvo's OT goal gives

Corvo's OT goal gives Canes victory (The News & Observer)
Joe Corvo scored in overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes an important 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers at the RBC Center.

Corvo's OT goal lifts 'Canes past Panthers 2-1 (AP via Yahoo! News)
After skating around one Florida player and faking out another, Joe Corvo lost count of how many Panthers he eluded.

Fort Lauderdale (RainbowNetwork.com) Gay

Fort Lauderdale (RainbowNetwork.com)
Gay tourists have been flocking to Fort Lauderdale for decades attracted by the year round sunshine and vibrant gay life found here. More urbane than the frantic paced lifestyle of Miami s South Beach, Fort Lauderdale has a more sophisticated and relaxed edge than its South Florida cousin.

Broward schools OK sending portable classrooms to Haiti (Miami Herald)
The Haitian government hopes to have a school campus created from old Broward school district portables by late January. Broward School Board members Tuesday approved the donation of about 100 portables to hurricane-ravaged Haiti. These are the first of some 3,000 portables Florida school districts have pledged to the country.

Cajuns land two JUCO

Cajuns land two JUCO standouts (The Lafayette Daily Advertiser)
When Hurricane Katrina hammered New Orleans in 2005, the storm and its aftermath forced Tyrell Gaddies to leave Kennedy High and play his final two seasons of prep football at Eisenhower High in Houston.

Caloosahatchee pollution plan passes

Caloosahatchee pollution plan passes (The News-Press)
A plan to limit pollution in the river was passed this morning after little discussion by Florida water managers.

UAB - Team Notes

UAB - Team Notes (USA Today)
UAB's season-ending shutout at UCF, its first in 10 years of C-USA play, doesn't make the 2008 campaign a success. It does provide proof, however, of the defensive progress made over the course of the season.

Judge rejects State Farm

Judge rejects State Farm rate hike request (FOX 35 Orlando)
An administrative law judge on Friday rejected a 47% rate increase sought by State Farm Florida...

Property insurance company wants

Property insurance company wants refund from state's hurricane catastrophe fund (Miami Herald)
A property insurance company wants a refund from the state's hurricane catastrophe fund, saying the state charged for backstop insurance that it did not have enough reserves to provide.

Florida officials probe Morgan Stanley gas price gouging (The Gainesville Sun)
Remember Hurricane Ike, the massive storm that brushed past Florida on its way making landfall in Texas in early September' Do you remember watching gas prices rise, sometimes more than once a day, to nearly $4 a gallon during the first two weeks of September'

Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast

Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast Is Above-Average (Update1) (Bloomberg)
Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Next year s Atlantic hurricane season will be somewhat above-average, with 14 named storms, according to an annual Colorado State University forecast released today.

Insurers ease burden on Citizens (Miami Herald)
Fourteen Florida-based insurers have taken 361,324 homeowners' policies from state-run Citizens Property Insurance, reducing Citizens' exposure to hurricane claims by nearly $100 billion.

Florida begins to investigate

Florida begins to investigate allegations of gas price gouging (TCPalm.com)
Two Florida agencies have initiated a formal price gouging investigation into Morgan Stanley Group Inc. and its subsidiary, TransMontaigne Inc., a major gasoline supplier, for allegedly charging unusually high retail gas prices on the Treasure Coast and statewide after Hurricane Ike.

State Farm Florida asking

State Farm Florida asking for 67 percent rate boost (Sun-Sentinel)
State Farm Florida Insurance Co. now wants a 67 percent average statewide property insurance rate increase, months after Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said he would reject the insurer's proposed 47 percent rate boost.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Oklahoma, Florida

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Oklahoma, Florida to face off for BCS title (Detroit Free Press)
It's official: Oklahoma and Florida will play for the Bowl Championship Series national championship. The Sooners and Gators finished atop the BCS standings Sunday and will meet Jan. 8 in Miami for the title.

College Football Top 25

College Football Top 25 Roundup: Florida likely headed to title game (The Brownsville Herald)
ATLANTA - Tim Tebow took it upon himself to give Florida a shot at another national championship. If the Gators needed a big run, he tucked it under his arm and ran. If they needed to complete a pass, he threw it right where it needed to be.

Economic Woes Threaten Legal Aid Nationwide (WBOC Salisbury)
SEATTLE (AP) - The day before Maria Nunes fled Florida for Seattle, her abusive husband beat her unconscious. The native of Jamaica didn't dare divorce him because she depended on her marriage for her legal residency in the United States.

Jeb Bush's Prospects in

Jeb Bush's Prospects in a Florida Senate Race (Newsweek)
The view from Florida on a possible Bush Senate bid.

House Speaker defends money given to his employer (ABC 7 Gulfshore News)
Republican Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom secured millions for building projects for the same school that now employs him.

College Football Top 25

Commercial Interior Design Company

Commercial Interior Design Company To Support Fund Raising Event In Pensacola, Florida (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
The commercial interior design company, DefinedInteriors.com, will be donating its time and services to aid the rebuilding effort for an important landmark in Pensacola, Florida. The Lee House has been an important part of the Pensacola Historic District since it was built in 1866 and is now being rebuilt as a bed and breakfast.

Commercial Interior Design Company

2008 hurricane season mostly

2008 hurricane season mostly spared Florida (Miami Herald)
Forget about cones of danger, storm shutters and supply kits -- for six months, anyway. The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Sunday.

South Florida fishing report (Miami Herald)
Captain Mark Schmidt of Sun Dancer Charters out of Key West reported the best sailfish action he has seen in the past few weeks is outside of 100 feet of water off of Key West, with goggle eyes, threadfin herring and ballyhoo getting the most strikes. In Hawk's Channel, his clients are catching a mixed bag of snapper, grouper, large cero mackerel, big ladyfish, yellow jacks and goliath groupers.

Atlantic Hurricane season draws

Atlantic Hurricane season draws to a close by Alex Deakin (BBC News)
The 2008 Atlantic Hurricane season officially drew to a close on Sunday, marking the end of one of the most active seasons on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recorded a total of 16 named storms since the season began on June 1st.

Hurricane Ike cleanup workers report wage theft (The State)
Reyna Martinez, a 30-year-old Honduran immigrant, wanted to help Texas recover from Hurricane Ike and earn a good wage at the same time. For four weeks, she was transported by bus from her Houston home to Galveston, where she worked 15 hours a day repairing roofs, bailing water and clearing debris from school property. She was promised $11 an hour, but after the first week, the owner reneged on ...

Hurricane season is over;

Hurricane season is over; eight named storms in 2008 (NBC 13 Birmingham)
Sunday marked the final official day of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. This year s season saw 16 named storms, eight of which were hurricanes. Five of those hurricanes reached Category 3 strength or higher. State officials say the most devastating storm was Tropical Storm Fay, which resulted in 15 deaths, just in Florida.

Nationwide wants 10% hike in Florida insurance rates (Sun-Sentinel)
Nationwide Insurance Co. of Florida wants to raise residential property insurance prices by a statewide average of 10 percent.

Quiet hurricane season won't

Quiet hurricane season won't mean cheaper insurance for homeowners (Miami Herald)
As the 2008 hurricane season comes to a close, Floridians can breathe easier. Only Fay slammed the state -- albeit four times -- with her heavy rains. The 15 other named storms spared Florida.

Busy hurricane season comes to an end (WWL-TV, Channel 4 New Orleans)
MIAMI -- Sunday marked the final official day of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. This year's season saw 16 named storms, eight of which were hurricanes. Five of those hurricanes reached Category 3 strength or higher.

Hurricane season ends: A

Hurricane season ends: A look back (The Gainesville Sun)
This hurricane season came down to one major storm that hit the state.

PHOTOS: Quiet hurricane season

PHOTOS: Quiet hurricane season still a costly one for Collier, Lee counties (Naples Daily News)
There were 16 named storms this season. Six made landfall in the United States. Only one of those hit Florida, something officials are thankful for as the season comes to a close. Tropical Storm Fay made landfall Aug. 19. The storm came ashore early that morning over Cape Romano near Marco Island with tropical storm force winds that stretched for 125 miles from the center.

Hurricane season 2008 full of records (Port Arthur News)
This year s hurricane season has come to an eventful end.

Active Atlantic hurricane season

Active Atlantic hurricane season ends on Sunday (Daily Press)
This year, a record six consecutive named storms hit the U.S. mainland. The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Sunday, closing a stretch that churned up a record number of consecutive storms striking the United States.

In Florida, Insurers Thankful No Major Hurricane Tested State Fund (Insurance Journal)
As the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially comes to a close this on Nov. 30, Florida can be thankful for being spared from any major hurricane strike again this season. However, the danger

Atlantic Hurricane Season Wrap

Atlantic Hurricane Season Wrap (NBC 26 Augusta)
The Atlantic Hurricane Season ends Sunday, and a number of records were set this year.

Atlantic hurricane season blows away records (AP via Yahoo! News)
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends Sunday, seemed to strike the United States and Cuba as if on redial, setting at least five weather records for persistence and repeatedly striking the same areas.

Homeowners updated on latest

Homeowners updated on latest issues (St. Tammany News)
St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis fielded questions while providing updates on a number of topics, including hurricane cleanup, flood protection and drainage and roadway improvements at a town hall-type meeting Saturday with leaders of homeowner s associations across the parish.

In Florida, Insurers Thankful

In Florida, Insurers Thankful No Major Hurricane Tested State Fund (Insurance Journal)
As the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially comes to a close this on Nov. 30, Florida can be thankful for being spared from any major hurricane strike again this season. However, the danger

The Auto Dealer Challenge

The Auto Dealer Challenge (Nightly Business Report)
I grew up in the southwest Florida area, and I always remember the name of the local Ford dealer: Hopper-Crews Ford. They sponsored a Little League team; they bought ads in the back of the high school yearbook; in short, the folks at Hopper-Crews Ford were a fixture in the local community. At one time, those kinds of community dealers were commonplace. Now, they're become less common because ...

U.S. 331 widening to

U.S. 331 widening to begin next month (Northwest Florida Daily News)
SANTA ROSA BEACH - Construction crews are expected to begin widening U.S.

Use of Florida site

Use of Florida site vital to carrier safety, Navy report says (The Virginian-Pilot)
NORFOLK The Navy swept aside concerns from Virginia lawmakers in a final report published Friday about placing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport Naval Station in Florida.

Cruelty Were animals criminally

Cruelty Were animals criminally euthanized? (The Examiner)
While most people loaded Fido and Fluffy into the car or boarded them at a kennel during the recent evacuation for Hurricane Ike, some did not, and there are unanswered questions about what might have befallen those beloved pets.

Use of Florida site vital to carrier safety, Navy report says (The Virginian-Pilot)
NORFOLK The Navy swept aside concerns from Virginia lawmakers in a final report published Friday about placing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport Naval Station in Florida.

Arena celebrates 10 years:

Arena celebrates 10 years: Southwest Florida leaders share what arena has meant to community (Naples Daily News)
Elton John s been there, twice. So has Cher. The Florida Everblades has called it home to professional hockey for all of its 10 years, and hosted Kelly Cup finals there. It s the 7,000-plus seat venue in Estero known as Germain Arena, formerly known as TECO Arena and originally Everblades Arena. Wednesday marks 10 years since the first event there, when traffic backed up on Interstate 75 for ...

With foreclosures leaving many

With foreclosures leaving many yards unattended, risk of wildfires could rise on Treasure Coast (TCPalm.com)
Treasure Coast firefighters have a new problem entering Florida's dry season, which officially begins after hurricane season ends this month.

Last Brothers to Rescue plane sold for hurricane relief (Miami Herald)
The last plane belonging to a famed search-and-rescue group that helped Cuban rafters make it safely across the Florida Straits was sold this month to help the people of Cuba and Haiti recover from a brutal hurricane season.

Arena celebrates 10 years:

11-year old walks from

11-year old walks from Florida to Atlanta for homeless (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
A boy from Florida walked 279 miles to rally support for homeless children.

Number of visitors to Florida drops (Orlando Sentinel)
Travel to Florida fell 3.2 percent in the third quarter of the year, according to initial estimates by the state's chief tourism agency.

Memorial held for man

Memorial held for man called hero for trying to save dogs (North Channel Sentinel)
Robert Bob Emery was a man who came from Florida to Houston to help with the cleanup in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. His heart went out to those who were stricken by the storm, but his concern did not end there.

Hurricane Paloma partly to

Hurricane Paloma partly to blame for Big Bend's rain (Tallahassee Democrat)
Friday's wild weather was brought on by a cold front from the west and remnants of Hurricane Paloma.

Memorial held for man called hero for trying to save dogs (North Channel Sentinel)
Robert Bob Emery was a man who came from Florida to Houston to help with the cleanup in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. His heart went out to those who were stricken by the storm, but his concern did not end there.

Newest Major Hurricane Evacuation

Newest Major Hurricane Evacuation Route Open (NBC 15 Mobile)
Alabama s newest major hurricane evacuation route is now open. Gov. Bob Riley, Transportation Director Joe McInnes and Florida transportation officials made the announcement Wednesday.

Florida's Big Insurance Problem

Florida's Big Insurance Problem (BusinessWeek Online via Yahoo! News)
When Hurricane Ike took a left on Sept. 8, heading away from Florida, locals breathed a sigh of relief. Not only are their homes on the line with each burst of violent weather but their pocketbooks are increasingly at risk, too. Over the past four years, Florida taxpayers' vulnerability to a major weather catastrophe has grown.

The Atlantic hurricane season

The Atlantic hurricane season so far by Steph Ball (BBC News)
The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1st to November 30th each year and with only a fortnight left to go, 2008 might be remembered for several reasons.

Nation briefs: Hurricane-hit hospital to lay off 3,800 (Newsday)
The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, which was damaged by Hurricane Ike, said yesterday about 3,800 workers would be laid off because the teaching hospital is running out of money. The university's Board of Regents said the hospital would have no money to operate in about three months. Ike caused nearly $710 million in losses to the hospital when it struck the Texas coast in ...

South Florida Watershed Journal:

South Florida Watershed Journal: Don't be shocked, it's just a November surprise (Naples Daily News)
It's official: Hurricane season is unofficially over. The official "calendar" conclusion to the 2008 hurricane season still has two weeks to go, but "meteorologically" the sky has already moved on.

Completion of new hurricane route in Alabama (NBC 13 Birmingham)
Governor Riley and Local Officials Celebrate Completion of New Hurricane Evacuation Route.

Amendment 3 passes without

Amendment 3 passes without recount in Florida (Miami Herald)
An amendment creating property tax exemptions for residential hurricane-proofing and energy efficiency improvements is going into the Florida Constitution without a recount.

Cuba braces for Hurricane Paloma; SW Florida safe from the storm (Naples Daily News)
A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of Cuba as Paloma continues barreling toward the Cayman Islands. As for Southwest Florida, Hurricane Paloma is forecast to move northeast into the Atlantic in the next several days, steered away from the state by a cold front moving through the region.

Florida congresswoman fights to

Florida congresswoman fights to bring back Amtrak service from Los Angeles to Sanford (FOX 35 Orlando)
Until Hurricane Katrina ripped up the railroad tracks east of the Mississippi, Amtrak's Sunset Limited ran from Los Angeles to Sanford in central Florida.

Paloma remains Category 4

Paloma remains Category 4 hurricane, could hit Cuba late tonight (The Palm Beach Post)
Paloma, now a category 3 hurricane that is quickly losing strength after hitting the south Cuba coastline, has no chance of making it to the Florida coast, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Evelyn Rivera.

CNN - Paloma Grows

CNN - Paloma Grows To Category 3 Hurricane (Local 10 Miami)
Hurricane Paloma Strengthened Overnight And Is Forecast To Become A Dangerous Category 3 Storm This Weekend, The National Hurricane Center In Miami, Florida, Said Friday.

Tropical Storm Paloma Forms;

Tropical Storm Paloma Forms; May Become Hurricane (WFTV 9 Orlando)
MIAMI -- Forecasters say Tropical Storm Paloma has formed off the coast of Nicaragua with winds reaching 40 mph, and could strengthen into a hurricane by Friday.

New tropical depression, expected

New tropical depression, expected to become hurricane, forms in the Caribbean (Sun-Sentinel)
A new tropical depression emerged in the Caribbean Sea near the coast of Nicaragua on Wednesday afternoon, and it could become a hurricane within the next three days forecasters said. If so, it would be named Paloma.

Florida backs ban on

Florida backs ban on gay marriage (Florida Today)
MIAMI A Florida amendment that will add a ban on same-sex marriage to the state constitution narrowly passed early today, while another that would give a property tax break for home improvements that provide renewable energy or harden homes against hurricanes was still too close to call.

Seven succeed at Florida Ironman competition (The Conroe Courier)
At the Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach Saturday, seven Montgomery County triathletes started and finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.

Election has markings of

Election has markings of a hurricane (Miami Herald)
South Florida's preparations for Election Day are akin to preparing for a hurricane. Extra police officers will be on duty. Students will have the day off school.

Seven succeed at Florida Ironman competition (The Conroe Courier)
At the Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach Saturday, seven Montgomery County triathletes started and finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: Florida

TOP 25 ROUNDUP: Florida gets back at Georgia (The Bryan-College Station Eagle)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Florida waited a year to celebrate against Georgia -- and boy did the fifth-ranked Gators get to party.Tim Tebow accounted for five touchd ...

Florida Democrats outraise, outspend Republicans with $20 million haul (Orlando Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE For the first time in more than a decade, Florida Democrats handily outraised and outspent their usually financially loaded Republican counterparts, a sign of the state's battleground status on the presidential and congressional campaign map.

Florida St. fumbles win

Florida St. fumbles win to Georgia Tech (San Francisco Chronicle)
The play designed to give Florida State a last-minute comeback win worked just as coach Bobby Bowden expected - until Marcus Sims lost the ball. Sims fumbled into the end zone after a helmet-to-football hit by Georgia Tech safety Cooper Taylor to finish No....

Many in South Florida

Many in South Florida will work to make vote go smoothly (Miami Herald)
South Florida's preparations for Election Day are akin to preparing for a hurricane. Extra police officers will be on duty. Students will have the day off school.

HURRICANE IKE (Dallas Morning News)
HOUSTON An aging cruise ship that Texas officials want to use as temporary housing for displaced victims of Hurricane Ike moved offshore Thursday to await word on whether the federal government will pay for the plan.

Support for Florida's marriage

Support for Florida's marriage amendment falls short, poll says (The News-Press)
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's marriage amendment continues to fall short of the support necessary for passage, according to a poll out today.

Best to Review Ratings

Best to Review Ratings of Insurers with Potential Florida Cat Fund Exposure (Insurance Journal)
A.M. Best announced that "based on the considerable credit market contraction and the uncertainty regarding the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund's (FHCF) ability to fund its claims-paying capacity,"

Unbeaten Tulsa mows down Central Florida (Austin American-Statesman)
David Johnson threw for 264 yards and a touchdown, ran for two more scores and 19th-ranked Tulsa overpowered Central Florida 49-19 Sunday night in the Golden Hurricane's first game in the Top 25 in 17 years.

Statement on Federal Disaster

Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for Florida (White House News)
The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by Hurricane Gustav during the period of August 31 to September 7, 2008.

Unbeaten Tulsa mows down Central Florida (Austin American-Statesman)
David Johnson threw for 264 yards and a touchdown, ran for two more scores and 19th-ranked Tulsa overpowered Central Florida 49-19 Sunday night in the Golden Hurricane's first game in the Top 25 in 17 years.

Florida: Take a wild,

Florida: Take a wild, weird ride on the Overseas Highway (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Everyone knows Florida is eccentric, but if you want a true taste of her quirks, travel along one of the most surreal(ly beautiful) roads in America: the Overseas Highway (also known as Route 1). The distance between Homestead and Key West, the southernmost point in the continental USA, is roughly 113 miles - and several shades of weirdness.

Tulsa routs Central Florida (Honolulu Advertiser)
TULSA, Okla. David Johnson threw for 264 yards and a touchdown, ran for two more scores and No. 19 Tulsa overpowered the University of Central Florida, 49-19, last night in the Golden Hurricane's first game in the Top 25 in 17 years.

Unbeaten Tulsa mows down

Unbeaten Tulsa mows down Central Florida (Austin American-Statesman)
David Johnson threw for 264 yards and a touchdown, ran for two more scores and 19th-ranked Tulsa overpowered Central Florida 49-19 Sunday night in the Golden Hurricane's first game in the Top 25 in 17 years.

Hurricane impressive in victory (The Shawnee News-Star)
TULSA Tulsa s offense has been explosive all season, and with a Sunday night setting on a national stage, it didn t disappoint in its 49-19 romp over Central Florida.

Harris Corporation HarborView(TM) 3D

Harris Corporation HarborView(TM) 3D Visual Models Used for Storm-Surge Impact Predictions as Hurricane Ike Approached ... (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
GEOINT, Booth #256) - Advanced, interactive, 3D visual models of harbors developed by Harris Corporation for the U.S. government were used by state agencies and various news organizations to alert the public of the potential catastrophic impact of Hurricane Ike's storm surge.

Poe files Emergency Fueling

Poe files Emergency Fueling Station Designation Act (Cleveland Advocate)
Congressman Ted Poe (TX-02) recently filed the Emergency Fueling Station Designation Act of 2008 to establish a program to address the shortage of fuel along hurricane evacuation routes. Poe s legislation would provide federal funds to eligible states to purchase and install transfer switches and generators at designated fueling stations determined by each state government.

Florida Congressman's Wife Files

Florida Congressman's Wife Files for Divorce (Washington Post)
MIAMI -- The wife of a Florida congressman embroiled in an adultery scandal has filed for divorce.

VIDEO: Three years after

VIDEO: Three years after Hurricane Wilma, tell us what you remember most about the storm (Naples Daily News)
Today is the third anniversary of Hurricane Wilma. In October 2005, Southwest Florida recorded its most damaging natural disaster in 45 years. Wilma wasn't catastrophic, but her scars remain. Wilma brought a week of uncertainty to the region and years of headaches to undo the damage.

TallahasseeVoices releases results of

TallahasseeVoices releases results of hurricane-preparedness survey (Tallahassee Democrat)
Four out of five Leon County residents say they'd evacuate their home in case of a Category 5 hurricane, according to a new TallahasseeVoices survey.

Florida Atlantic University to test emegency alert system (Sun-Sentinel)
Florida Atlantic University plans to test its emergency alert system Thursday.

Wife of Florida Democrat

Wife of Florida Democrat files for divorce (New Haven Register)
The wife of Rep. Tim Mahoney, a Florida Democrat who has admitted to multiple affairs and is at risk of losing his seat, has filed for divorce.

Florida s storm insurer

Florida s storm insurer could face shortfall (Business Insurance)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund could be short more than $14 billion should a severe hurricane strike this year given the difficulty of raising funds in today's constricted municipal bond market, according to the fund.

TU retiring Largent s 83 (The Oklahoman)
Tulsa plans to retire Steve Largent s No. 83 jersey on Sunday night when the 22nd-ranked Golden Hurricane hosts Central Florida. Largent led the nation in touchdown catches as a junior and a senior, scoring 14 TDs in 1974 and again in 1975. He went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, setting records at the time for receptions, yards and touchdowns. He was also picked to play in the Pro Bowl ...

Florida: Take a wild,

South Florida school districts

South Florida school districts promise help for storm-ravaged Haiti (The Palm Beach Post)
Haitian President Ren Pr val's recent plea to help the country's storm-ravaged schools has reached Palm Beach County, where officials plan to find out how many portable classrooms they can give to Haiti.

The hurricane of 1910 (The St. Augustine Record)
"St. Augustine is now cut off from the outside world completely."

Hurricane Omar continues through

Hurricane Omar continues through Caribbean - Update (EARTHtimes.org)
Miami, Florida - Hurricane Omar continued its course through the western Caribbean Thursday, after sweeping through the northern Leeward Islands late Wednesday. The storm, a category-three, with maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometres per hour, is ...

Best questions Florida cat

Best questions Florida cat fund capitalization (Business Insurance)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Rating agency A.M. Best Co. Inc. says it is concerned about the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund's ability to pay claims in the event of a severe hurricane, but a fund official says there is no cause for worry.

Hurricane-damaged Volusia condo deserves nearly $1M from state insurer, jury decides (Orlando Sentinel)
A Daytona Beach Shores condominium won nearly $1 million Thursday in its insurance claim for 2004 hurricane damage, providing a key victory for beachfront properties fighting Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Hurricane Omar strengthens before

Hurricane Omar strengthens before hitting Leeward Islands (EARTHtimes.org)
Miami, Florida - Hurricane Omar swept across the northern Leeward Islands after strengthening to a category 3 storm in the Caribbean with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres per hour and higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center in the United...

Best questions Florida cat fund capitalization (Business Insurance)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Rating agency A.M. Best Co. Inc. says it is concerned about the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund's ability to pay claims in the event of a severe hurricane, but a fund official says there is no cause for worry.

A.M. Best Comments on

A.M. Best Comments on Insurers' Potential Exposure to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
OLDWICK, N.J.----Based on the considerable credit market contraction and recently announced revision in the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund's claims-paying capacity, A.M. Best Co. is concerned with the contingent capital nature of the FHCF.

CNN - Hurricane Omar's

CNN - Hurricane Omar's Winds Up To 85 Mph (Local 10 Miami)
Hurricane Omar Churned Across The Eastern Caribbean Early Wednesday On A Course That Will Take It Near Puerto Rico, The National Hurricane Center Said.

Hurricane Grill holding company

Hurricane Grill holding company names Elrod COO (TCPalm.com)
Elrod had worked for Roadhouse Grill in South Florida for 10 years and before that for the Bobby Rubino's chain.

High tides on Fall

High tides on Fall full moon (The Palm Beach Post)
When the gravitational pull of the moon and ocean winds join forces, water levels rise along Florida's east coast.

Bush raises $2 million

Bush raises $2 million in Florida, South Carolina (AP via Yahoo! News)
President Bush worked to allay fears about the financial crisis on Friday then left the White House and headed south to raise nearly $2 million for the Republican Party in South Carolina and the battleground state of Florida.

Newcomers lead 'Canes past Florida (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Joni Pitkanen and Dan LaCouture scored in their Carolina debut Friday night and the Hurricanes beat the Florida Panthers 6-4 in the season opener for both teams.

Atlanta Thrashers (1-0-0) at

Atlanta Thrashers (1-0-0) at Florida Panthers (0-1-0), 7 p.m. (Miami Herald)
The Atlanta Thrashers will try to spoil Florida's home debut, as they take on the Panthers tonight at BankAtlantic Center.

Hurricane Norbert heads to

Hurricane Norbert heads to Mexico's Baja California (CNN)
LA PAZ, Mexico (AP) -- Fishermen pulled in their boats and hotels warned tourists away from beaches Friday as Hurricane Norbert strengthened to a Category 2 storm and bore down on Mexico's southern Baja California peninsula.

Haiti: ADRA Continues to

Haiti: ADRA Continues to Provide Aid to Hurricane Ike Survivors (AlertNet)
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International Silver Spring, Maryland-- The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing emergency food kits, mattresses, and bedding to nearly 3,000 people in Haiti after Hurricane Ike battered the ...

Portable TV not digital?

Portable TV not digital? Don't toss it out just yet (Orlando Sentinel)
Portable TVs, a must-have appliance for many in hurricane-prone Florida, are moving further into the digital world.

Hurricane Norbert weakens on approach to Baja California (CNN)
Hurricane Norbert weakened to a Category 3 storm early Thursday as it churned through the Pacific Ocean toward Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

U-C-F (2-3) At Miami-Florida

U-C-F (2-3) At Miami-Florida (2-3) (WFTV 9 Orlando)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Dolphin Stadium (74,916) -- Miami Gardens, Florida. Television:ESPNU. Home Record: UCF 2-1, Miami 1-2. Away Record: UCF 0-2, Miami 1-1. Neutral Record: UCF 0-0, Miami 0-0. Conference Record: UCF 1-1, Miami 0-2. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

Tiger prepare for tough

Tiger prepare for tough test at Florida (The Advocate)
Coach Les Miles and the LSU Tigers are back in action this week as they prepare for their biggest game of the year. LSU is set to face off in primetime against No. 11 Florida in Gainesville Saturday.

HURRICANE HISTORY (The Virginia Gazette)
We re going to see something down here that I hoped I d never experience, said Bob Sheets, director of the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables.

Tropical Storm Fay kills

Tropical Storm Fay kills 11 in Florida (Miami Herald)
Fay, the killer tropical storm that made an unprecedented four Florida landfalls, lumbered slowly across the Panhandle on Saturday, leading to more deaths as rivers crested to record levels, homes flooded and old oaks, pines and power lines snapped.

South Florida high tides are swamping seawalls, eroding beaches (Sun-Sentinel)
Blame our high water on the sun, moon, heavy rain and offshore storms The causes are as cosmic as the tilt of the earth and as common as an onshore breeze. The effect is the exceptionally high tides now stacking up water along South Florida's coastline, swamping low sea walls, eroding beaches and forcing boaters to adjust dock lines.

Hurricane fund crisis could

Hurricane fund crisis could put homeowners at risk (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Times are uncertain for program that involves borrowing after big storms

Quincy Gas Gouging Settlement

Quincy Gas Gouging Settlement (WCTV Tallahassee)
A gas station in Quincy Florida is the first to be fined for price gouging during Hurricane Ike.

Dogs Given Up After

Dogs Given Up After Hurricane Ike To Find Homes In S. Fla. (Local 10 Miami)
A team in South Florida is helping to find homes for pets who lost theirs to Hurricane Ike.

Homeless Hurricane Dogs Looking For New Homes (Local 10 Miami)
DANIA BEACH, Fla. -- Twenty five dogs who were abandoned after Hurricane Ike destroyed their homes in Galveston, Texas, are now in South Florida, looking for a new home.

Florida Officials Continue to

Florida Officials Continue to Investigate Gas Price Gouging Complaints (WCTV Tallahassee)
Florida is one step closer to knowing why gas prices skyrocketed as Hurricane Ike approached. But don t hold your breath. So far, only one of the more than 29 hundred complaints filed with the Attorney General has proven to be price gouging and there may not be many more.

Hurricane experts predict a

Hurricane experts predict a stormy October (USA Today)
Top hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University are predicting well-above average activity for the month of October.

Global Warming Will Have Significant Economic Impacts On Florida Coasts, Reports State (Science Daily)
Scientists have released two new studies, including a report finding that climate change will cause significant impacts on Florida's coastlines and economy due to increased sea level rise and hurricane storm surge. Property damage is expected to increase. A second study recommends that the state of Florida adopt a series of policy programs aimed at adapting to these large coastal and other ...

Kyle batters Nova Scotia,

Kyle batters Nova Scotia, loses hurricane strength (CNN)
Hurricane Kyle battered the shores of Canadian province Nova Scotia on Sunday evening before weakening and losing tropical characteristics, forecasters said.

Ike worker dies on I-10 trying to save stranded dogs (Houston Chronicle)
The work crew from Florida had just topped off a 13-hour day of clearing Hurricane Ike debris near the coast by devouring a hefty meal at a Houston steakhouse. After a short drive to his motel, all 54-year-old Robert "Bob" Emery had left to do was turn in for the night.

Amateur radio test in

Amateur radio test in South Florida is a success (Sun-Sentinel)
A simulated hurricane blew through South Florida on Sunday, at least for 36 amateur radio operators who took part in a drill to test emergency communications.

Florida's Pension, Hurricane Funds

Florida's Pension, Hurricane Funds Have Millions In WaMu Holdings (The Tampa Tribune)
State officials on Friday were assessing what effect Washington Mutual's failure Thursday would have on stocks, bonds and other investments the state had in the bank.

Latest Florida & National News (Sun Newspapers)
MACHIAS, Maine Fishermen moved boats to shelter from a rare burst of tropical weather along Maine s rugged eastern coast Sunday as a weakening Hurricane Kyle spun past on its way to Canada, threatening a glancing blow equivalent to a classic nor easter.

New weather balloons help

New weather balloons help with hurricane prediction (WPTV West Palm Beach)
Weather forecasters put some new tools into the air over south Florida today that could give us a better idea onthe path an oncoming hurricane could take.

Free Legal Assistance Available

Free Legal Assistance Available for Florida Hurricane Victims (American Bar Association)
CHICAGO, Sept. 25, 2008 A toll-free legal aid line is now available for victims of recent hurricanes in Florida. The service, which allows callers to request the assistance of a lawyer, is a partnership between The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Florida, La. to create food-stamp fail-safe (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
BATON ROUGE -- Reacting to a breakdown in the state's Disaster Food Stamp program after Hurricane Gustav, Louisiana has formed a technology partnership with Florida to create mutual backup systems for computer tracking of applicants, Department of Social Services Secretary Kristy Nichols announced Friday.

Businesses flock to Florida

Businesses flock to Florida City (Miami Herald)
For decades, Florida City was ignored. Not any longer. Big Box Business wants to move in, from Best Buy to Badcock Furniture. And if you want a latte to sip, Florida City now has a Starbucks.

Gasoline shortage in Southeast

Gasoline shortage in Southeast prompts panic (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Gasoline shortages in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and parts of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ike have driven some consumers to desperate measures as they hunt for places to fill up.

7,900 acres of South

7,900 acres of South Florida could be underwater by 2030, climate study predicts (The Palm Beach Post)
More than 7,900 acres of South Florida could be underwater by the year 2030 as sea levels rise, inundating coastal areas and causing billions of dollars in property loss.

Technology Revolutionizes Hurricane Relief

Technology Revolutionizes Hurricane Relief Efforts (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
As recovery efforts continue in Houston and along the Texas Gulf coast in the wake of Hurricane Ike, first responders and emergency workers are using an innovative new technology that improves disaster response times by significantly boosting the speed, efficiency and tracking of relief efforts.

EMS Strike Team members help Hurricane Gustav victims (The Daily & Sunday Review)
According to reports from CNN news service, Hurricane Gustav roared from the Gulf of Mexico into southern Louisiana on Monday, September 1 as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph, bringing fierce winds and heavy rains from the Alabama-Florida border west into Texas. Almost 2 million residents evacuated the Louisiana coast.

Unnamed tropical system steering

Unnamed tropical system steering clear of Florida (The Palm Beach Post)
A weather system that has dumped heavy rains over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic has been downgraded to a 20 percent to 50 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, and appears to be on a track that would steer clear of Florida.

Congress Asked To Pay For Hurricane Satellites (CBS4 Miami)
An aging hurricane tracking satellite system that generated so much controversy it led to the replacement of the nation's chief hurricane forecaster could be replaced if congress passes a bill proposed Monday by Representatives from storm-slammed Florida and Louisiana.

South Florida team helping

South Florida team helping Texas hurricane victims (The News-Press)
GALVESTON, Texas -- Some medical professionals from South Florida are now on the ground in Galveston, Texas, assisting with recovery from Hurricane...

Tough economy sparks South Florida's entrepreneurial spirit (Sun-Sentinel)
Tough times provide many entrepreneurial types impetus that they need Everybody knows unemployment is rising. Consumer spending for anything other than necessities is falling. Lenders don't want to make loans. And leading economists believe Florida is in a recession.

Gas retailers face fines

Gas retailers face fines in price-gouge investigation (The Ocala Star-Banner)
OCALA - Last week's swift rise of statewide gas prices as Hurricane Ike barreled across the Gulf of Mexico toward the Texas coast prompted thousands of Florida residents to file price gouging complaints with the state, 93 of them in Marion County.

Volunteers Pack Hurricane Relief Supplies For Haiti (The Tampa Tribune)
In a small, hot warehouse in Hillsborough County, volunteers packed hurricane relief supplies for people suffering in devastated Haiti.

Florida Keys clean up

Florida Keys clean up from storms and start planning for next party (The Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News)
KEY WEST, Fla. - The Florida Keys have cleaned up from the recent spate of storms and are proceeding with plans for several events this fall, including the Halloween-themed Fantasy Fest and a party marking the end of hurricane season.

Massive Warehouse Serves As Florida's Hurricane Relief Headquarters (Local 10 Miami)
It's equivalent to four football fields in size and it would take 400 trucks to empty its contents. But don't let the the size of Florida's new hurricane relief headquarters keep you from stockpiling your own emergency supplies.

Gas price gouging alleged

Gas price gouging alleged in Florida (UPI)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Consumers have flooded the Florida attorney general's office with complaints of hurricane-related gasoline price gouging, state officials said Wednesday.

States Investigate Gas Price Gouging in Wake of Hurricane Ike (Edmunds.com)
LANSING, Michigan Officials from a number of states, including Michigan, Florida and Texas, are investigating claims of gasoline price gouging in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Gas price gouging alleged

Gas price gouging alleged in Florida (UPI)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Consumers have flooded the Florida attorney general's office with complaints of hurricane-related gasoline price gouging, state officials said Wednesday.

South Florida Watershed Journal: Rainfall is a game of inches, miles in South Florida (Naples Daily News)
Ike wasn't much of a news maker in south Florida. But if it's a game of inches in terms of rainfall, it's a game of miles when it comes to hurricane tracks. Had Ike tracked just 10 miles or so further north, we could have gotten a good drenching, peninsula wide including the Lake.

Correction: Florida gas supply

Correction: Florida gas supply story (Bradenton Herald)
In a Sept. 15 story about gasoline availability and prices, The Associated Press reported erroneously the number of subpoenas the Florida attorney general issued to gas companies after receiving complaints about price gouging following Hurricane Ike. The attorney general issued subpoenas to four companies, not 16. The Florida Agriculture Commissioner's office issued subpoenas to 16 terminals ...

Florida Blood Services helps with blood supplies in Houston (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
Dan Eberts with Florida Blood Services says the blood banks in Houston have not been able to hold any blood drives since Hurricane Ike blew ashore.

Florida in better fuel

Florida in better fuel position following Hurricane Ike (Florida Today)
TALLAHASSEE -- Even with instances of $5-plus gasoline around the state, Florida consumers are in a better fuel position following Hurricane Ike than other places around the country.

Florida Keys clean up,

Florida Keys clean up, plan ahead for Halloween (AP via Yahoo! News)
The Florida Keys have cleaned up from the recent spate of storms and are proceeding with plans for several events this fall, including the Halloween-themed Fantasy Fest and a party marking the end of hurricane season.

South Florida shows support and help with Hurricane Ike relief (7 News Miami)
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Florida Power and Light dispatched hundreds of employees Sunday to help with power restoration efforts.

Florida sending response teams

Florida sending response teams to Texas to help with Hurricane Ike (Tallahassee Democrat)
The Florida Division of Forestry on Friday sent a team of 32 people to help Texas cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

In Hurricane Ike s wake, Florida DR teams deployed to Texas (Florida Baptist Witness)
JACKSONVILLE (FBC-Just a week after activating their units for a possible strike in South Florida, Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers are being deployed to provide relief in Texas where Hurricane Ike will make landfall as an expected category 2 storm on Sat., Sept 13.

Florida fuel supply not

Florida fuel supply not affected by Ike (Florida Today)
ST. PETERSBURG Gov. Charlie Crist says Florida s fuel supply is not being affected by Hurricane Ike. Crist conducted a news conference Saturday and said the coastal ports on the state s east and west coasts where it gets fuel supplies are open.

S. Florida keeps close eye on Hurricane Ike (Miami Herald)
Almost as soon as Florida fell out of Hanna's forecast cone, it slipped into Ike's, and that mighty, major hurricane could be on our doorstep Tuesday.

Florida motorists to feel

Florida motorists to feel Ike's impact in their wallets (The News-Press)
TALLAHASSEE -- Hurricane Ike is taking deadly aim at the Texas Gulf Coast, but Florida won't be completely spared -- motorists are going to feel it...

Powerful Hurricane Ike may

Powerful Hurricane Ike may slam Florida Keys (AP via Yahoo! News)
Most storm-hardened residents of the Florida Keys stayed put Monday despite day-old instructions to evacuate as a ferocious Hurricane Ike ripped across Cuba and stayed on track to swipe the low-lying island chain.

Florida Inmates Evacuated to Cumberland County Jail to Escape Hurricane Ike (FOX 23 Maine)
Dozens of female illegal immigrants have been moved from a Florida prison to the Cumberland County Jail because of Hurricane Ike. Jail officials the brief stay will mean an extra $20,000 for the county. (Provided by News 13)

Powerful Hurricane Ike may

Powerful Hurricane Ike may swipe Florida Keys (AP via Yahoo! News)
Most storm-hardened residents of the Florida Keys stayed put Monday despite day-old instructions to evacuate as a ferocious Hurricane Ike ripped across Cuba and stayed on track to swipe the low-lying island chain.

Florida Inmates Evacuated to Cumberland County Jail to Escape Hurricane Ike (FOX 23 Maine)
Dozens of female illegal immigrants have been moved from a Florida prison to the Cumberland County Jail because of Hurricane Ike. Jail officials the brief stay will mean an extra $20,000 for the county. (Provided by News 13)

Ike continues to slam

Ike continues to slam Cuba, Florida calls off hurricane watch (KTVA Anchorage)
Hurricane Ike continues to pound Cuba, but it is also causing problems in Florida. The storm surge has led to some flooding in the Florida Keys. But shop owners say it's a whole lot less than what the government predicted.

Hurricane Ike on track

Hurricane Ike on track to veer away from Florida Keys (Greeley Tribune)
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - Authorities called off evacuation orders for the Florida Keys on Monday as a ferocious Hurricane Ike shifted south over Cuba and appeared on track to miss the low-lying U.S. island chain.

U.S. Weather: Hurricane Ike Grazes Southern Florida (AgWeb.com)
Gusty winds and a few outer rain bands associated with Hurricane Ike are grazing southern Florida this morning, USDA's Joint Ag Weather Facility reported Tuesday.

Florida Closes Last Hurricane

Florida Closes Last Hurricane Gustav Shelter (Insurance Journal)
The last American Red Cross shelter in Florida for Hurricane Gustav evacuees closed Sept. 6. As Hurricane Ike moves in from the west, Florida evacuees from Hurricane Gustav are finally able to return

Hurricane Ike hits Cuba; the Florida Keys are next (Miami Herald)
Hurricane Ike slammed into Cuba's eastern province of Holguín late Sunday after steamrolling the Turks and Caicos Islands and killing dozens in northern Haiti. A day ahead of the storm in the Florida Keys, authorities worried that too many people ignored orders to leave before Ike comes too close for comfort.

Florida Keys evacuated as

Florida Keys evacuated as hurricane heads for Gulf (International Herald Tribune)
Hurricane Ike rolled down an uncertain path Sunday that may lead to the U.S. Gulf Coast late this week, leaving millions of people from Florida to Mexico to wonder where it will eventually strike.

Ligonier volunteers to assist

Ligonier volunteers to assist in Florida hurricane relief (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
As Florida braces for a possible landfall by Hurricane Ike early next week, two Ligonier women serving as American Red Cross volunteers will depart today for Orlando to assist in relief operations in the state.

Hurricane Planners Dream Up

Hurricane Planners Dream Up Florida's Worst Case Scenario (First Coast News)
CLEARWATER, FL -- For more than a year, emergency planners from across Florida have been meeting to dream up a nightmare. It's the worst-case scenario -- the hurricane that would do the most damage across Florida.

Southern Half Of Florida

Southern Half Of Florida Is In Hurricane Ike's Strike Cone (The Tampa Tribune)
Forecasters now say Hurricane Ike might not be quite the bruiser of a storm it now is when it nears the Bahamas during the weekend.

A Category 3 Ike Could Loom Off Florida By Tuesday (The Tampa Tribune)
Hurricane Ike could yo-yo in strength the next few days but arrive as a Category 3 storm not far from the Florida shore by Tuesday afternoon.

Hanna Expected To Pass,

Hanna Expected To Pass, But Ike Might Hit Florida (The Tampa Tribune)
Florida is trading one threat for another. Tropical Storm Hanna looks like it will pass to the east, but Hurricane Ike could be curving near Florida's southeast coast by early next week.

Biden in South Florida:

Biden in South Florida: Obama is a friend of the middle class (The Palm Beach Post)
On his first day of stumping on his own for the Democratic ticket, vice presidential nominee Joe Biden told South Florida audiences that Barack Obama is a friend of Israel, of hurricane-battered homeowners and of the "apprehensive" middle class.

Florida keeps eye on Hurricane Hanna, Tropical Storm Ike (Bradenton Herald)
Fay soaked us, Gustav missed us, and now we'll see what Hanna and Ike have in store for South Florida.

Florida Republicans enthused about

Florida Republicans enthused about Palin (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
With Hurricane Gustav limiting partisan rallies and keeping Gov. Charlie Crist away, Florida Republicans are cheerleading for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as if she were from their own state.

Tropical Storm Hanna may

Tropical Storm Hanna may affect Florida (Miami Herald)
Tropical Storm Hanna is on a wobbly path about 600 miles east-southeast of Miami, but forecasters said it could become a hurricane by Thursday somewhere off the central coast of Florida.

Florida GOP delegates focus on Hurricane Gustav (Miami Herald)
A pep rally for Florida delegates is being recast as a prayer breakfast. Money for a post-convention pool party is going to the American Red Cross.

Florida shelters accepting people

Florida shelters accepting people from evacuation (Florida Today)
TALLAHASSEE -- With people streaming into Florida from points west and shelters opening in the Panhandle this afternoon, the state's response to dangerous Hurricane Gustav balances helping others with staying alert at home.

Hurricane Gustav strengthens en

Hurricane Gustav strengthens en route to Cuba, gulf (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Powerful Hurricane Gustav roared toward western Cuba on Saturday with 125 mph (205 kph) winds on its way to the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico after a deadly pass through the Caribbean.

Forecasters: Gustav strengthens into

Forecasters: Gustav strengthens into a hurricane (Greensboro News & Record)
NEW ORLEANS (AP)- On the same day that residents marked the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's wrath, another storm strengthened into a hurricane miles away and threatened to hit the Gulf Coast once again. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said Friday afternoon that Gustav had grown into a Category 1 storm, and remained on track to strike anywhere from the Florida ...

Florida and all of

Florida and all of Gulf Coast warned to watch Tropical Storm Gustav (Sun-Sentinel)
With Gustav projected to churn into the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane by this weekend, communities from Florida to Texas started to brace, including New Orleans, where officials asked residents to be ready to evacuate.

Hurricane Gustav projected to stay clear of South Florida (Palm Beach Daily News)
Long-term projections put Hurricane Gustav into the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday morning, away from South Florida.

Hurricane Gustav dips to

Hurricane Gustav dips to tropical storm, expected to strengthen (Miami Herald)
Hurricane Gustav triggered a killer landslide in Haiti, a spike in oil prices and fear throughout the Gulf Coast as forecasters said it is all but certain to grow into a major hurricane by this weekend.

Hurricane Gustav kills five in Haiti, aims at Cuba (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Hurricane Gustav slammed into Haiti, killing at least five as it lashed the desperately poor Caribbean nation with powerful winds and heavy rain, just days behind deadly Tropical Storm Fay.

Hurricane Gustav kills five

Hurricane Gustav kills five in Haiti, aims at Cuba (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Hurricane Gustav slammed into Haiti, killing at least five as it lashed the desperately poor Caribbean nation with powerful winds and heavy rain, just days behind deadly Tropical Storm Fay.

Florida's eyes now turn

Florida's eyes now turn to Gustav (Bradenton Herald)
For the second time in two weeks, hurricane warnings and watches were posted around Haiti as a tropical storm threatened to unload two feet of rain and severe wind on Tuesday.

Flooding follows Fay in

Flooding follows Fay in Florida (The Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
MIAMI -- Flooding left behind by Tropical Storm Fay forced residents in parts of northern Florida out of their homes Sunday, while the storm's remnants were forecast to dump several inches of rain on at least four other states.

Fay weakens to depression

Fay weakens to depression after drenching Florida (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Tropical Storm Fay was downgraded to a tropical depression late on Saturday after making a record fourth landfall in Florida and drenching the state's northern panhandle with heavy rainfall.

Fay hits Florida, but

Fay hits Florida, but doesn't become hurricane (Park Hills Daily Journal)
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) Tropical Storm Fay moved inland Tuesday after making landfall in southwest Florida, never growing into the hurricane that forecasters had cautioned it could become.

Fay's 4th Florida landfall is one for record books (FOX10 Gulf Coast)
STEINHATCHEE, Fla. (AP) - Tropical Storm Fay crossed into the Florida Panhandle on Saturday, becoming the first storm of its kind in recorded history to hit the state four different times.Fay's center made landfall around 1 a.m. EDT about 15 miles north-northeast of Apalachicola, Fla., according to the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center.

Fay fails to trigger

Fay fails to trigger hurricane deductibles (Miami Herald)
Good news for Florida homeowners who suffered damage from Tropical Storm Fay: Since Fay never intensified into a hurricane, the much-larger hurricane deductible on their windstorm or homeowners insurance doesn't apply.

Fay drenches Florida, could

Fay drenches Florida, could reach hurricane strength (Chicago Tribune)
Tropical Storm Fay continues its erratic path Wednesday, threatening to loop back and strike Florida again -- possibly as a hurricane.

Fay rolls across Florida

Fay rolls across Florida as storm, not hurricane (AP via Yahoo! News)
Tropical Storm Fay moved inland Tuesday after making landfall in southwest Florida, bringing soaking rains and gusty winds but failing to become a minimal hurricane as was a possibility.

Fay hugs Florida's Atlantic coast; forecasters see waning chances of storm becoming hurricane (AM New York)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ Tropical Storm Fay meandered north along the Florida Atlantic coast Wednesday but did not immediately head out over the ocean, lessening the chances it will gain strength and become a hurricane.

Florida Hurricane Fears Over

Florida Hurricane Fears Over Fay (SkyNews via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
Tropical Storm Fay has hit the Florida Keys with heavy rain and winds that knocked down trees and signs before turning southwest, where it still could develop into a hurricane.

Storm Fay Crosses Cuba,

Storm Fay Crosses Cuba, May Hit Florida as Hurricane (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Fay plowed across Cuba, drenching the Caribbean island on a northward course that's forecast to take it to Florida, with the system strengthening into a hurricane on the way.

Fay hits Florida Keys, hurricane warning in effect (Market Watch)
Tropical Storm Fay is approaching hurricane strength and its center should emerge into the Florida Straits during the next few hours, the National Hurricane Center says in an advisory early Monday.

Hurricane watch for Florida

Hurricane watch for Florida (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
The western coast of Florida is on a hurricane watch this morning while Tropical Storm Fay is lashing Cuba. At 10 a.m. the storm center was located at 20.5N 78.6W, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving west-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

Storm buffets Cuba, hurricane warnings for Florida (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Gusty winds and driving rain buffeted eastern Cuba early on Sunday as Tropical Storm Fay neared the island while U.S. authorities issued a hurricane watch for parts of the Florida coast.

Fickle Fay could hit

Fickle Fay could hit Florida's Gulf Coast by Tuesday as Category 1 hurricane, forecasters say (TCPalm.com)
Its projected path has shifted left and right. Its winds have weakened and strengthened. Tropical Storm Fay certainly has been fickle. Yet specialists at the National Hurricane Center on Saturday were gaining confidence the system will hit Florida's west coast as a minimal Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday - and put the Keys under the gun along the way.

Allstate to cut rates

Allstate to cut rates in settlement with Florida (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
The U.S. state of Florida said on Friday that insurer Allstate Corp would lower all homeowner insurance rates in the state by 5.6 percent under a broad settlement ending the state's disputes with the company.

Atlantic Storm May Intensify,

Atlantic Storm May Intensify, Threaten Florida, Forecasters Say (Bloomberg.com)
Aug. 14 (Bloomberg) -- An area of low pressure over the Leeward Islands in the western Atlantic may strengthen into a tropical storm in the next few days and threaten the Bahamas and Florida, according to forecasters.

Forecasters watching tropical disturbance moving toward Bahamas, Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
System likely to develop today With a tropical disturbance in the Atlantic marching in this direction and threatening to become a hurricane a suddenly vigilant South Florida hopes the system will make a hard right turn.

South Florida: $17 million

South Florida: $17 million budgeted for hurricane forecasting (Sun-Sentinel)
The Bush administration announced plans Monday to quadruple the budget for fiscal 2009 for hurricane forecast improvements to $17 million.

Storms usher in tornado

Storms usher in tornado threat (The Post and Courier)
The rain and thundershowers from Tuesday night will keep falling today, with a chance of tornadoes. By the weekend, a tropical storm or hurricane could be in the Bahamas, where it would hit a fork in the road. "It can cut across Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico, or it can start to re-curve and affect the Southeast coast," said Tom Kines, meteorologist for AccuWeather.com, a private ...

Two tropical disturbances being

Two tropical disturbances being watched in Atlantic (Miami Herald)
Two tropical disturbances are floating over warm Atlantic waters and could bring storms to the Caribbean later this week. ''They're nothing for South Florida to worry about because they're so far out in the Atlantic, but we'll be watching to see if anything develops that could turn into a threat,'' said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County.

Movers (Miami Herald) ARTS

Movers (Miami Herald)
ARTS Alberto Manrara, chief financial officer at TotalBank, has been appointed to the Florida Grand Opera board of directors. He will serve on the board for three years.

Citigroup settlement frees funds

Citigroup settlement frees funds of Florida clients (Business Journal of Tampa Bay)
Citigroup s agreement to buy back more than $7 billion in auction-rate securities will give thousands of clients, including those in Florida, access to funds that had been frozen.

TV meteorologists walk a

TV meteorologists walk a tightrope during hurricane season (The Jupiter Courier)
Sunday evening, prime time. A hurricane in the Gulf is closing in on southern Florida. As a TV weather forecaster, you have a choice to make. Do you break into programming and risk enraging fans of "Desperate Housewives?"

Hurricane season to be

Hurricane season to be more active (Gulf Times)
WASHINGTON: The Atlantic hurricane season will be more active than forecasters first predicted, with up to 10 hurricanes expected to form, the US government s top climate agency predicted yesterday.

TV meteorologists walk a tightrope during hurricane season (The Jupiter Courier)
Sunday evening, prime time. A hurricane in the Gulf is closing in on southern Florida. As a TV weather forecaster, you have a choice to make. Do you break into programming and risk enraging fans of "Desperate Housewives?"

Faculty Losses Hurting Florida's

Faculty Losses Hurting Florida's Universities (The Tampa Tribune)
Florida's public universities are seeking $65 million from the Legislature to stop the exodus of talented faculty members who are drawn to better opportunities in more financially stable regions.

Hurricane season's early activity

Hurricane season's early activity has (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Florida has so far been spared from being hit in an active early hurricane season.

Hurricane Insurance (WCTV Tallahassee)

Hurricane Insurance (WCTV Tallahassee)
350,000 people will have to reapply for hurricane insurance because of system renovations.

Tropical Disturbance Forms South

Tropical Disturbance Forms South of Florida in Northern Gulf (Bloomberg.com)
Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- A tropical disturbance, a storm system that can precede a tropical storm or hurricane, formed today in the northern Gulf of Mexico about 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of Pensacola, Florida, U.S. forecasters said.

Ten Important Steps to

Ten Important Steps to Help Ensure Your Safety Following a Hurricane, From a Florida Disaster Relief Specialist (PRWeb)
Hurricane season is upon us in Florida. Believe it or not, more people are seriously injured and killed on the picture perfect calm days after a hurricane has blown through and people are returning to their homes and lives. Here are 10 important steps to help ensure your safety in those crucial days following a hurricane. (PRWeb Jul 30, 2008) Read the full story at ...

August 3, 2008 (The Virginia Gazette)
Close to 1 million Florida residents and tourists were told Thursday to evacuate, as Hurricane Charley strengthens and churns toward the state's Gulf Coast.

Ten Important Steps to

Report: FL has plenty

Report: FL has plenty of hurricane shelters, except in SW (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
A new report finds there are more than enough hurricane shelters in the state of Florida, except the southwest part of the state.

Another Road Trip For

Another Road Trip For Hurricane Little Leaguers (WOWK-TV West Virginia)
Hurricane will represent the Mountain State in Florida.

Ten Important Steps to Help Ensure Your Safety Following a Hurricane, From a Florida Disaster Relief Specialist (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
Hurricane season is upon us in Florida. Believe it or not, more people are seriously injured and killed on the picture perfect calm days after a hurricane has blown through and people are returning to their homes and lives. Here are 10 important steps to help ensure your safety in those cruicial days following a hurricane.

Hurricane all-star girls see

Hurricane all-star girls see state title as only a first step (Charleston Daily Mail)
HURRICANE -- While the Hurricane Little League baseball team is headed to Florida for the Southeast Regionals starting Saturday, another group from the same town is on deck and waiting for its chance next year. "Theres a group of girls dow...

Florida Cabinet makes deal

Florida Cabinet makes deal with Berkshire Hathaway (Miami Herald)
The Florida Cabinet finalized an agreement to pay $224 million to Berkshire Hathaway to back up the state's hurricane fund if a major storm hits the state this season.

Another Road Trip For Hurricane Little Leaguers (WBOY Clarksburg)
Hurricane will represent the Mountain State in Florida. They conquered Clarksburg last week, now it's off the St. Petersburg, Florida. The Hurricane Little League baseball team , will play for a chance to be in the Little League World Series.

Excerpts from editorials in

Excerpts from editorials in Florida newspapers (Miami Herald)
Here are excerpts from editorials in newspapers in Florida:

Hurricane Preparedness Survey: Worries

Hurricane Preparedness Survey: Worries About Drinking Water And Medical Care (Science Daily)
A new survey finds the top worries of respondents threatened or hit by Hurricane Katrina are that they would not have enough fresh water to drink (42 percent very worried) and that they would not be able to get needed medical care (41 percent very worried).

Foreclosure Rescue: Who Gets Help (Time Magazine)
Florida's Miami Gardens is one of the worst-hit areas in the housing crisis. But will the federal bailout save everyone?

Dolly Hearkens to Deadliest

Dolly Hearkens to Deadliest U.S. Hurricane Ever (LiveScience.com via Yahoo! News)
With Hurricane Dolly bearing down on Brownsville, Texans can say they know a thing or two about horrific storms. The state is second only to Florida in the number of direct hurricane hits.

OptumHealth Provides Free Counseling Help Line for People Coping with Hurricane Dolly (Centre Daily Times)
OptumHealth announced today that it is providing a free help line to people in Texas coping with the emotional consequences of Hurricane Dolly. Staffed by experienced master's-level behavioral health specialists, the free help line offers assistance to callers seeking help in dealing with stress, anxiety and the grieving process. Callers may also receive referrals to a database of community ...

South Florida's TV meteorologists

Dolly Hearkens to Deadliest

South Florida's TV meteorologists

South Florida's TV meteorologists walk a tightrope during hurricane season (Sun-Sentinel)
Broadcast meteorologists walk a fine line in hurricane season Sunday evening, prime time. A hurricane in the Gulf is closing in on southern Florida. As a TV weather forecaster, you have a choice to make.

Dolly Hearkens to Deadliest U.S. Hurricane Ever (LiveScience.com via Yahoo! News)
With Hurricane Dolly bearing down on Brownsville, Texans can say they know a thing or two about horrific storms. The state is second only to Florida in the number of direct hurricane hits.

Hurricane Dolly strengthens as

Hurricane Dolly strengthens as it nears Texas (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Hurricane Dolly strengthened on Wednesday as it neared southern Texas, and was expected to lash low-lying areas on the U.S.-Mexico border with winds of 100 mph (160 kph) and torrential rain when it comes ashore around mid-day.

Storm Dolly Spins To

Storm Dolly Spins To A Hurricane (SkyNews via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
Tropical Storm Dolly has spun its way into a Category One hurricane as it heads towards Texas and the north east of Mexico, packing 75mph winds.

US issues hurricane warning

US issues hurricane warning (News 24 South Africa)
Forecasters have issued a hurricane warning as Tropical Storm Dolly churned over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening to grow into a hurricane within 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Dolly heads

Tropical Storm Dolly heads for Gulf of Mexico: NHC (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Tropical Storm Dolly was over the northern Yucatan Peninsula early Monday and about to move into the Gulf of Mexico where it could become a hurricane on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an early report.

Is your house storm

Is your house storm safe? State helps you find out (Fernandina Beach News-Leader)
Would your house stand up to a hurricane? Homeowners can still find out through a wind inspection program, called My Safe Florida Home, offered by the state Department of Financial Services.

Nasty weather develops off North Florida coast (Miami Herald)
Parts of Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia could get hit with thunderstorms and gusty winds Friday as the makings of a tropical weather system form in the Atlantic.

Fausto becomes hurricane off

Fausto becomes hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast (CNN.com)
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Tropical Storm Fausto has become a hurricane far off Mexico's Pacific coast, while two other tropical storms churn over the open ocean.

FPL goes high-tech for hurricane preparedness (NBC 2 Fort Myers)
When trees and power lines go down during a hurricane, it often means days without electricity. But already, officials with Florida Power and Light are working to prevent problems before a storm hits and hospitals top their priority list.

FPL goes high-tech for

FPL goes high-tech for hurricane preparedness (NBC 2 Fort Myers)
When trees and power lines go down during a hurricane, it often means days without electricity. But already, officials with Florida Power and Light are working to prevent problems before a storm hits and hospitals top their priority list.

Trim back trees before

Trim back trees before hurricane strikes (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
PORT ORANGE -- Bertha, the season's first Atlantic hurricane, didn't come close to the Volusia-Flagler shore, but it reminded Port Orange Fire Chief Thomas Weber to finish his storm preparations before the area is hit.

FPL goes high-tech for hurricane preparedness (NBC 2 Fort Myers)
When trees and power lines go down during a hurricane, it often means days without electricity. But already, officials with Florida Power and Light are working to prevent problems before a storm hits and hospitals top their priority list.

Hurricane Katrina survivor, 17,

Hurricane Katrina survivor, 17, charged in fatal Canton shooting (The Canton Repository)
CANTON A 17-year-old Alliance boy who, along with his family, was a victim of Hurricane Katrina was arrested today in connection with the April 8 shooting death of a Canton man.

How secure is Florida's

How secure is Florida's Citizens Property Insurance? (McClatchy Washington Bureau)
In less than four years, Citizens Property Insurance went from being a temporary fix for Florida's troubled insurance market to the state's largest insurer of homes, condos and apartments.

Hurricane Season Getting Longer (LiveScience.com via Yahoo! News)
Hurricane seasons have been getting longer over the past century and the big storms are coming earlier, LiveScience has learned. The trend has been particularly noticeable since 1995, some climate scientists say. Further, the area of warm water able to support hurricanes is growing larger over time. The Atlantic Ocean is becoming more hurricane friendly, scientists say, and the shift is likely ...

Hurricane Bertha Brings Strong

Hurricane Bertha Brings Strong Rip Currents To East Coast Beaches (WJXT Jacksonville)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Strong rip currents created by Hurricane Bertha, which is located hundreds of miles from Florida, are expected to increase and intensify in the waters off the Atlantic coast beaches throughout the weekend.

Hurricane Bertha chugs toward

Hurricane Bertha chugs toward Bermuda (CNN.com)
A tropical storm watch was issued Friday for Bermuda as Hurricane Bertha moved closer to the Atlantic island, causing swells and high turf on its beaches.

Hurricane Bertha Brings Strong

Hurricane Bertha Brings Strong Rip Currents To Central Fla. Beaches (Local 6 Orlando)
Hurricane Bertha is nowhere near Florida, but she will still impact the weekened -- at least for beachgoers.

Hurricane Bertha Brings Strong

Hurricane Bertha Brings Strong Rip Currents To Central Fla. Beaches (Local 6 Orlando)
Hurricane Bertha is nowhere near Florida, but she will still impact the weekened -- at least for beachgoers.

State Won't Be Out Of Gas In An Emergency (The Tampa Tribune)
If a major hurricane hits Florida this year, causing widespread power outages, fuel will be available at certain gas stations thanks to a year-old state law.

CNN - Hurricane Bertha

CNN - Hurricane Bertha Is Downgraded (WSB-TV 2 Atlanta)
Hurricane Bertha Regained Strength Over The Warm Atlantic Ocean On Wednesday And Could Again Become A Major Hurricane, The National Hurricane Center Said.

Today marks three years

Today marks three years since Hurricane Dennis landfall (NBC 15 Mobile)
Hurricane made a memorable moment for CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper.

Fitch Rates Florida Hurricane

Fitch Rates Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Finance Corp.'s $625MM Revs 'AA-' (Centre Daily Times)
Fitch Ratings assigns an 'AA-' rating to Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) Finance Corp.'s $625 million series 2008A revenues bonds. The rating is based on the breadth and stability of the revenue streams that constitute the pledged security, the strong debt service coverage the pledged revenues provide, and the capped reimbursement liability of the FHCF. Fitch also affirms the 'AA-' ...

Fitch Rates Florida Hurricane

Fitch Rates Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Finance Corp.'s $625MM Revs 'AA-' (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NEW YORK & CHICAGO----Fitch Ratings assigns an 'AA-' rating to Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Finance Corp.'s $625 million series 2008A revenues bonds. The rating is based on the breadth and stability of the revenue streams that constitute the pledged security, the strong debt service coverage the pledged revenues provide, and the capped reimbursement liability of the FHCF.

Buffett's Berkshire Paid to

Buffett's Berkshire Paid to Buy Florida Bonds After Hurricane (Bloomberg.com)
July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire investor Warren Buffett 's Berkshire Hathaway Inc . will collect $224 million from Florida in exchange for an assurance that he'll provide capital to the state if a major hurricane strikes this year.

Bertha could become Atlantic season's first hurricane (CNN.com)
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Tropical Storm Bertha is approaching warmer waters and is likely to strengthen during the coming days.

Buffett's Berkshire Paid to

Buffett's Berkshire Paid to Buy Florida Bonds After Hurricane (Bloomberg.com)
July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire investor Warren Buffett 's Berkshire Hathaway Inc . will collect $224 million from Florida in exchange for an assurance that he'll provide capital to the state if a major hurricane strikes this year.

Tropical Storm Bertha to become hurricane as it speeds west (Sun-Sentinel)
Tropical Storm Bertha is forecast to become the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic storm season by Tuesday and possibly sooner.

State will pay Warren

State will pay Warren Buffet $224M to assure help in hurricane season (Orlando Sentinel)
Florida will pay Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate $224 million in exchange for a pledge to provide cash if the state is rocked by this year's hurricane season.

Plan to bolster the

Plan to bolster the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (WINK TV Southwest Florida)
Florida residents might see an increase in property insurance rates because of a plan to bolster the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.

Florida to buy Berkshire Hathaway backup (The Business Journal of Jacksonville)
The State Board of Administration agreed to pay Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway more than $220 million for its commitment to bond out $4 billion to help shore up the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.

Season's first hurricane forms

Season's first hurricane forms in Pacific off Mexico (CNN.com)
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Forecasters say a tropical storm in the Pacific is now a hurricane over the ocean far to the west of Mexico.

Florida hurricane plan may raise insurance rates (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
Governor Charlie Crist recommended the deal which earned billionaire Warren Buffett $224 million from Florida taxpayers.

New laws in Florida!

New laws in Florida! (WINK TV Southwest Florida)
Power companies in Florida face limits on greenhouse gases and hurricane premiums charged by a state-backed insurer will be frozen for another year under dozens of new state laws going into effect tomorrow.

Battle Looms Over Oil

Battle Looms Over Oil Drilling Off Florida's Coast (Planet Ark)
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. - For decades opposition to oil drilling off Florida's coast was one of the few issues uniting the state's Democrats and Republicans, who agreed that shielding the environment and the huge tourism industry came first.

Just in Time for

Just in Time for Hurricane Season, SunshineList.com Creates Powerful New Search for Companies Wanting to Work with ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
Just in time for hurricane season, SunshineList.com creates powerful new search for companies wanting to work with homeowner and condo associations.

Don't be shocked by summer lightning strikes (TCPalm.com)
With all the preparation, hoopla and gnashing of teeth about the onslaught of Hurricane Season, don't forget that summer also is Lightning Season in Florida.

Hurricane Drill Goes Off

Hurricane Drill Goes Off Without Hitch (Hernando Today)
BROOKSVILLE - Four weeks ago County Administrator David Hamilton ordered a do-over after software problems disrupted a mock hurricane drill. Within that span of time, a new interim director was named and the worst of the bugs in the program were worked out.

Don't be shocked by summer lightning strikes (TCPalm.com)
With all the preparation, hoopla and gnashing of teeth about the onslaught of Hurricane Season, don't forget that summer also is Lightning Season in Florida.

Hurricane season outlooks of

Hurricane season outlooks of limited use (Carroll County Online)
RALEIGH, N.C. - Each April, weather wizard William Gray emerges from his burrow deep in the Rocky Mountains to offer his forecast for the six-month hurricane season that starts today. And the news media are there, breathlessly awaiting his every word.

FEATURE-Battle looms over oil drilling off Florida's coast (AlertNet)
Source: Reuters (Corrects governor's name in fourth paragraph) By Matthew Bigg PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla., June 26 (Reuters) - For decades opposition to oil drilling off Florida's coast was one of the few issues ...

Hurricane Insurance: Forcing All

Hurricane Insurance: Forcing All to Subsidize the Few (Heritage Foundation)
Congress is considering disaster insurance legislation that represents a bigger danger to the American economy than a catastrophic hurricane season, ignoring the basic principles of how the incentives, disincentives, and assumption of the risk in markets really work.

Magic Benton Returns To Florida Firecats (OurSports Central)
Estero, FL - The "Magic" is coming back to Germain Arena. The Florida Firecats have been assigned the rights to Magic Benton, the team announced today.

Landscaping to Minimize Hurricane

Landscaping to Minimize Hurricane Damage (The Star)
You've retrofitted or strengthened your house or mobile home, but you can do more to prepare for hurricanes. What if you could reduce hurricane winds several hundred feet before they reach your house, or prevent trees from falling on your home during a hurricane?

Hurricane Legend Norcross Bids

Hurricane Legend Norcross Bids Goodbye To Coverage (CBS4 Miami)
He has helped South Floridians face hurricane season for nearly 2 decades, becoming a household word after people huddled in the dark with him as Hurricane Andrew blew down their homes around them. But now, CBS4 Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross has made the decision to step away from round-the-clock coverage in the event a hurricane threatens to focus on a new business he hopes will make all ...

Glades institution since '31 to close up shop (The Palm Beach Post)
Accepting the South Florida Water Management District's $1.75 billion buyout offer is the right thing to do for the state, for the environment and for U.S. Sugar Corp., the company's senior vice president said Tuesday.

Local Red Cross Remains

Local Red Cross Remains Confident It Can Handle Storms (The Tampa Tribune)
Troubles with a national disaster relief fund are not expected to pose a problem if a hurricane hits Florida.

Citrus production in Louisiana regrettably ripe for tree disease (Denver Post)
Just as south Louisiana's citrus growers are starting to recover from Hurricane Katrina, they have a new threat: a fatal citrus disease that has infected thousands of trees in Florida and is now in the Bayou State.

Biz Monday: Disaster is

Biz Monday: Disaster is good business (The News-Press)
Flooding in Iowa, tornadoes in Southwest Florida, the Gulf Coast's six-month hurricane season: All generate jobs for disaster cleanup businesses, but...

Local Red Cross Remains Confident It Can Handle Storms (The Tampa Tribune)
Troubles with a national disaster relief fund are not expected to pose a problem if a hurricane hits Florida.

Florida's Citizens Secures $1.75

Florida's Citizens Secures $1.75 Billion for its High Risk Account (Insurance Journal)
Florida's state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., says it has secured pre-event financing of $1.75 billion for its high risk account. This amount is in addition to the $1.6 billion bank c

Florida's Citizens Secures $1.75

Louisiana citrus growers face

Louisiana citrus growers face new threat to trees (San Francisco Chronicle)
Just as south Louisiana's citrus growers are starting to recover from Hurricane Katrina, they have a new threat: a fatal citrus disease that has infected thousands of trees in Florida and is now in the Bayou State. Citrus greening disease has been confirmed...

Hurricane Coverage (Highlands Today)
The other day a television news broadcast was telling of a new idea for hurricane coverage for Florida. The estimate for a Miami-Dade category five hurricane would cost approximately $88 billion. I thought of the Andrew and Katrina costs and have a better idea than letting out-of-state insurers chance their stakes upon the inevitable. Since our Department of Defense is very capable of defending ...

Guardian 275 Translucent Curtainwall

Guardian 275 Translucent Curtainwall Receives Florida Approval for Hurricane Protection (PR.com)
Major Industries recently announced that their Guardian 275 translucent curtainwall has been approved by the Florida Building Commission for use in the Florida construction industry. The Guardian 275 hurricane system, engineered to provide the highest level of hurricane protection, offers the same high-quality, glare-free light found in Major s standard Guardian 275 translucent panel systems. ...

DOD: KBR contract for post-hurricane work illegal (NBC 15 Mobile)
A Department of Defense report says KBR Inc. held an illegal contract, overcharged millions and did a bad job at Naval facilities in Mississippi and Florida after hurricanes Ivan and...

Guardian 275 Translucent Curtainwall

Guardian 275 Translucent Curtainwall Receives Florida Approval for Hurricane Protection (PR.com)
Major Industries recently announced that their Guardian 275 translucent curtainwall has been approved by the Florida Building Commission for use in the Florida construction industry. The Guardian 275 hurricane system, engineered to provide the highest level of hurricane protection, offers the same high-quality, glare-free light found in Major s standard Guardian 275 translucent panel systems. ...

Hurricane Insurance: High court declines jurisdiction in Allstate suit (WINK TV Southwest Florida)
The Florida Supreme Court has declined jurisdiction in Allstate Corp.'s suit against Florida insurance regulators.

Work on Fort Jefferson

Work on Fort Jefferson halted for hurricane season (Miami Herald)
Restoration on Fort Jefferson in the Florida Keys has come to a halt for hurricane season.

Need hurricane shutters? Waiting could cost you time and money (Sun-Sentinel)
Prices will rise deeper into the hurricane season You'd better hurry if you want to have shutters installed before the Sept. 10 peak of hurricane season.

Design Calendar | How

Design Calendar | How to get ready for a hurricane (Miami Herald)
Hurricane Preparedness Symposium: Experts provide information on evacuation, preparation and emergency kits; 7 p.m. Monday; Bay Harbor Islands Town Hall, 9665 Bay Harbor Ter., Bay Harbor Islands; free. 305-866-6241.

FEMA hurricane plan put

FEMA hurricane plan put on ice (Florida Today)
It's not the federal government's job to keep your beer and pork chops cold after a hurricane. So I applaud FEMA's new policy of delivering ice only to residents who otherwise would face medical emergencies.

Design Calendar | How

Hurricane season outlooks of

Florida Sells Bonds to

Florida Sells Bonds to Settle Hurricane Wilma Claims from 2005 (First Coast News)
TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP) -- Gov. Charlie Crist and a top state financial official on Tuesday approved the sale of up to $625 million in bonds to pay claims from Hurricane Wilma back in 2005.

Florida Cat Fund gets

Florida Cat Fund gets OK to issue bonds, raise assessments (The Business Journal of Jacksonville)
Florida's top elected officials approved the sale of $625 million in fixed-rate revenue bonds by the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Finance Corp.

Homeowners in Florida aren t hurricane-ready yet (Gulf Times)
MIAMI: Raquel Pacheco says she is well aware of a hurricane s destructive force, yet she has done little to prepare her Miami Beach home against the potential ravages of the powerful storms which frequently batter the region.

Rain, Strong Winds Inundate

Rain, Strong Winds Inundate Central Florida (Central Florida News 13)
Winds near hurricane force strike Central Florida, leaving behind damage for some in Osceola County to clean up, and thousands of others in the dark.

Hurricane center mentions tropical wave (Bradenton Herald)
MIAMI - Hurricane forecasters today reported there are no tropical cyclones in the waters surrounding Florida, but they are watching increasing showers in a tropical wave east of the Southern Windward Islands.

Florida To Sell $600

Florida To Sell $600 Million In Bonds To Pay Storm Claims (WFTV 9 Orlando)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida's backup hurricane fund will have to sell up to $625 million in bonds to pay claims from Hurricane Wilma back in 2005. Wilma caused $11 billion in insured damage.

Wild, Wet Weather Rips Through Central Florida (Central Florida News 13)
Winds near hurricane force strike Central Florida, leaving behind damage for some in Osceola County to clean up, and thousands of others in the dark.

Hurricane Center focuses on

Hurricane Center focuses on where storms will strike (Tallahassee Democrat)
MIAMI Housed in a drab, gray, bunker-like building, the National Hurricane Center sits at the edge of the Florida International University campus west of downtown Miami.

Hurricane season outlooks of limited use (Carroll County Online)
RALEIGH, N.C. - Each April, weather wizard William Gray emerges from his burrow deep in the Rocky Mountains to offer his forecast for the six-month hurricane season that starts today. And the news media are there, breathlessly awaiting his every word.

Scientists develop world's most

Scientists develop world's most powerful portable hurricane simulator (New Kerala)
London, June 9 : A team of scientists and students from the University of Florida, US, has developed the world's most powerful portable hurricane simulator, a giant machine capable of reproducing winds in excess of 193 kph (kilometers per hour) and recreating rain.

Hurricane season outlooks of limited use (Carroll County Online)
RALEIGH, N.C. - Each April, weather wizard William Gray emerges from his burrow deep in the Rocky Mountains to offer his forecast for the six-month hurricane season that starts today. And the news media are there, breathlessly awaiting his every word.

National Guard ready for

National Guard ready for hurricane season (Sun-Sentinel)
A year ago, state and federal officials worried about whether the war-stressed Florida National Guard was ready to handle the aftermath of a major hurricane at home.

Construction Forensic Team at UNF Tackles Hurricane Aftermath (First Coast News)
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A construction forensic team at the University of North Florida is being created to study why some buildings stand and others fall following a hurricane.

Florida's hurricane simulator (BBC

Florida's hurricane simulator (BBC News)
The University of Florida develops the world's most powerful portable hurricane simulator.

St. Lucie prepares hurricane shelter for special-needs residents (Fort Pierce Tribune)
Just a week into hurricane season, St. Lucie County public safety officials wasted no time Friday preparing the north county's special needs shelter.

In Florida, Republican John

In Florida, Republican John McCain defends opposition to Everglades, hurricane insurance plans (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
He's so gonna lose in November... LOL! I think he even knows it. LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.

Doctor Provides Practical Tips

Doctor Provides Practical Tips to the South Florida Community on What to Do Before and After a Hurricane Hits (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
With the 2008 Hurricane Season at our doorstep, Rene Reyes, MD -- a Hollywood physician -- provides practical advice to his South Florida community on what to do when disaster strikes. His tips include how to prepare before a storm and how to stay healthy after the storm.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Hurricane Drills (WCTV Tallahassee)
The Florida Division of Emergency Management is preparing for hurricane season.

'Hurricane Madness '08' blood

'Hurricane Madness '08' blood drive is set for Friday (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Florida's Blood Centers, Venice Regional Medical Center and the city of Venice are on a mission to strengthen the local blood supply in preparation for the hurricane season. This countywide initiative will result in a "Hurricane Madness '08" blood drive held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday at Venice Regional Medical Center, 540 The Rialto.

Hurricane protection grants slow to come years after storms (The Palm Beach Post)
Four years after twin storms smashed Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, and three years after Hurricane Wilma struck, only two of 59 federal grant projects are completed, city and county leaders heard Wednesday.

First Responders Run Hurricane

First Responders Run Hurricane Drill This Week (Central Florida News 13)
With experts predicting this hurricane season to be well above average, Florida could find itself in the crosshairs, so first responders around the state are testing their skills this week.

How to Prepare for

How to Prepare for Hurricane Season in Florida (NPR)
After two quiet hurricane seasons, emergency managers worry the public may be complacent. In Florida, state officials are pushing a message of personal responsibility so the public does not expect deliveries of ice, water and other necessities in case of disaster.

Florida Hurricane Drill (WMBB TV Panama City)
We are a couple of days into the new hurricane season and the state's Emergency Operations Center is keeping an eye on Hurricane Herb.

'Mr. Hurricane' suggests: Think

'Mr. Hurricane' suggests: Think like a 'survivor' (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
As Florida warily enters another hurricane season, the images remain of federal and state officials plucking survivors of Katrina off rooftops in New Orleans or tossing food and water to Floridians hit by seven hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

Hurricane Experts at Florida

Hurricane Experts at Florida State University (Newswise)
From prediction to recovery, Florida State University's experts are among the best in the nation when it comes to the study of hurricanes and their impact on people and property. These experts are available to answer media questions and give perspective to news stories throughout the 2008 hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

Still rattled by Hurricane

Still rattled by Hurricane Charley (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
Hurricane Charley struck the central Florida town of Arcadia four years ago, but dozens of residents in and around the town are still coping with the aftermath.

Poll: Many not ready

Poll: Many not ready for hurricane season (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and emergency management officials warned residents Thursday not to wait until a storm is approaching to stockpile three days worth of food and water.

Hurricane high-risk areas have lost residents (USA Today)
For the first time in decades, the summer hurricane season is starting with fewer Americans in harm's way. The number of people living in coastal areas that are most vulnerable to wind and water fell slightly since 2000, reversing a decades-long boom that brought tens of thousands of homes and high-rises to low-lying coastal regions from Texas to Georgia, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Hurricane Season Preparedness (WRUF

Hurricane Season Preparedness (WRUF AM850 Gainesville)
Florida's Hurricane Season starts this Sunday and local residents need to be prepared.

Hurricane center director, Fla. governor urge coastal residents to prepare for storm season (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
MIAMI - Coastal residents from Texas to Maine are being urged to prepare for the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins Sunday.

Hurricane Season Begins June

Hurricane Season Begins June 1; Will Odds be in Texas' Favor? (Insurance Journal)
With hurricane season beginning June 1, Texans may be able to hold on to the hope that the odds are stacked for them. If historical experience for the past two decades holds true, Texas won't see a hu

Broward could foot Panthers' arena storm costs (Miami Herald)
If a hurricane destroys the BankAtlantic Center, home of the Florida Panthers hockey team, Broward taxpayers will be on the hook for any damage over $150 million because the arena is underinsured.

Putnam to Speak at

Putnam to Speak at Hurricane Expo (The Lakeland Ledger)
WINTER HAVEN | U.S.Rep. Adam Putnam and Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink are among the dignitaries scheduled to speak at the annual Polk County Hurricane Expo.The Expo will be held on June 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orange Dome in Winter Haven.

Hurricane Supplies Won't Get Tax Break (The Tampa Tribune)
Floridians are being urged to prepare for the hurricane season that begins Sunday, but this year, those stocking up on items such as plywood, tarps and flashlights won't get a break on sales taxes.

South Florida demand for

South Florida demand for hurricane supplies is tepid (Sun-Sentinel)
With tax holiday gone, consumers show less interest Signs of a fast-approaching hurricane season are missing this year: retailers marketing deals to early-bird consumers and the state's tax break on supplies.

Hurricane threat doesn't scare hospital, thanks to extensive planning (The Beaufort Gazette)
If a hurricane heads for Beaufort, most of us can flee. Staff at Beaufort Memorial Hospital hunkers down instead.

Stocking up for the

Stocking up for the Hurricane Season (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
Sunday kicks off Florida's Hurricane Preparedness Week. It's a week when Florida residents and business owners are encouraged to put together a plan in case a hurricane hit.

Hurricane Preparedness Week (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
Today kicks off the start of Florida's Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day this week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is highlighting hurricane safety information that Florida residents should know. This information can save your life.

AIR's U.S. Hurricane Model

AIR's U.S. Hurricane Model Certified by the Florida Commission for the Twelfth Consecutive Year (Centre Daily Times)
AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) today announced the certification of its 2008 U.S. Hurricane Model by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology (Commission). The Commission annually certifies models for use by insurers for developing Florida residential property rate filings. AIR has met the rigorous standards of the Commission every year since the Commission's inception in ...

Will Florida be spared

Will Florida be spared this hurricane season' (The Gainesville Sun)
Some experts say a major storm could hit higher up the coast.

Hurricane coverage on news-press.com

Hurricane coverage on news-press.com (The News-Press)
If a hurricane comes spiraling toward Southwest Florida, you can count on our Web site, news-press.

AIR s U.S. Hurricane

AIR s U.S. Hurricane Model Certified by the Florida Commission for the Twelfth Consecutive Year (wallstreet:online AG)
AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) today announced the certification of its 2008 U.S. Hurricane Model

UF Blows Apart Houses

UF Blows Apart Houses to Make Yours Safer (First Coast News)
GAINESVILLE, FL -- With hurricane season just weeks away, researchers at the University of Florida unleashed some new tools designed to destroy a house as they look for ways to protect your home from hurricane damage.

UF Takes Hurricane Simulator

UF Takes Hurricane Simulator For A Spin (The Tampa Tribune)
GAINESVILLE - It huffs and it puffs and nearly blows your house down. That's the job of a new hurricane simulator at the University of Florida, a 25-ton contraption that belched 120 mph wind and rain during its first official test run today. Called a "Category 3 storm on wheels," the world's largest portable wind simulator delivered its expected fury by slamming a mockup section of house with ...

Assessments for past hurricane

Assessments for past hurricane damage could grow in Florida (Naples Daily News)
Florida residents could soon be faced with increased surcharges on their home, auto and other insurance policies because the state's catastrophe fund needs more money to pay claims from past hurricanes.

Epcot exhibit will feature fury of Hurricane Charley (Chicago Tribune)
Epcot exhibit aims to thrill while teaching safety lessons Hurricanes are about the last thing tourism officials want Florida visitors to experience. But starting this summer, Disney will treat them to the sights, sounds and fury of 2004's Hurricane Charley.

Spin doctors: Scientists debate

Spin doctors: Scientists debate climate change hurricane link (USA Today)
Friday, two of the nation's leading climate scientists traded opposing opinions during a cordial debate on global warming and hurricanes. The dueling discussion highlighted the closing day of the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale.

South Florida: Official hurricane

South Florida: Official hurricane outlook to be released Thursday (Sun-Sentinel)
Federal meteorologists will release their outlook for the 2008 hurricane season on Thursday, and it likely will call for a busier than normal year. Experts say the Atlantic basin is in an era of heightened tropical activity.

Board won't exclude two investment firms from Florida bidding (The Palm Beach Post)
Two major investment firms will advise Florida on financing its hurricane catastrophe insurance fund although Gov. Charlie Crist tried to exclude them Tuesday.

Board won't exclude two

Board won't exclude two investment firms from Florida bidding (The Palm Beach Post)
Two major investment firms will advise Florida on financing its hurricane catastrophe insurance fund although Gov. Charlie Crist tried to exclude them Tuesday.

Florida Hurricane Conference (WMBB TV Panama City)
Hurricane conference presents message of preparedness

Governor's Hurricane Conference: Crist

Governor's Hurricane Conference: Crist calls on us to help ourselves (The News-Press)
Floridians should respond to the upcoming hurricane season just like Malabar and Palm Bay residents have reacted to the wildfire menace, Gov.

AEN to Premiere Emergency

AEN to Premiere Emergency Broadcast Technology at the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
America's Emergency Network will premiere a final working version of its proprietary technology at the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference to be held at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center beginning Wednesday, May 14, 2008. At its booth in the Exhibition Hall, AEN will demonstrate how emergency managers and other public officials will be able to instantly send video news ...

Microtel Inn & Suites Debuts in Port Charlotte, Florida; Area's First 'Green' Hotel (Centre Daily Times)
A Microtel Inn & Suites hotel has opened at 4056 Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte, FL. One of the first hotels to open in the region since the devastation of Hurricane Charley in 2004, it is also the area's first "Green" hotel, implementing programs and practices to protect and conserve Florida's natural resources and the environment. The Port Charlotte Microtel is owned by Village Port, LLC and ...

Florida officials respond to

Florida officials respond to and help seniors prepare for hurricane season (Sun-Sentinel)
Bob and Clare James refused to leave their condemned condo at the Village Royale on the Green retirement community after 2005's Hurricane Wilma, so a police SWAT team forcibly removed the elderly couple.

'Be prepared' is the

'Be prepared' is the message of annual Governor's Hurricane Conference (KATC 3 Lafayette)
Associated Press - May 12, 2008 8:34 AM ET FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Emergency managers, rescue workers and government officials are meeting in Fort Lauderdale this week to discuss storm...

For sea lovers, a

For sea lovers, a final resting reef (CNN.com)
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- About 45 feet beneath the ocean's surface lies a cemetery with gates, pathways, plaques and even benches.

Storm shelters gaining power (The Palm Beach Post)
As hurricane season neared last year, state agencies were in chaos trying to implement key elements of a 2006 state law aimed at better preparation of special shelters and gas stations for big storms.

For sea lovers, a

For sea lovers, a final resting reef (CNN.com)
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- About 45 feet beneath the ocean's surface lies a cemetery with gates, pathways, plaques and even benches.

FPL Tests Its Readiness

FPL Tests Its Readiness for Storm Season with 'Hurricane Beta' (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
JUNO BEACH, Fla.----It's been almost two and half years since Hurricane Wilma made landfall, the last of seven storms to hit Florida Power & Light Company's service territory in a 15 month period.

FPL Tests Its Readiness for Storm Season with Hurricane Beta (wallstreet:online AG)
It s been almost two and half years since Hurricane Wilma made landfall, the last of seven storms

FPL powers up for

FPL powers up for season with mock hurricane (Miami Herald)
They've trimmed trees, replaced poles and strengthened electrical systems at hospitals and fire stations. One of the last things Florida Power & Light workers needed to do to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season was go through a dry run of a storm.

FPL Tests Its Readiness for Storm Season with 'Hurricane Beta' (Centre Daily Times)
It's been almost two and half years since Hurricane Wilma made landfall, the last of seven storms to hit Florida Power & Light Company's service territory in a 15 month period. Yet every year the company prepares for storm season as if the next Wilma could arrive tomorrow.

Congress to hear from

Congress to hear from Miss. on hurricane housing funds (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
Mississippi's decision to divert $600 million from a hurricane housing program to a port improvement project will be one of the key topics of a congressional hearing on the use of federal block grant funds.

Area pilots donate their time to trasport the sick (The Ambler Gazette)
It began in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, and a group of local pilots wanted to help with relief efforts.

Lawmakers Adjust Hurricane Program

Lawmakers Adjust Hurricane Program (WMBB TV Panama City)
Lawmakers make changes to My Safe Florida program.

My assignment: to travel

My assignment: to travel around Florida by train, and its cities by foot (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
MIAMI -- It has taken the entire day to get to St. Petersburg and as daylight turns to dusk over the tangle of sailboat masts at the city marina, I know that my complicated route -- by train, bus and on foot -- is going to cost me some sightseeing. ...

Politicians far and wide back (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida has pushed to cut 10 cents from the state's gasoline tax for two weeks in July. Lawmakers rebuffed his plan last week.

Under pressure from South

Under pressure from South Florida homeowners, House to act on mortgage crisis (Sun-Sentinel)
Pressed by desperate homeowners in South Florida, members of Congress are promoting legislation to try to stem the tide of home Foreclosure s and prevent further erosion of property values.

Lawmakers Adjust Hurricane Program (The Tampa Tribune)
Improving the My Safe Florida Home program may take time, lawmakers said Friday, after unanimously passing legislation to further tweak the state's hurricane inspection and home improvement program.

Under pressure from South

Class-action Suit Filed in

Class-action Suit Filed in Florida against Insurance Deadline (Insurance Journal)
Property owners in Florida who had policies with the now-bankrupt Poe Financial Group did not receive sufficient notice of a June deadline to dispute claims in court, lawyers argued April 30 after fil

'Hurricane of Justice' Gathers

'Hurricane of Justice' Gathers in South Florida (Gallery) (New America Media)
Miami residents get tax help and attend a town hall meeting, part of the national Equal Voice for America's Families campaign. Article funded by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Joseph Rodriguez/New America Media

FEMA To Waive Tornado

FEMA To Waive Tornado Rule For New Hurricane Shelters (The Tampa Tribune)
Federal emergency management officials are assuring that Florida will get a break on tougher rules requiring hurricane shelters to be tornado-proof, three Florida members of Congress say.

Storm forecast propels OJ

Storm forecast propels OJ futures (Miami Herald)
Orange juice rose to a six-week high on a forecast that output from Brazil's largest growing region will fall while the approaching Atlantic hurricane season spurred concern that storms may damage Florida groves.

Hurricane forecaster's memo gets national attention (9 News Denver)
FORT COLLINS This week, the Houston Chronicle and a national cable network reported that the climate change controversy could end Dr. William Gray's hurricane forecasts at Colorado State University.

Hurricane Shelter Rules (WMBB

Hurricane Shelter Rules (WMBB TV Panama City)
FEMA Eases Rules To Build Hurricane Shelters

Global warming may end hurricane pioneer's forecasts (Houston Chronicle)
Longtime hurricane forecaster William Gray has attracted attention to Colorado State University with his annuals predictions, but the school says it may cease supporting that work. Gray says that may be because of his skepticism about global warming.

Property owners still dealing

Property owners still dealing with hurricane damage claims (BizJournals)
Hurricane Wilma may have hit three years ago, but many South Florida property owners are still battling with insurance companies over damages and interrupted business.

Global warming may end hurricane pioneer's forecasts (Houston Chronicle)
Longtime hurricane forecaster William Gray has attracted attention to Colorado State University with his annuals predictions, but the school says it may cease supporting that work. Gray says that may be because of his skepticism about global warming.

2nd bad hurricane forecast

2nd bad hurricane forecast for S.C. (The Post and Courier)
Duck and run a second hurricane forecaster has said the Southeast Coast will be in the cross-hairs this year. The water temperature pattern in the far Atlantic suggests the middle ground of storm tracks this year will be farther north than the usual south Florida bull's eye, privat...

FPL Crews Preparing For Hurricane Season (Local 10 Miami)
Florida Power & Light crews are working down to the wire to make sure that power poles are strong enough to withstand hurricane-force winds in what is expected to be an active upcoming hurricane season. INSIDE: Video

FPL Crews Preparing For

FPL Crews Preparing For Hurricane Season (Local 10 Miami)
Florida Power & Light crews are working down to the wire to make sure that power poles are strong enough to withstand hurricane-force winds in what is expected to be an active upcoming hurricane season. INSIDE: Video

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
A sole bidder was awarded a $6.3 million contract Thursday to install a deep-injection well at a planned desalination plant at the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority's Florida City water plant.

Florida Power & Light prepares for hurricane season (Miami Herald)
Targeting areas around many Broward and Miami-Dade hospitals, Florida Power & Light is continuing to toughen its system to make it withstand hurricanes. But it's not clear how much the utility has done.

FPL Crews Preparing For

Agencies adapt commercial mapping

Agencies adapt commercial mapping tools to suit missions (Federal Times)
When wildfires broke out in southern Georgia and northern Florida in spring 2007, Forest Service research meteorologist Scott Goodrick needed to make the most of wind and weather predictions to help crews fighting the blaze.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Three Upper Keys high-school teams headed into playoff games Tuesday with their eyes on games still to come. Coral Shores' Lady Hurricanes was scheduled to face Florida Christian in the Region 4-3A semifinal round. Results were pending at press time.

Budget woes doom Florida tax holiday on hurricane supplies (Sun-Sentinel)
A penny-pinching state budget has doomed the sales tax holiday on hurricane supplies, but Florida shoppers will still enjoy a scaled-down back-to-school tax reprieve.

BASEBALL (Update): Post-game confrontation

BASEBALL (Update): Post-game confrontation mars last meeting of Miami-Florida State series (The Miami Hurricane)
POSTED APRIL 22 AT 1:34 A.M. The most memorable action from this weekend's top-ranked matchup between Miami and Florida State may have taken place after the final pitch.

Florida Lessons Helping Indonesians

Florida Lessons Helping Indonesians (The Tampa Tribune)
Aboard a Florida Sea Grant vessel in Charlotte Harbor on Wednesday, Mahatma Lanuru points his camera toward land and snaps photos of a mangrove-lined shore wrecked by Hurricane Charley.

Budget woes doom Florida

Budget woes doom Florida tax holiday on hurricane supplies (TCPalm.com)
The decision to shorten the back-to-school break and cut the hurricane holiday drew criticism from Florida Retail Federation President Rick McAllister, who said the state would lose out on revenues from a buying frenzy that also boosts sales of taxable items.

Florida Saves $12 Million

Florida Saves $12 Million by Scrapping Hurricane Sales Tax Holiday (First Coast News)
TALLAHASEE, FL (AP) -- A spokeswoman for the Senate says legislators working on this year's budget have agreed to skip the state's annual sales tax holiday for hurricane supplies this year.

Partisan rancor erupts in Florida House (Miami Herald)
A toxic combination of partisan rancor and muscle-flexing by an empowered Democratic caucus erupted into an all-day and all-night feud of parliamentary one-upsmanship in the Florida House of Representatives that kept lawmakers in their seats well into the morning hours Saturday.

Hurricane Tax Holiday (WMBB

Hurricane Tax Holiday (WMBB TV Panama City)
It appears that Florida's sale tax holidays could fall victim to the state's budget problems.

Hurricane tax holiday scrapped

Hurricane tax holiday scrapped under early budget deal (Orlando Sentinel)

Florida May Give Tax-Break

Florida May Give Tax-Break On Hurricane Supplies (CBS4 Miami)
Florida residents would again be able to buy some hurricane supplies tax free under a measure approved unanimously by a House committee.

Florida may again give residents tax break on hurricane supplies (Sun-Sentinel)
Florida residents may again be able to buy hurricane supplies tax free.

Florida catastrophe fund cut

Florida catastrophe fund cut gets panel's OK (Miami Herald)
The House Policy and Budget Council gave the nod Monday to a bill that would reduce the size of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund by $3 billion. That would bring down the fund's total exposure to $25 billion.

Florida May Give Tax-Break On Hurricane Supplies (CBS4 Miami)
Florida residents would again be able to buy some hurricane supplies tax free under a measure approved unanimously by a House committee.

Florida May Again Give

Florida May Again Give Residents Tax Break on Hurricane Supplies (WTVY Dothan)
Florida residents would again be able to buy some hurricane supplies tax free under a measure approved unanimously by a House committee.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
A state road engineer said the future of a hurricane-evacuation lane planned along U.S. 1 through Key Largo lies with the state Department of Community Affairs.

Hurricane warnings allow plenty

Hurricane warnings allow plenty of time to prepare for storms (The Villages Daily Sun)
THE VILLAGES A local weather forecaster says there will be plenty of time for Florida residents to prepare for the up to 15 named storms predicted by Dr. William Gray of Colorado State University for the 2008 hurricane season.

Hurricane forecast: 'active' (Fernandina Beach News-Leader)
BAHAMAS - The Colorado State University forecast team upgraded its early season forecast at the Bahamas Weather Conference, saying the U.S. Atlantic basin will likely experience a well above-average hurricane season.

Very active 2008 hurricane

Very active 2008 hurricane season forecast (UPI)
U.S. hurricane experts William Gray and Philip Klotzbach say they expect a busy 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, with as many as 15 named storms.

Experts predict above-average hurricane

Experts predict above-average hurricane season (Baltimore Sun)
The 2008 hurricane season in the Atlantic basin will be "well above average," with a 45 percent chance that a major storm will make landfall somewhere along the East Coast or in Florida, hurricane experts predicted today.

Hurricane warnings allow plenty of time to prepare for storms (The Villages Daily Sun)
THE VILLAGES A local weather forecaster says there will be plenty of time for Florida residents to prepare for the up to 15 named storms predicted by Dr. William Gray of Colorado State University for the 2008 hurricane season.

Hurricane Season Predictions See

Hurricane Season Predictions See Increase (WCTV Tallahassee)
Dr. William Gray and his team of researchers released their updated 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season forecast Wednesday at the Hurricane Conference in the Bahamas, and most will not favor the updated forecast.

Hurricane prep exercise begins

Hurricane prep exercise begins Wednesday - Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Army Times (Army Times)
The Army s 2008 Hurricane Season Preparation exercise will take place Wednesday and Thursday at Fort Belvoir, Va., officials announced Monday.

Advanced Mobile Satellite Communications Network Being Rolled Out for Florida National Guard (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Proactive Communications, Inc. , a trusted all-conditions SATCOM provider worldwide, and Digital Consulting Services , a Federal Government services provider and systems integrator for IT solutions, today announced the completion schedule for the final phase of the Florida National Guard's superior mobile Emergency Response Network.

Florida Seeks Break On

Florida Seeks Break On Hurricane Shelter Rule (The Tampa Tribune)
Florida officials are urging top federal emergency managers to give the state a break on tougher national standards that would require hurricane shelters to be tornado-proof.

With Thunderbirds and hurricane

With Thunderbirds and hurricane hunters, the air show entices (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Seven year old Andrew Pfeil has been coming to the Florida International Air Show since before he can remember.

Hurricane Law Group Announces Lawsuit to Require the State of Florida to Compel Insurance Companies to Comply with ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.----The Hurricane Law Group announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit in Leon County against CFO Alex Sink, Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, the Department of Financial Services and the Office of Insurance Regulation to force the State to enforce Florida laws designed to protect Floridians in the wake of the 2004 and ...

Hurricane forecasters respected despite

Hurricane forecasters respected despite misses in 2006, '07 seasons (Sun-Sentinel)
Experts revered despite misses in 2006, '07 seasons For two years running, the forecast team at Colorado State University has botched its long-term outlook for the upcoming hurricane season. So should anybody pay attention in 2008?

Hurricane Law Group Announces Lawsuit to Require the State of Florida to Compel Insurance Companies to Comply with ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.----The Hurricane Law Group announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit in Leon County against CFO Alex Sink, Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, the Department of Financial Services and the Office of Insurance Regulation to force the State to enforce Florida laws designed to protect Floridians in the wake of the 2004 and ...

Next big hurricane could

Next big hurricane could drive insurers away from coast (Houston Chronicle)
Since Hurricane Rita struck Texas in 2005, the state's insurer of last resort for coastal areas has seen the value of the property it insures triple from $23 billion to $64 billion.

New National Hurricane Center Director talks about concerns for SW Florida (WINK TV Southwest Florida)
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season is now less than two months away, starting June 1st, but already, scientists and emergency planners are looking ahead at what we can expect.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Because of the near-shutdown of the credit markets and rising interest rates, insurers in Florida fear the state's hurricane catastrophe fund may not live up to its promise if a massive storm hits this hurricane season.

State let insurers underpay

State let insurers underpay hurricane claims, lawsuit says (Orlando Sentinel)
Petition says homeowners were not told they could seek mediation. The state's financial- and insurance-regulation departments are accused in a lawsuit of violating consumer-protection laws and allowing insurance companies to underpay hurricane claims. The suit wasfiled Wednesday by a South Florida homeowner.

Hurricane evacuations not always

Hurricane evacuations not always simple, officials say (Sun-Sentinel)
Officials want people at risk to heed advice Sally Bishop, emergency management director in Pinellas County on Florida's west coast, has found a creative way to encourage coastal residents to heed evacuation orders should a hurricane approach.

Fla. Trying to Fix Hurricane Insurance (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
A tightening global credit market is contributing to Florida's insurance woes, prompting officials to look at reducing the amount of money in the state's catastrophe fund, which pays hurricane claims when private insurers can't.

Dogs From Hurricane Katrina

Dogs From Hurricane Katrina Come To S. Fla. Shelters (NBC 6 Miami)
Nearly 24 Hurricane Katrina-surviving K-9s are hoping for a second chance in South Florida.

Google, hurricane center create

Google, hurricane center create storm surge maps (The News-Press)
Users will be able to zoom in for street-level views through a free Goggle Earth program.

Food Stamp Use at

Food Stamp Use at Record Pace as Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise (New York Times)
Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year.

Tribe falls to Rays,

Tribe falls to Rays, 9-7, in final Florida game (The Morning Journal)
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) -- Carlos Pena hit one of Tampa Bay's three home runs and the Rays beat Cleveland 9-7 in 10 innings yesterday in the Indians' final spring game in Florida.

Six headed to Florida next week (The Hannibal Courier-Post)
[ The Hannibal Hurricanes swim team will be sending six swimmers to the YMCA National Meet in Florida, April 1-4. The team will be represented by:

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
A year after making sweeping property insurance changes, Florida legislators are divided between maintaining a consumer-friendly face or allowing homeowner premiums to start inching up.

Rays' rally sends Indians

Rays' rally sends Indians to 9-7 loss in 10 innings in Florida finale (Canadian Press via Yahoo! News)
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Carlos Pena hit one of Tampa Bay's three home runs and the Rays beat Cleveland 9-7 in 10 innings Thursday in the Indians' final spring game in Florida.

Fla. Supreme Court sends back two hurricane-damage lawsuits (The News-Press)
The march back to trial courts continues for the hundreds of homeowners still trying to settle insurance claims from the hurricanes of 2004.

New NHC director prepares

New NHC director prepares for hurricane season (NBC 2 Fort Myers)
The 2007 hurricane season was calm on the outside, but as stormy as ever inside the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane preview (WCBD-TV Charleston)
To watch video online please click here to download the latest version of the Flash plugin. The 2007 hurricane season was calm on the outside, but as stormy as ever inside the National Hurricane Center.

National Guard called ready

National Guard called ready for hurricanes (Bradenton Herald)
The Florida National Guard has more equipment ready for the 2008 hurricane season than it did a year ago, Maj. General Douglas Burnett said.

New National Hurricane Center director previews season (WSAV Savannah)
The new man running the National Hurricane Center, Bill Read, is low key and a self-described weather geek.

Fitch Comments on Florida

Fitch Comments on Florida Homeowners Insurance Market (wallstreet:online AG)
Fitch Ratings said today that, in spite of reform efforts enacted by the state of Florida in 2007

Commercial insurance is back

Commercial insurance is back from the brink (Miami Herald)
It's not the good old days again -- before eight hurricanes slammed into Florida between 2004 and 2005 -- when plenty of insurers were willing to write commercial coverage and rates were relatively low.

SCSU track records high finish (The Times and Democrat)
SCSU Sports Information The South Carolina State track and field teams recorded several high finishes at the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by Miami of Florida over the weekend (Mar. 21-22).

Please log in to

Please log in to leave a comment. (The Evening Sun)
It was a nice fall day, Oct. 15th, 1954. There was talk of a hurricane south of us but most folks didn't seem too concerned. A hurricane was what Cuba and Florida had to endure, not us folks up north.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Key West City Commissioner Bill Verge wants the City Commission to set a deadline of April 1 to garner $2.3 million still needed to sink the USS Hoyt S. Vandenberg as an artificial reef seven miles off Key West.

'A greater hurricane now'

'A greater hurricane now' (Indian Country Today)
GRAND BAYOU, La. (AP) - When Ruby Ancar talks about her fishing village on the bayou, she says a divine hand has protected her Atakapa-Ishak kinfolk for generations.

Lawmakers want to track state hurricane inspection program (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
My Safe Florida Home doesn't track results lawmaker wants to change that.

Housing crisis cools migration

Housing crisis cools migration to former hot spots (USA Today)
Torrid population growth rates in Sun Belt metropolitan areas from Florida to Arizona, Nevada and California have slowed amid a severe downturn in the nation's housing market, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Census Bureau data released today.

Bayou town's new hurricane:

Bayou town's new hurricane: government (MSNBC)
Before Hurricane Katrina, Grand Bayou and its 25 families of Atakapa-Ishak American Indians lived in concert with moon cycles and migrations of shrimp. Today, it faces extinction.

Utility Preps For Hurricanes

Utility Preps For Hurricanes By Replacing Power Lines (The Tampa Tribune)
CLEARWATER - Foot by foot, about 60 workers ran about a mile of new electric line through new power poles in the Greenbriar community as part of Progress Energy Florida's effort to reinforce the utility grid against hurricanes.

A changing of the

A changing of the Guard (The Gainesville Sun)
Twenty-six years ago, when Lt. Col. Dwayne Jarriel entered the Florida Army National Guard, deployments were short, few and far between.But now reservists are increasingly finding themselves serving in wars.

Katrina Aftermath Erodes Bayou

Katrina Aftermath Erodes Bayou Culture (AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News)
When Ruby Ancar talks about her fishing village on the bayou, she says a divine hand has protected her Atakapa-Ishak kinfolk for generations. But Grand Bayou is forsaken these days, 30 months after Hurricane Katrina washed over it and dragged one of Louisiana's last authentic outposts of bayou culture into a world defined by insurers, money lenders, building code enforcers and ...

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Both Coral Shores lacrosse teams play for district-tournament seeding at today's doubleheader match at Palmer Trinity. While the Hurricane girls battle to keep their top spot for the district playoff, the Hurricane boys try to earn a qualifying spot in their bracket.

The Puzzling Eye Of

The Puzzling Eye Of A Hurricane On Venus Paris, France (ESA) Mar 14, 2008 (SpaceDaily)
Venus Express has constantly been observing the south pole of Venus and has found it to be surprisingly fickle. An enormous structure with a central part that looks like the eye of a hurricane, morphs and changes shape within a matter of days, leaving scientists puzzled.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Wins in field events helped power the Coral Shores Hurricane boys to a team win in a four-school event March 4 in Tavernier. On the track, standout seniors Randell Jackman and Anthony Whitehead each raced to solo victories and teamed as part of the winning 4x100 relay.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Senate panel urges tough

Senate panel urges tough legislation on Florida property insurers (Sun-Sentinel)
Sweeping changes target rate hikes, dropped policies A special Senate panel that grilled insurers last month about how rates are set proposed sweeping property insurance changes on Thursday.

Rainy month not enough

Rainy month not enough to end watering restrictions in South Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
Recent rains helped avert a water "crisis," but it will take a greater soaking to end a lingering water supply emergency, South Florida's top water manager said Wednesday.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Wins in field events helped power the Coral Shores Hurricane boys to a team win in a four-school event March 4 in Tavernier. On the track, standout seniors Randell Jackman and Anthony Whitehead each raced to solo victories and teamed as part of the winning 4x100 relay.

Are Fewer Florida Retirees Moving To South Georgia? (WCTV Tallahassee)
The number of retirees moving from Florida to South Georgia is dwindling. With fewer people bringing their nest eggs with them, that means the local economy is losing money.

AIG Private Client Group

AIG Private Client Group Expands Its Hurricane Protection Unit(R) To Serve Additional Policyholders in New York, New ... (Centre Daily Times)
AIG Private Client Group, a division of the personal lines property and casualty insurance subsidiaries of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), today announced the expansion of its Hurricane Protection Unit(R) to serve its policyholders in Hillsborough County, Florida; Nassau County, New York; and Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean Counties in New Jersey.

Fitch Rates Orlando, Florida's $23.8MM Special Revs 'AA'; Outlook Stable (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NEW YORK----Fitch assigns an 'AA' rating to Orlando, Florida's capital improvement refunding special revenue bonds, series 2008A and 2008B in the amounts of approximately $14.5 million and $9.3 million, respectively.

Killer tornadoes batter north

GARDEN Q and A:

GARDEN Q and A: Hurricane lilies a pleasant surprise (The Florida Times-Union)
Q: I have some hurricane lilies that bloomed beautifully late last summer. Now it has long green leaves. Should I cut them off so they will re-flower?

My Summer in Florida (Centre Daily Times)
Gatesburg, Pa. A place that can be so beautiful can bring you fears that you never thought you would ever face. I love to visit the beautiful state in Florida, but it has its good and bad things about it. I myself can still feel the despair of that unforgiving night that brought the fear of not only being in a hurricane, but the fear that I was never going to make it back home.

Killer tornadoes batter north

Killer tornadoes batter north Florida (USA Today)
Severe thunderstorms and at least two tornadoes hit northern Florida on Friday, killing two people, causing minor injuries, destroying several homes and knocking down power lines.

My Summer in Florida (Centre Daily Times)
Gatesburg, Pa. A place that can be so beautiful can bring you fears that you never thought you would ever face. I love to visit the beautiful state in Florida, but it has its good and bad things about it. I myself can still feel the despair of that unforgiving night that brought the fear of not only being in a hurricane, but the fear that I was never going to make it back home.

My Summer in Florida

My Summer in Florida (Centre Daily Times)
Gatesburg, Pa. A place that can be so beautiful can bring you fears that you never thought you would ever face. I love to visit the beautiful state in Florida, but it has its good and bad things about it. I myself can still feel the despair of that unforgiving night that brought the fear of not only being in a hurricane, but the fear that I was never going to make it back home.

Hurricane Grill offers free

Hurricane Grill offers free wings to voters (BizJournals)
Hurricane Grill and Wings is offering a free appetizer to Florida voters. The chain, which has two restaurants in the Jacksonville area, will give a free crispy wing appetizer to customers with a valid voter registration card March 6.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Construction of the new 18-Mile Stretch linking Key Largo to Florida City is on schedule and the Keys portion of the $300 million project should open to traffic before summer, according to transportation officials.

Shutter scam artist returned

Shutter scam artist returned to Florida (Florida Today)
A hurricane shutter con artist who went missing for two months after skipping his sentencing is expected to return to Florida in about a week.

First series win against

First series win against Florida since 2004 (The Miami Hurricane)
Playing before raucous, sold-out crowds seems to suit the University of Miami baseball team quite well. The Hurricanes used the fans' support to take the three-game series against archrival Florida, two games to one. Coming off a sweep of visiting Cincinnati, the No.

Web-based applications gain popularity (BizJournals)
NORTHEAST FLORIDA -- When a Jacksonville damage mitigation and reconstruction business went to New Orleans to restore a television station and other sites after Hurricane Katrina, it didn't bring its project management software -- not on laptop computers, disks or flash drives.

Costly Gator errors spark

Costly Gator errors spark Hurricanes to victory (The Gainesville Sun)
Florida's problems jumped right off the page: Five Gator errors and a wild pitch that led to four unearned Hurricane runs.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Coral Shores' junior-varsity baseball Hurricanes swept Marathon last weekend in a twin bill. The first game, Hurricane Austin Bynum went to the mound and he had great control, pitching his way to a 14-2 season-opening win. Bynum also helped his own cause by going 2-for-3.

Hurricane-Proof Houses (WCTV Tallahassee)
A Florida business is building one of a kind hurricane proof homes right in the panhandle. The houses are being assembled at a factory in Carrabelle, but the homes will be shipped all over the Southeast.

Florida's Blackout: A Warning

Florida's Blackout: A Warning Sign? (Time Magazine)
A substation located next to Florida Power and Light headquarters is shown in Miami, Tuesday, February 26, 2008. Florida experienced a widespread power outage on Tuesday.

Florida power blackout remains a puzzle (AP via Yahoo! News)
Power executives were still in the dark Wednesday about how a glitch at a substation triggered a blackout that cut power to millions across south Florida. The outage darkened traffic signals, forced hospitals to scramble for generators and cut off air conditioners in the afternoon heat.

Reasons for a blackout

Reasons for a blackout in southern Florida that shut down 2 nuclear reactors remains a mystery (Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald)
MIAMI (AP) - Power executives were still in the dark Wednesday about how a glitch at a substation triggered a blackout that cut power to millions across south Florida.

Florida's Blackout: A Warning Sign? (Time Magazine)
A substation located next to Florida Power and Light headquarters is shown in Miami, Tuesday, February 26, 2008. Florida experienced a widespread power outage on Tuesday.

Major Home Insurance Company

Major Home Insurance Company Writing Fewer Florida Policies (WFTV 9 Orlando)
Another major insurance company is bailing out of Florida. MetLife policy holders received letters this week. The company says it will no longer renew some home insurance policies.

Power back on after

Power back on after outages hit Florida (The Pantagraph)
MIAMI -- A problem with Florida's electrical grid caused a nuclear plant to automatically shut down Tuesday and intermittently cut power to up to 3 million people from Daytona Beach through the Florida Keys.

Louisiana to revamp mental health plan (AP via Yahoo! News)
Louisiana's top health official announced a plan on Tuesday to revamp the New Orleans-area's mental health system, which has been in disarray since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area.

State Farm to stop

State Farm to stop writing policies in Florida (Miami Herald)
State Farm Florida, the largest private insurer of homes in this state, plans to limit its growth in Florida by not writing new policies, beginning March 1.

MetLife, State Farm Not Renewing Florida Policies (Central Florida News 13)
A double blow for Florida homeowners: Just one day after State Farm Insurance announced it was not going to write any more policies in Florida, News 13 has learned MetLife is dropping some of its customers.

Homeowner's suit contends State

Homeowner's suit contends State Farm Florida withheld insurance discounts (Sun-Sentinel)
State Farm Florida Insurance Co. , Florida's largest property insurer, is accused of failing to provide discounts to windstorm policy holders with hurricane-safe "hip" roofs, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Broward County Circuit Court.

State Farm will no longer write new policies in Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
State Farm, Florida's largest private property insurer, plans to essentially shut the door to selling new homeowner windstorm policies statewide.

State Farm to stop

State Farm to stop selling homeowner polices in Florida (TCPalm.com)
State Farm, Florida's largest private property insurer, plans to essentially shut the door to selling new homeowner policies statewide. State Farm officials told the state Office of Insurance Regulation last week about their plans to stop accepting new business, insurance regulation office spokesman Ed Domansky said Saturday.

State Farm will no longer write new policies in Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
State Farm, Florida's largest private property insurer, plans to essentially shut the door to selling new homeowner windstorm policies statewide.

Fitch Rts $155MM Florida

Fitch Rts $155MM Florida Full Faith & Credit Right-of-Way Bonds AA+ (InfoBolsa)
22/02/2008 19:43:00 Business Wire Fitch Ratings assigns an AA+ rating to Florida s approximately $150 million full faith and credit department of transportation right-of-way acquisition and bridge construction bonds, series 2008A, for bid on 18-hours notice as soon as Feb.

Florida Hurricane Fund bill advances (Miami Herald)
A bill to reduce the Florida Hurricane Fund's exposure to $25 billion from $28 billion passed its first hurdle Thursday, winning unanimous approval from the House Jobs and Entrepreneurship Council.

One hurricane away from

One hurricane away from 'largest tax hike' (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Worried that it couldn't pay for a big hit, state may reduce its fund that aids insurers.

Florida man arrested on Miss. home repair fraud charges (WDAM-TV Hattiesburg)
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A 42-year-old Florida man has been accused of felony home repair fraud stemming from unfinished or poorly done Hurricane Katrina repairs in Mississippi.

Florida man arrested in

Florida man arrested in connection to home repair fraud (The Clarion-Ledger)
The Mississippi Attorney General's Office has made its 58th arrest in felony home repair fraud against Hurricane Katrina victims.

Sink's plan would increase cost of property insurance (The Palm Beach Post)
Property insurance premiums could increase 2 percent across the state and more in South Florida under a proposal from CFO Alex Sink that easily cleared its first hurdle today in the state House.

State aims to shift

State aims to shift insurance risk (Bradenton Herald)
State Rep. Ron Reagan plans to introduce a bill Thursday that would shift some of the hurricane-risk burden from taxpayers back to private insurers.

Alabama beaches gear up for spring break (AP via Yahoo! News)
Alabama beach resorts posted record visitor spending on lodgings last year, bouncing back three years after Hurricane Ivan left widespread wreckage on the coast.

Florida Kitchenware Retailer Gives

Florida Kitchenware Retailer Gives Back to New Orleans (The Gourmet Retailer)
FEBRUARY 19, 2008 -- Brandon, Fla.-based Rolling Pin is hosting the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) "Gives Back" Charity Event on March 11, 2008. Proceeds from this event will go directly to benefit the historic Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Key West High School's undefeated Ralph Major advanced to the semifinals of the Class 1-A state wrestling meet Friday at the Lakeland Center with an easy 17-2 victory over Nick Pauliot of Hernando.

2 Ports of Stability

2 Ports of Stability in Florida?s Market (New York Times)
Compared with much of Florida, including nearby Fort Myers, where there is a glut of inventory, Sanibel and Captiva are holding their own.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Coral Shores' Lady Hurricanes notched their second straight win to start the lacrosse season with Friday's 9-7 home victory over Palmer Trinity. But in the nightcap of the lacrosse twinbill, the Hurricane boys surged to a lead over Palmer's Falcons but lost an 8-7 decision in overtime.

Undersea sensors may help solve hurricane mysteries (Sun-Sentinel)
It's South Florida's worst nightmare: A moderate hurricane crosses a pocket of deep warm water in the Gulf of Mexico and explodes into a top-of-the-chart Category 5 monster.

After 24 years in

After 24 years in captivity, Hurricane the manatee goes wild (The Columbus Dispatch)
Another hurricane is loose in Florida.

Trailers given to US

Trailers given to US disaster victims unsafe: CDC (TODAYonline)
A Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer sits in "FEMA City" in Punta Gorda, Florida, in 2006. Tens of thousands of trailers that the US government provided people left homeless after Hurricane Katrina contain unsafe levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday.

2007 Hurricane Season Starts Early, Ends Late (Science Daily)
The Atlantic Hurricane Season began early in 2007, and by mid-December it was still going. The season officially begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30. That means that for the most part, storms have formed and fizzled between those dates, or they used to. NASA satellites were watching and providing data from the beginning when Andrea kicked off the season on May 9 when she formed 150 miles northeast of ...

Spring break takes students

Spring break takes students south for hurricane cleanup (Royal Oak Daily Tribune)
ROYAL OAK -- Jamie Love will pack plenty of sunscreen for his first high school spring break, but he will need a hard hat more than a swim suit for his week in the South.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Coral Shores' Lady Hurricanes notched their second straight win to start the lacrosse season with Friday's 9-7 home victory over Palmer Trinity. But in the nightcap of the lacrosse twinbill, the Hurricane boys surged to a lead over Palmer's Falcons but lost an 8-7 decision in overtime.

More rain, wind forecast

More rain, wind forecast for today in South Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
Heavy rains, howling winds and overcast skies settled over South Florida on Tuesday like a case of the blues. The lousy weather snarled traffic, caused minor flight delays and made going outside miserable.

Wild Ride in Randolph County (KAIT Jonesboro)
RANDOLPH COUNTY (KAIT) - Richard and Lisa Overton moved from Florida to Randolph County six months ago. In Florida you have time to get away from a hurricane. Last Tuesdays tornadoes came quickly with no chance to run.

Key West residents pay

Key West residents pay a price for paradise (USA Today)
At the charter docks here, the tanned men in sunglasses and shorts who fish for a living take a casual view of the storms that bedevil the islands of South Florida.

Xtreme parenting: How working

Xtreme parenting: How working moms of twins and triplets cope (Sun-Sentinel)
Support networks allow moms with twins and triplets to balance parenting, careers The day after Donna Bean's triplets were born, a hurricane was threatening South Florida . She urged her husband, Jeff, to put up the shutters on their Coral Springs home. He fell from the ladder and broke his ankle.

Not forgotten: the 1928

Not forgotten: the 1928 hurricane and its victims (Miami Herald)
It still pains Viola Singleton to talk about the storm all these years later. She's 96 years old, is slowed by bad legs and has buried most of her family, including a son who never made 40. She lives in a nursing home just a few miles from where her worst memories were born.

Feds: Florida Orange Crop

Feds: Florida Orange Crop Forecast Slightly Lower Than Last Month (WFTV 9 Orlando)
MIAMI -- Florida's orange harvest will be slightly lower than previously forecast, federal agriculture officials said Friday, but the prediction didn't stop a prominent citrus official from characterizing it as "good news" for growers and juice lovers.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Coral Shores High seems likely to be the host of the girls lacrosse district tournament in April, Lady Hurricane coach Mark Hall said, so the Lady Canes should do their best to win it.

Hurricane Legislation (WJHG Panama City)
Legislative Leaders want to change the way the state prepares for hurricanes, and it could cost you more up front. Lawmakers are looking at revamping the Catastrophe fund and requiring some Floridians to storm-proof their homes. Insurance premiums could go up, but lawmakers say it would save taxpayers in the long run.

State moves out remaining

State moves out remaining animals from All Creatures shelter (The Hendersonville Times-News)
A trailer loaded with 49 dogs and bound for South Florida pulled away from All Creatures Great and Small on Wednesday afternoon, an hour before the state shut down the shelter for good.

Risk issue worries Florida insurance panel (The Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Some Florida lawmakers wonder why rates remain high despite the state stepping in with financial help, while others worry that aid now puts Florida in financial risk.

Pet shelter could open

Pet shelter could open for '09 storm season (The Palm Beach Post)
Fido will have a fighting chance if a hurricane strikes the Treasure Coast during next year's storm season.

Florida Insurers Defend Increases in Home Rates (NYTimes.com via Yahoo! Finance)
Facing accusations of price gouging, insurance company executives said that they had been forced to raise rates to offset losses and prepare for the possibility of more frequent hurricanes in the future.

Insurance companies in Florida

Insurance companies in Florida used loophole in law to bypass required rate savings (Sun-Sentinel)
Companies used loophole in law to justify increases It appears some of the state's biggest insurers tried to use loopholes in a law to skirt a requirement that they pass savings from a state-backed financial safety net to homeowners.

Insurance Execs Face Tough Questions from Florida Lawmakers (WCTV Tallahassee)
For the second day in a row, insurance executives faced tough questions from Florida lawmakers over how rates are determined. There is a consensus that the companies are using a near term loss prediction model which hasn t been approved and may be driving rates up.

Newly Appointed National Hurricane

Newly Appointed National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read to Be Introduced at 2008 Windstorm Insurance Conference (Centre Daily Times)
Bill Read, the new director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., will be introduced at the 2008 Windstorm Insurance Conference on February 5, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront in downtown Jacksonville, Fla.

Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida Testifies Before Florida Senate Select Committee (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
COLUMBUS, Ohio----Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida's president today told the Florida Senate Select Committee on Property Insurance Accountability that the company has complied with House Bill 1A.

Court: Allstate Can Still

Court: Allstate Can Still Write Policies in Florida, for Now (Insurance Journal)
Allstate insurance companies can keep on writing new policies in Florida under an appeals court ruling that rejected the state's attempt to stop them, but which also potentially sets up a quick resolu

More State Stories (Bay News 9 Tampa Bay)
(Bay News 9) -- New rules proposed last week could help waterfront homes throughout Florida when it comes to hurricane protection.

Florida Developer Recovers $42.5

Florida Developer Recovers $42.5 Million in Settlement on Hurricane Claim (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.----Real estate developer Panama City Beach Condos, LP, recovered $42.5 million in a settlement with Axis Surplus Insurance Company in a case that was tried to verdict in a Florida federal court stemming from a Hurricane Dennis insurance claim.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Three district runners-up lead a Coral Shores contingent to next weekend s Region 4-A wrestling meet in Broward County. We did a whole lot better than we expected, Hurricane head coach Mark Terrill said. The only disappointment was that we didn t have district [weight-class] champion.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Bracing for continued weakening in Florida s economy, Gov. Charlie Crist proposed a $70 billion state budget Thursday that would boost spending on programs to stimulate business and count on reserves and gambling money to get through the tough times.

Florida Developer Recovers $42.5 Million in Settlement on Hurricane Claim (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.----Real estate developer Panama City Beach Condos, LP, recovered $42.5 million in a settlement with Axis Surplus Insurance Company in a case that was tried to verdict in a Florida federal court stemming from a Hurricane Dennis insurance claim.

Florida Developer Recovers $42.5

Allstate can keep writing

Allstate can keep writing Florida policies: ruling (Crain's Chicago Business)
(AP) -- Allstate insurance companies can keep writing new policies in Florida under an appeals court ruling that rejected the state's attempt to stop them, but that also potentially sets up a quick resolution to the standoff. In the ruling issued late Wednesday, the state's 1st District Court of ...

Jupiter couple gets hurricane

Jupiter couple gets hurricane grant (The Palm Beach Post)
A Jupiter couple is getting more than a hand shake from State Rep. Bill Snyder, R-Stuart, at a meeting tonight in Martin County.

Housing: Florida's Primary Concern

Housing: Florida's Primary Concern (BusinessWeek Online via Yahoo! News)
Campaigning recently in Florida, Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney promised an "economic turnaround," John McCain said he would make permanent President George W. Bush's first-term tax cuts, and Rudy Giuliani vowed to set up a catastrophe fund to help reduce hurricane insurance costs. All three were addressing a pool of voters who have become keenly aware of how sharply a region can ...

In Florida, GOP sniping takes center stage (WTOL 11 Toledo)
The Republican contenders, particularly Mitt Romney and John McCain, have gone on the attack in the days leading up to Tuesday's Florida primary, trading accusations of flip-flopping, liberalism and lack of leadership.

Florida: New Head of

Florida: New Head of Hurricane Center (New York Times)
Bill Read, a veteran weather forecaster, was named the new director of the National Hurricane Center.

Florida governor endorses McCain

Florida governor endorses McCain (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
By LIBBY QUAID Florida Gov. Charlie Crist endorsed a beaming Sen. John McCain on Saturday night, delivering a boost three days before the state's pivotal primary. Crist praised McCain as a "true American hero." At a county GOP dinner in St. Petersburg, Crist added, "After thinking about it as much as I have, I don't think anybody would do better than the man who stands next to me, Sen. John ...

Florida's Hurricane Center Names

Florida's Hurricane Center Names New Director (FOX 35 Orlando)
The National Hurricane Center in Miami has a new chief.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
The new head of the National Hurricane Center will not even have to change offices. Bill Read, 58, has been occupying Max Mayfield's old office since he came to Miami last August to serve as the Tropical Prediction Center's acting deputy director.

Florida proves tough for W.House hopeful Giuliani (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
The line that has often won U.S. presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani his biggest cheers on the Florida campaign trail -- "we have to end illegal immigration" -- met stony silence in a Miami ballroom on Friday.

Full transcript from GOP

Full transcript from GOP presidential debate in Florida (TCPalm.com)
Full transcript from GOP presidential debate in Florida

Giuliani's Florida win appears

Giuliani's Florida win appears in danger (AP via Yahoo! News)
Rudy Giuliani splurged on Florida, lavishing time and money on a high-risk gamble that the state would vault him to the Republican presidential nomination.

Hurricane center set to name new boss (Miami Herald)
The new director of the National Hurricane Center likely will be introduced within the next two weeks and a leading contender is veteran forecaster Bill Read, The Miami Herald has learned.

McCain concentrates on Florida,

McCain concentrates on Florida, courts Cuban vote (Houston Chronicle)
John McCain courted the Cuban vote Monday and reminded Florida voters of his history in the state, though he may have alienated hurricane-weary voters with his opposition to national catastrophe insurance.

Cash crunch hits Florida campaigns (Miami Herald)
Time and cash are running out in Florida's high-stakes GOP election, and signs of it are everywhere on the campaign trail. Rudy Giuliani and John McCain parked their Florida bus tours Tuesday and zipped to New York for quick cash infusions. Mike Huckabee seriously cut back expenses and travel into Florida and said he couldn't compete in the ad wars. Fred Thompson is nowhere. He quit.

Top GOP rivals in

Top GOP rivals in Florida face-off (The Palm Beach Post)
The four top Republican presidential candidates roared into Florida on Monday, hoping their carefully tailored messages on the economy, immigration and national security would help separate them from the crowded field.

McCain courts Cuban vote,

McCain courts Cuban vote, reminds Florida of links to the state (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
John McCain courted the Cuban vote Monday and reminded Florida voters of his history in the state, though he may have alienated coastal voters with his stand on hurricane insurance.

McCain woos Cuban vote (The San Luis Obispo Tribune)
John McCain courted the Cuban vote Monday and reminded Florida voters of his history in the state, though he may have alienated hurricane-weary voters with his opposition to national catastrophe insurance. Florida has emerged as a showdown state for Republican rival Rudy Giuliani, who has been campaigning here for weeks while McCain focused on his successful strategy to win New Hampshire and ...

Mitt Romney's economic record

Mitt Romney's economic record questioned (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Republican Mitt Romney is touting his revival of the Massachusetts' economy in a pitch to voters in Florida, a state that could make or break his White House bid, but some experts dispute that record.

Tax breaks for energy

Tax breaks for energy and hurricane improvements on Florida ballot (FOX 30 Jacksonville)
Homeowners would get a property tax break for energy efficiency and hurricane protection improvements if voters adopt a proposed amendment.

Candidates about to sweet-talk us silly (Miami Herald)
Brace yourself, Florida voters, for a bootlicking. Fresh from plugging corn subsidies in Iowa and decrying lost car-industry jobs in Michigan, presidential pandering is making its way to Florida. First out of the box: Republican Rudy Giuliani, who has spent the last week endearing himself to voters with promises of lowering hurricane insurance rates.

Former NYC mayor meets

Former NYC mayor meets with Gov. Crist, AP editors (Miami Herald)
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani told Florida voters Thursday he supports a national catastrophe fund - an issue important to the hurricane battered state.

Allstate ordered to stop ALL Florida policies (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
Following up on his threat and going one step further, Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty this afternoon ordered Allstate to stop selling all insurance policies in Florida.

Florida suspends Allstate from

Florida suspends Allstate from writing new policies in state (Market Watch)
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty suspended Allstate Corp.'s ability to sell new insurance policies in the state on Wednesday, complaining that the company hasn't complied with subpoenas issued last year.

Florida: No new policies

Florida: No new policies for Allstate (Miami Herald)
bgarcia@MiamiHerald.com Allstate won't be permitted to sell new policies in Florida -- including homeowners or auto insurance -- until the company complies with a subpoena for documents, the state's insurance commissioner said Wednesday.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
A year after homeowners suffering with sky-high insurance bills were promised help is on the way, they're still waiting.

Escambia County, Fla., gets

Escambia County, Fla., gets grant to clear waterways of abandoned boats (NBC 15 Mobile)
Escambia County, Florida, will soon start clearing waterways of boats that were unclaimed after the 2004 hurricane season.

Katrina-damaged trees in Long Beach becoming sculptures (WMCTV Memphis)
Associated Press - January 14, 2008 11:14 AM ET LONG BEACH, Miss. (AP) - A Florida sculptor is being tapped to do carvings into the trunks of trees damaged by Hurricane Katrina in Biloxi just...

President to Tour Southern

President to Tour Southern California To Gauge Fire Efforts (Washington Post)
President Bush embarks this morning on a tour of the wildfires ravaging California to showcase his administration's ability to respond better to natural disasters than it did after Hurricane Katrina two years ago. Yesterday, he pronounced the federal government's actions "well-coordinated" after ...

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
One of the few positive byproducts of the 2004-05 hurricane seasons was a grassroots group of citizens who managed to effect real wind-insurance policy change where others in government and industry failed.

Florida lawmakers subpoena insurers

Florida lawmakers subpoena insurers over rates (Washington Post)
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida lawmakers on Thursday subpoenaed property insurers in a probe over why home insurance rates have not declined a year after the state doubled its hurricane insurance pool to at least $32 billion.

Holliday returns to WVU (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
As expected, Florida???s John ???Doc??? Holliday ??? a Hurricane, W.Va., native, former Mountaineers linebacker and longtime Mountaineers assistant -- was officially unveiled today as West Virginia football???s new associate head coach, along with several other duties.

Florida Appears to Be

Florida Appears to Be Losing Its Sunny Magnetism (Washington Post)
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The vast flow of people into Florida from elsewhere in the United States has been the defining feature of the Sunshine State's 20th-century history, draining swamps and spurring development, swelling the economy and shaping politics.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
The city of Key West must pay - a lot, it turns out - for clearing out mangroves to help with flood drainage. The city needed a permit do to the clearing, the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.

Florida lawmakers subpoena insurers over rates (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Florida lawmakers on Thursday subpoenaed property insurers in a probe over why home insurance rates have not declined a year after the state doubled its hurricane insurance pool to at least $32 billion.

Florida primary three weeks

Florida primary three weeks away. Voters reaction: What primary? (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
It appears the last thing on the minds of most Floridians is the primary even though it's only three weeks away.

Jindal names health secretary

Jindal names health secretary (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
BATON ROUGE -- A one-time health care adviser to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will take over the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal said Tuesday as he rounded out his Cabinet in advance of Monday's inauguration.

Driver, 69, dies in a fiery Sunrise wreck (Miami Herald)
A fiery three-vehicle crash killed one driver Tuesday and forced authorities to close the northbound lanes of the Sawgrass Expressway just south of Sunrise Boulevard in Sunrise during the morning rush hour, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Golden Hurricane blows away

Golden Hurricane blows away Falcons, 63-7 (Tacoma News Tribune)
Paul Smith and the nation s top-rated offense turned a little charity into a lot of history in the GMAC Bowl.

Latest Research by AIR

Latest Research by AIR Worldwide Scientists Shows Application of Statistics Based Solely on Atlantic Hurricane ... (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
BOSTON----AIR Worldwide Corporation today announced results of the latest research by its team of scientists into the link between the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic basin and U.S. landfall activity.

Florida and Georgia May Gain New Congressional Seats (WCTV Tallahassee)
Fast-growing Southern states including Florida could gain nine new congressional seats after the 2010 census.

Cooler temps, solitude await

Cooler temps, solitude await in Panhandle (Chicago Sun-Times)
APALACHICOLA, Fla. -- They call this part of the Florida Panhandle the Forgotten Coast, and on a cool winter day, it's easy to see why. Miles of dazzling white beaches stand deserted except for an occasional beachcomber. Hotel rooms are easily available at bargain rates.

Santeria sees a bright, hurricane-free future (Miami Herald)
We're building a high-rise skyline to rival New York's, but we need to take care of the poor. Think twice about getting that nip and tuck. Make a will so the children don't fight over their inheritance. If you didn't know it already, we have a real-estate mess on our hands. And yes, a black man might be elected president. As for the 2008 hurricane season, don't worry: It will be as tranquilo as ...

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Smathers Beach will soon have 11,600 tons of fresh sand for locals and tourists to enjoy with financial assistance from the city of Key West and the Florida Department or Environmental Protection.

South Florida growers struggling

South Florida growers struggling with water shortage (Sun-Sentinel)
U.S. Sugar says cane loss could be 10-20%, citrus fruit is smaller, and vegetable farmers are planting less A worsening water shortage could be trouble for suburban lawns, but it threatens to bring crippling damage to farms across South Florida.

AirTran to keep corporate headquarters in Florida (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
ORLANDO -- AirTran Airways will keep its corporate headquarters in Florida and add jobs, the low-cost carrier and Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday.

Disney employee Amber Minor

Disney employee Amber Minor changed her life after Hurricane Katrina (Orlando Sentinel)
Amber Minor finds new direction in her studies and plans for a career in the hospitality industry. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed her childhood home in New Orleans, 23-year-old Amber Minor discovered a fresh start miles away in Kissimmee.

Disney employee Amber Minor

Former hurricane center head

Former hurricane center head challenges how storms are classified (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
A former director of the National Hurricane Center is questioning how storms are classified.

South Florida: Disturbance may develop in eastern Atlantic (Sun-Sentinel)
A disturbance in the distant Atlantic could be developing into a low-pressure system with traits of a hurricane, forecasters said Saturday.

South Florida's Top Stories

South Florida's Top Stories Of 2007 (Local 10 Miami)
2007 was a year filled with news stories that affected South Floridians in some way or another. Local 10 and Local 10.com pick the Top 10 stories of 2007.

South Florida: Forecasters watch

South Florida: Forecasters watch system forming in the Atlantic (Sun-Sentinel)
A disturbance in the distant Atlantic could be developing into a low-pressure system with traits of a hurricane, forecasters said Saturday.

Judge Denies Bond For ATM Murder Suspect (CBS4 Miami)
A South Florida man accused of murder during a robbery will be staying behind bars. Sunday a judge denied bond for 21-year old Michael Britton.

Florida now ranks 19th

Florida now ranks 19th in rate of population growth (Sun-Sentinel)
Florida's population gained in the past year but at a slower rate than usual, according to new population estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau.

It's been a harsh year in and around Polk County (Orlando Sentinel)
The year started with one horrible crime and ended with another. In between, the Sheriff's Office targeted Internet predators, and residents of one community had to battle giant grasshoppers. Meanwhile, a famous architect's signature piece on the campus of Florida Southern College came to life and local investors purchased Cypress Gardens.

Florida Rejects Travelers' Homeowners

Florida Rejects Travelers' Homeowners Insurance Rate Increase (Insurance Journal)
A proposed 4.6 percent average statewide increase for homeowners insurance by The Travelers Companies Inc., was rejected last week by Florida's insurance commissioner. Kevin McCarty notified Travel

Florida still grows, just not as rapidly (The Palm Beach Post)
Florida may not be the magnet it once was - at least not according to the latest Census Bureau estimates.

Louisiana population rebounding while

Louisiana population rebounding while Florida growth slows (KATC 3 Lafayette)
WASHINGTON -- The population of Louisiana fell by a quarter-million people after Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans in August 2005.

Florida still grows, just

Florida still grows, just not as rapidly (The Palm Beach Post)
Florida may not be the magnet it once was - at least not according to the latest Census Bureau estimates.

Shelter generator funding runs

Shelter generator funding runs out (Florida Today)
Brevard County is installing a large generator to help power one of its four special-needs hurricane shelters, but the state has run out of money to install a second generator.

35 years later, Everglades jet crash hero is recognized (CNN.com)
HOMESTEAD, Florida (AP) -- An airboat speeding across the sawgrass and mud. A ringing in the ears when the engine was cut. Moaning. Screams for help. Desperate gasps at the water's surface. Helicopters in the distance. Christmas carols.

Report: New Orleans' population

Report: New Orleans' population nears 300,000 (CNN.com)
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- Despite slow progress in rebuilding some neighborhoods, New Orleans' population is nearing 300,000, or about 65 percent of its pre-Hurricane Katrina size, according to a new report.

New Orleans' population at 65% of its pre-Hurricane Katrina size (KJCT 8 Grand Junction)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - People are slowly returning to New Orleans. A new report says New Orleans' population is nearing 300,000. That's about 65% of its pre-Hurricane Katrina size.

Newspaper and city prepare

Newspaper and city prepare for end of an era (WOAI)
But daily circulation is less than a tenth of its peak numbers and newsroom staff less than a third of its former size. The afternoon newspaper once dispatched reporters to cover Hurricane Andrew's devastation in Florida and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
A four-goal game by Samantha Ragan powered Coral Shores' Lady Hurricane soccer team to a 6-3 opening win Thursday at the LaSalle Tournament. One of the senior forward's goals found the Lady Lion net from 40 yards out, assistant coach Andrew Van Sickle said.

Southern Miss's Damion Fletcher

Southern Miss's Damion Fletcher returned to home state after being chased by Hurricane Katrina to lead Golden Eagles ... (Birmingham News)
Damion Fletcher wanted to come home, but wasn't sure if he should. Chased from Biloxi, Miss., to Florida by Hurricane Katrina, he pondered staying there to finish his high school football career.

Northwest Florida Helicopter Crash Cause (WJHG Panama City)
If they had just rented a room, they might be alive today. Aviation investigators say bad decisions, and a lot of drugs caused a helicopter crash which killed three men in Jackson County east of Marianna almost two years ago.

Florida fund managers get

Florida fund managers get incentive bonuses (Sun-Sentinel)
But decisions caused pool to flounder Investment managers at the State Board of Administration have been awarded performance bonuses even though their decisions caused the state's investment pool for local governments to flounder this year.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Keys residents were shaking the dust off their winter apparel this week as the first real cold front of the season pushed temperatures into the mid- to low 50s in some places.

List of Florida projects

List of Florida projects funded by Congress (Sun-Sentinel)
SPENDING FOR FLORIDA A bill approved by Congress this week includes:

Pursuit (Travel): Get wrecked

Pursuit (Travel): Get wrecked (Canadian Business)
Getting wrecked has always been a key economic driver for Florida s Key West. Thanks to the proximity of trade routes and treacherous reefs, salvaging lost goods was good business indeed during the island s early days under the U.S. flag.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Keys residents were shaking the dust off their winter apparel this week as the first real cold front of the season pushed temperatures into the mid- to low 50s in some places.

Florida Wildfire Risk Grows

Florida Wildfire Risk Grows After Light Storm Season (National Geographic)
Florida wildfires may race out of control this winter, as a light hurricane season has left the state in the midst of a severe drought and its water reserves at dangerously low levels.

Trouble lurks for Cat

Trouble lurks for Cat fund, Citizens (Pensacola News Journal)
Public records show both Citizens Property Insurance and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund have $1.5 billion in troubled mortgage-backed investments managed for them by the state.

Commentary: Hurricane Forecaster Makes Wrong Predictions (WESH via Yahoo! News)
If you live in Florida, you've no doubt heard about Dr. William Gray, the hurricane forecaster from Colorado.

Florida Must Cut Hurricane

Florida Must Cut Hurricane Liability, Sink Tells CEOs (The Tampa Tribune)
The cost of property insurance for businesses has fallen by 30 percent in some cases, but the state still has much work to do to solve its insurance problems, state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said Thursday.

Governor reopens bridge devastated

Governor reopens bridge devastated by Hurricane Ivan (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
It took a little more than three years to complete the east and westbound spans of the $245 million bridge, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

Florida Must Cut Hurricane Liability, Sink Tells CEOs (The Tampa Tribune)
The cost of property insurance for businesses has fallen by 30 percent in some cases, but the state still has much work to do to solve its insurance problems, state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said Thursday.

Florida Must Cut Hurricane

Quiet and solitude on

Quiet and solitude on Florida's Forgotten Coast (CNN.com)
APALACHICOLA, Florida (AP) -- They call this part of the Florida Panhandle the Forgotten Coast, and on a cool winter day, it's easy to see why.

Republicans pick South Florida's

Republicans pick South Florida's Jeff Atwater to become Senate president (Sun-Sentinel)
South Florida Republican to gain power South Florida's Jeff Atwater on Tuesday night won the nod from fellow Senate Republicans as the next Senate president, one of the state's top political jobs and a post that could bring a bounty of riches to his home district.

Florida Panhandle in winter

Florida Panhandle in winter offers quiet beach, solitude (USA Today)
They call this part of the Florida Panhandle the Forgotten Coast, and on a cool winter day, it's easy to see why.

Storm brings heavy rains to Puerto Rico (CNN.com)
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Heavy rains from Subtropical Storm Olga drenched Puerto Rico on Tuesday, while the Dominican Republic braced for a hit by reopening hurricane shelters more than a week after the official end of hurricane season.

Gov. Crist Takes Green

Gov. Crist Takes Green Visit To Florida's Largest Building Integrated Photovoltaic System Monday (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.----Governor Charlie Crist will inspect the largest building integrated photovoltaic solar system in Florida on Monday, December 10th at 10:30 a.m. during the ribbon cutting for Advanced Green Technologies new headquarters at 2100 N.W. 21st Avenue.

News briefs from around Florida (The Daily Comet)
MIAMI (AP) - Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say a system off Puerto Rico still has the potential to become a tropical or subtropical storm. But the conditions around it have become less favorable for development.

Gwinnett Posts 4-2 win

Gwinnett Posts 4-2 win over Florida (AccessNorthGA)
DULUTH - The Gwinnett Gladiators used two goals by Mike Vigilante and two assists by Derek Nesbitt to get past the Florida Everblades 4-2 on Saturday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

Shoppers ready their Safe Florida Homes (The News Herald)
Although hurricane season is over and homeowners are turning thoughts toward winterizing their homes or general improvements, Home Depot customers this weekend will find the opportunity to mitigate against wind damage.

Florida farmers reducing spring

Florida farmers reducing spring crop as drought fear grows; losses may reach $1 billion (Bonita Daily News)
As one of the worst droughts in South Florida s history lingers, some local growers are making the tough decision to cut back on their spring crop.

Hurricane season forecast issued

Hurricane season forecast issued (Disaster News Network)
Hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University predicted Friday an "somewhat above average" 2008 Atlantic hurricane season with 13 named storms, seven of them hurricanes, three of which would strengthen into major Category 3 or above storms.

Florida Guard to deploy

Florida Guard to deploy in '09 (Miami Herald)
More than 3,400 Florida National Guard soldiers -- including at least 600 from South Florida -- are being told to prepare for a deployment to Afghanistan in the summer of 2009.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Coral Shores rebounded from a Friday loss to beat Maritime and Science Technology Academy, 64-39, Monday.

Devastating pest's discovery propels

Devastating pest's discovery propels fear for Florida's landscape, palm industry (The Palm Beach Post)
The state hoped never to find it on the guest list.

It's down time for south Florida sports fans (USA Today)
And now, we dedicate this song to the forlorn fans and paying customers of south Florida. "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows my sorrow..."

Florida Pension Fund Has

Florida Pension Fund Has `Suspect' Debt Held by Pool (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Florida's pension fund owns more than $1 billion of the same downgraded and defaulted debt that sparked a run on a state investment pool for local governments and led officials to freeze withdrawals, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News through an open records request.

Broward County officials start to prepare for next hurricane season (Sun-Sentinel)
Summit helps focus on need to plan ahead With the 2007 hurricane season over less than a week, no one wants to think about the possibility of a Category 5 monster ripping into South Florida next year.

Florida call center eyes

Florida call center eyes move to Rowan (Salisbury Post)
Salisbury is on the short list for an inbound call center that would employ upwards of 250 people. Weighing heavily in the final decision is whether the potential labor force in Rowan County is a good match for the Florida-based company's new customer service center.

Florida's Pension Fund Holds Same `Suspect' Debt as Frozen Pool (Bloomberg.com)
Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Florida's pension fund owns more than $1 billion of the same downgraded and defaulted debt that sparked a run on a state investment pool for local governments and forced officials to freeze withdrawals.

Runaway Coastline Building Adding

Runaway Coastline Building Adding To Florida's Existing Insurance Risk (Insurance Journal)
The nonstop coastal building across Florida has pushed the insurance risk in the state to nearly $2 trillion, keeping it the diciest place in the world for insurers, an industry analyst said. Gov.

University of Central Florida

University of Central Florida Knights football team defeats Tulsa 44-25 to win Conference USA championship, will go to ... (Orlando Sentinel)
The Knights and their fans relish the win and an upcoming trip to the Liberty Bowl. A human sea of black and gold went wild Saturday, stomping feet, doing the wave and rattling a new stadium as the University of Central Florida walloped Tulsa to win its first conference championship.

Florida Dodges The Hurricane

Florida Dodges The Hurricane Bullet (Central Florida News 13)
The 2007 hurricane season is officially over, and for the second straight year, Florida comes out of it unscathed.

Experts miss bull's-eye on

Experts miss bull's-eye on hurricane numbers (CNN.com)
Hurricane forecasters said their 2007 predictions were slightly off target this season, which ended Friday and produced just one U.S. hurricane and two Category 5 landfalls.

Atlantic hurricane season comes

Atlantic hurricane season comes to end (Disaster News Network)
The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season officially comes to a close today, and while residents in the U.S. are breathing a sigh of relief that they escaped what had been predicted to be a highly active storm season, people in other countries weren't as lucky.

Hurricane forecasters call season

Hurricane forecasters call season near average (South Florida Business Journal)
As this year's hurricane season nears its end, the Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team that predicted an active season now says it was not.

Palm Beach winds up

Palm Beach winds up locally light hurricane season with only two named systems (Palm Beach Daily news)
Storm damage is limited to beach, retaining wall. The above-average Atlantic basin hurricane season predicted by top forecasters materialized this year but fortunately for Florida, the state again was spared the widespread damage of the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Mild hurricane season may be 'tragedy in the making' (Arizona Daily Star)
MIAMI Despite alarming predictions, the U.S. came through a second straight hurricane season virtually unscathed, raising fears among emergency planners that they will be fighting public apathy and overconfidence when they warn people to prepare for next year.

Archaeologists explore wreck off

Archaeologists explore wreck off Fla. (The Charlotte Observer)
When Matthew Kuehne dives to the sandy bottom of Pensacola Bay, he reaches back 450 years to Spaniard Don Tristan de Luna's hurricane-doomed effort to form the first colony in the present-day United States. Archaeologists say the buried hull of a ship from de Luna's fleet of 11 ships holds crucial clues to the 1559 expedition, which sailed from Mexico to Florida's Panhandle. The ship's discovery ...

Hurricane Frenzy Fades From Memory (The Tampa Tribune)
Hurricane season ends Friday, and barring any unusual events, it was a quiet one for Florida: A strong area of high pressure kept the two most ferocious storms of 2007 pinned well to the south.

Hurricane Frenzy Fades From

Hurricane Frenzy Fades From Memory (The Tampa Tribune)
Hurricane season ends Friday, and barring any unusual events, it was a quiet one for Florida: A strong area of high pressure kept the two most ferocious storms of 2007 pinned well to the south.

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Don't describe the 2007 hurricane season that ends Friday as quiet, local experts say. It actually was a busy season, but not for us, said Irene Toner, Monroe County Emergency Management director. For the Florida Keys, it was a fortunate season.

Creator of hurricane intensity

Creator of hurricane intensity scale dies (KIFI)
MIAMI (AP) - The structural engineer who created the five-category system used to describe hurricane strength has died. His son says Herbert Saffir died Wednesday in Florida from complications of surgery. He was 90.

Herbert Saffir, 90, Dies; Created Hurricane Scale (New York Times)
A structural engineer, Mr. Saffir created the five-category system used to describe hurricane strength in 1969, laying out for the first time what kind of damage could be expected from an approaching hurricane.

Herbert Saffir, 90, Dies;

Herbert Saffir, 90, Dies; Created Hurricane Scale (New York Times)
A structural engineer, Mr. Saffir created the five-category system used to describe hurricane strength in 1969, laying out for the first time what kind of damage could be expected from an approaching hurricane.

Co-Creator Of Hurricane Scale

Co-Creator Of Hurricane Scale Dies In Florida (KTAL Shreveport)
(Miami) -- An engineer credited as a co-creator of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale has died. According to the "Miami Herald," Herbert Saffir's died of a heart attack on Thanksgiving eve at South Miami Hospital.

Creator of hurricane intensity scale dies (19 Action News Cleveland)
Associated Press - November 23, 2007 11:43 AM ET MIAMI (AP) - The structural engineer who created the five-category system used to describe hurricane strength has died.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 FIRST PLACE Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
In what some see as another bureaucratic absurdity after Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. governemnt is refusing to pick up the cost of restocking New Orleans' aquarium because of how the new fish were obtained: straight from the sea.

U.S. hurricane risk higher

U.S. hurricane risk higher over next 5 years: RMS (Business Insurance)
LONDON (Reuters) The United States, which has escaped hurricanes for the past two years, faces a high risk of major storms over the next five years, a respected catastrophe forecaster said on Tuesday.

Fitch Rates Florida's $250MM PECO Bonds 'AA+'; Outlook Stable (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NEW YORK----Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'AA+' rating to the Florida's approximately $250 million full faith and credit state board of education public education capital outlay bonds, 2006 series C, for bids on 18 hours notice, expected the week of Nov. 26.

Wednesday's Editorial: Mr. O'Shea

Wednesday's Editorial: Mr. O'Shea goes to Oxford (Tallahassee Democrat)
For the second time in two years, a Florida State University student has been named a Rhodes Scholar, one of the most prestigious academic achievements in the world.

Fitch Rates Florida's $250MM PECO Bonds 'AA+'; Outlook Stable (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NEW YORK----Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'AA+' rating to the Florida's approximately $250 million full faith and credit state board of education public education capital outlay bonds, 2006 series C, for bids on 18 hours notice, expected the week of Nov. 26.

San Carlos Park church

San Carlos Park church seeks to become hurricane shelter (The News-Press)
Hope United Church in San Carlos Park is trying to reach an agreement with Lee County to make its planned multipurpose building a hurricane shelter.

State denies Allstate rate hike (BizJournals)
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation turned down five rate filings submitted by companies associated with Allstate Corp.

Katrina rated largest U.S.

Katrina rated largest U.S. ecodisaster (The Christian Science Monitor)
The hurricane destroyed or damaged about 320 million trees across the South.

Miss. asks companies to re-bid on Katrina cottages program (Hattiesburg American)
JACKSON The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has asked companies to re-submit bids to oversee the Hurricane Katrina cottages pilot program. MEMA said it decided not to extend its $8.9 million contract with Florida-based PBS&J Engineering, the firm in charge for the last nine months.

UM Baseball Unveils 2008

UM Baseball Unveils 2008 Schedule (CSTV's College Sports)
Hurricanes will play 36 home games at Mark Light Field. CORAL GABLES, Fla. - - University of Miami head baseball coach Jim Morris has announced the 2008 Hurricane baseball schedule, which features 36 home games at Mark Light Field, 20 games against teams that advanced to NCAA postseason and 12 nonconference games against teams from the state of Florida.

Dixie Beer, damaged by Katrina, wants to go home (Houston Chronicle)
The old brick building with its looming tower and ornate iron gates where Dixie Beer was brewed before Hurricane Katrina is vacant. What the storm's 10 feet of flood water didn't destroy, looters carried off.

Florida Keys at a

Florida Keys at a crossroads between locals and the rich (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
KEY WEST, Fla. -- The sights and sounds at Schooner Wharf drip with Key West attitude: Sunburned tourists lounge near a marina, savoring drinks alongside locals wearing tank tops and sandals. ...

My Safe Florida Homes

My Safe Florida Homes (WMBB TV Panama City)
My Safe Florida Home may provide money for your home improvement projects

Recap: North Florida vs.

Recap: North Florida vs. Tulsa (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Ben Uzoh scored 20 points to lead the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to an 83-66 win over the North Florida Ospreys in a consolation matchup of the CBE Classic at the Comcast Center. Rod Earls also had a big night for Tulsa (1-1), tallying 18 points and eight rebounds, while Glenn Andrews chipped in with 14 points in the win. North Florida (0-2) was paced by Tom Hammonds who shot 7-of-11 from the floor ...

TU takes on North Florida in college basketball (KSWO Lawton-Wichita Falls)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - The Tulsa Golden Hurricane play North Florida in college basketball in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at College Park, Maryland, today.

Tulsa (0-1) vs. North

Tulsa (0-1) vs. North Florida (0-1) (Lexington Herald-Leader)
GAME NOTES: In the consolation matchup of the College Park regional, the North Florida Ospreys will collide with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane tonight at the Comcast Center as part of the CBE Classic. The new campaign did not start off as Tulsa hoped it would, as the team fell to the Hampton Pirates, 72-55. Tulsa is coming off a 20-win season, and with four starters back in the mix, the team is ...

TU takes on North Florida in college basketball (KFDA-TV Amarillo)
Associated Press - November 12, 2007 12:35 PM ET COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - The Tulsa Golden Hurricane play North Florida in college basketball in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at College...

Earls, Uzoh Carry Tulsa

Earls, Uzoh Carry Tulsa Over North Florida 83-66 (KOTV 6 Tulsa)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) _ Ben Uzoh scored 20 points and Rod Earls added 18, leading Tulsa past North Florida 83-to-66 in the consolation round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

Florida Officials Worried About

Florida Officials Worried About Upcoming Wildfire Season (First Coast News)
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. (AP) -- Hurricane season isn't over yet, but state officials say they're already worried about wildfire season. Firefighters are bracing for a bad fire season because of an ongoing drought and parched conditions throughout the state.

Dry Summer, Fall Raising Florida Wildfire Worries (CBS4 Miami)
The dry season has just begun in Florida, and even though we are still technically in Hurricane season, rainfall is expected to be scarce for the next few months. That expected dry spell has Florida officials worrying about wildfires months before they usually become an issue.

What South Florida sports

What South Florida sports fans are talking about: 1. UM bids adieu... (Miami Herald)
What South Florida sports fans are talking about: 1. UM bids adieu to Orange Bowl: Dozens of former Hurricane stars came out. Based on how the current team has done the past couple of years, they should have tried to sneak the old guys into uniforms.

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
After a return to basketball respectability last season, the Coral Shores Lady Hurricanes graduated nearly half the squad. But Hurricane coach Dan Smith is too excited about a strong group of freshmen and sophomores to worry about who are no longer on the roster.

House OK's bill creating

House OK's bill creating national catastrophe fund (Miami Herald)
A bill aimed at cutting property insurance rates by creating a voluntary risk pool among states prone to natural disasters cleared the House Thursday -- the most success Florida lawmakers have had here battling insurance woes since Hurricane Andrew raked through Homestead in 1992.

Pedro, Alou try to

Pedro, Alou try to help hurricane survivors (Sports Illustrated)
Pedro Martinez's neighbors in the Dominican Republic are desperate.

An active fire season

An active fire season forecast (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
The end of hurricane season is near, and although Florida dodged the hurricane bullet so far this year, that's bad news for wildfire season.

Once-a-week waterings, other caps

Once-a-week waterings, other caps coming (Miami Herald)
Now that the hurricane season is nearly over, it's time to start worrying about the dry season. So . . . prepare yourselves. Dehydrated backyard lakes, canals locked and transformed into ''linear water supply facilities'' and another round of strict water-use restrictions -- including just one lawn sprinkling a week -- are in South Florida's immediate future.

Strictest ever water restrictions face S. Florida (The News-Press)
South Florida could be slapped with the toughest water restriction in history just in time for Christmas.

Clarification: Lake Okeechobee dike

Clarification: Lake Okeechobee dike story (Miami Herald)
In a Nov. 2 story about repairs to Lake Okeechobee's dike, The Associated Press reported that a breach caused by a Category 5 storm could put most of South Florida under up to 4 feet of water and leave a million people homeless. The story should have made clear that such flooding could occur from a combination of a dike breach and the hurricane's storm surge, rain and other effects. The U.S. ...

Florida State topples No.

Florida State topples No. 2 Boston College 27-17 (Bonita Daily News)
BOSTON Geno Hayes returned Matt Ryan s third interception for a 38-yard touchdown with 1:10 to play on Saturday night to help Florida State beat No. 2 Boston College 27-17, ending the Eagles run at an unbeaten season and shaking up the BCS standings yet again.

Florida s safe home program hits snag (The News Herald)
You can see it in his face: Gill McLane loves the home inspection business. Part of the fun, he said of his work for Thomas Enterprising, is that he is providing a way for Northwest Florida homeowners to protect their homes from wind damage, at no cost to them.

Florida State topples No.

Florida State topples No. 2 Boston College 27-17 (Boston Globe)
There goes another No. 2. Geno Hayes returned Matt Ryan's third interception for a 38-yard touchdown with 1:10 to play on Saturday night to help Florida State beat second-ranked Boston College 27-17, ending the Eagles' run at an unbeaten season and shaking up the BCS standings yet again.

Today's college football weather

Today's college football weather report (Covers.com)
Blustery, wet weather could have impact on college games today. Hurricane Watch Chestnut Hill Fans attending Florida State at Boston College may want to consider staying indoors with remnants of Hurricane Noel expected to wreak havoc on ...

Beach erosion the worst

Beach erosion the worst harm in S. Florida from Noel (Sun-Sentinel)
Weather watches were lifted Thursday as Tropical Storm Noel veered off to sea, leaving memories of gusty days and scattered rain from South Florida's stormiest episode of this year's waning hurricane season.

Hurricane Noel expected to brush East Coast (CNN.com)
Hurricane Noel grew in size Friday as it ran almost parallel to the East Coast, on track to bring heavy rain to parts of New England, the National Hurricane Center said.

Noel Begins To Move

Noel Begins To Move Away From Florida (WPLG Click10.com via Yahoo! News)
Tropical Storm Noel was starting to move away from South Florida on Thursday afternoon, and Local 10 hurricane specialist Max Mayfield said it's becoming less likely that it will impact the area.

Hurricane season goes easy on USA (USA Today)
The 2007 hurricane season, with a month to go, is on track to leave the coastal USA relatively unscathed for a second straight year.

Hurricane season winding down

Hurricane season winding down (The Myrtle Beach Sun News)
This year's hurricane season, which officially ends the last day of this month, has seen above-average action, weather experts say, but not the unusually aggressive activity projected in months past. Tropical Storm Noel, which has killed at least 81 people in the Caribbean and on Wednesday threatened Florida's east coast, is no surprise to forecasters. Last week, forecasters predicted one or two ...

Tropical Storm Noel steers

Tropical Storm Noel steers rough surf toward Florida (KATC 3 Lafayette)
Associated Press - October 31, 2007 3:23 AM ET MIAMI (AP) - The National Hurricane Center is advising people in southeastern Florida to keep close tabs on Tropical Storm Noel (NOH'-uhl).

State OKs hurricane surcharge through next year (Tallahassee Democrat)
Florida's largest home-insurance failure will continue to cost consumers through 2008.

Noel expected to bypass

Noel expected to bypass South Florida, but keep an eye on it (Sun-Sentinel)
Emerging in the Caribbean on Sunday, Tropical Storm Noel was forecast to make a right turn and bypass South Florida. As more good news, it wasn't expected to be a hurricane when it comes closest to this region, right around Halloween.

Hurricane season above normal, meteorologists say (Hernando Today)
RUSKIN African dust, a pressure barrier along the Southeast and low sheer in the atmosphere are some of the reasons why Florida and the rest of the United States have been mostly safe from hurricane disaster this year.

Tropical storm forms near

Tropical storm forms near Haiti (CNN.com)
MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Tropical Storm Noel has formed in the Caribbean, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday.

Storm may be felt

Storm may be felt in South Florida (Miami Herald)
A tropical depression that formed Saturday night in the Caribbean will strengthen into a tropical storm Sunday and could approach hurricane strength and come within reach of South Florida later this week, forecasters said.

South Fla. Remembers Hurricane Wilma, Two Years Later (WPBF TheWPBFChannel.com via Yahoo! News)
Wednesday marks the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Wilma hitting South Florida.

Senator Tries To Make

Senator Tries To Make Condo Boards Hurricane Ready (CBS4 Miami)
It was two years ago this Wednesday that Hurricane Wilma barreled into South Florida, leaving homes destroyed and many families homeless. CBS4 returned to some of the hardest hit condos, and found that not much has changed. But frustrated home owners could be in for some relief.

S. Florida Marks 2nd

S. Florida Marks 2nd Anniversary Of Wilma (CBS4 Miami)
The 2005 hurricane season had already broken records when yet another tropical storm formed in the Caribbean on October 17th, getting the last name on the list: Wilma.

S. Florida organizations send volunteers to aid wildfire victims (Sun-Sentinel)
South Florida relief organizations, drawing upon their experience coping with hurricane disasters, have sent more than a dozen volunteers to fire-ravaged Southern California.

S. Florida Marks 2nd

Hurricane Wilma: Two years

Hurricane Wilma: Two years later (ABC 7 Gulfshore News)
It was exactly two years ago that Hurricane Wilma roared ashore in Collier County, bringing with it damaging winds, flooding rain and storm surge.

How are trees faring

How are trees faring from Adopt-A-Tree program? (Miami Herald)
Last week, we asked readers if their homes have recovered from Hurricane Wilma, which pummeled South Florida two years ago today. Most respondents said they were in pretty good shape...

Seminole Volleyball Travels To

Seminole Volleyball Travels To Hurricane Country (Seminoles.com)
Tallahassee, Fla. - For the second time this season the Florida State volleyball team will take on Miami on Tuesday, Oct. 22 in Coral Gables, Fla. The match is the third road game in five days for the Seminoles, who swept the Hurricanes 3-0 at home in Tallahassee on September 14. Catch the action live on Sun Sports and ACC Select at 7:00 p.m.

On the edge: Florida

On the edge: Florida panthers stand close to disappearing (Bonita Daily News)
Its snarling image adorns countless sports team jerseys, refrigerator magnets and license plates. But its pop cultural prevalence belies a painful truth: The Florida panther stands as close to disappearing as any living thing on the planet.

Favored Seminoles rocked by a Hurricane rally (Covers.com)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Colin McCarthy returned a fumble 27 yards for Miami's second touchdown in 11 seconds late in the fourth quarter and the Hurricanes beat Florida State 37-29 Saturday as 5 1/2-point underdogs . For the first time sinc...

On the edge: Florida

On the edge: Florida panthers stand close to disappearing (Marco Eagle)
Its snarling image adorns countless sports team jerseys, refrigerator magnets and license plates. But its pop cultural prevalence belies a painful truth: The Florida panther stands as close to disappearing as any living thing on the planet. In this three-part series, the Daily News examines the challenges that the panther faces at this new crossroads and what must be done to help an underdog ...

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Only one Florida Keys swimmer nailed down an event championship at this week's District 4-A Meet, but Key West High School freestyler Luke Knight could yet have a lot of local company at the regional meet.

Florida citrus groves give way to homes (Detroit News)
St. Lucie County once had more orange and grapefruit trees than almost any other place in Florida. Now it's one of the fastest-growing counties in one of America's fastest-growing states, and that land is fast giving way to housing tracts.

Fitch Ratings Upgrades Florida

Fitch Ratings Upgrades Florida Housing Finance Corp's Guarantee Fund's IFS to 'A+' (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NEW YORK----Fitch Ratings upgrades Florida Housing Finance Corporation's affordable housing guarantee fund's insurer financial strength rating to 'A+' from 'A'.

Florida citrus land yielding

Florida citrus land yielding fast to housing, tree diseases (Miami Herald)
There seem to be more tractors tearing up St. Lucie County's old citrus groves than tending them these days.

Florida Institute of Government to Host Public-Private-Partnership (P3) Summit for Government Leaders January 14-16, ... (PRWeb)
From January 14th through the 16th at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center, Melbourne, Florida will be the greatest opportunity to hear the nation's leading experts on P3 in Energy, Affordable Housing, Urban Planning, Financing, P3 legal arrangements, Financing, Hurricane building, School, Transit Oriented Development Projects, Highway Transportation, Privatization of City Government, ...

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
The heat of tournament games against quality foes may temper the Coral Shores girls volleyball squad for the upcoming District 16-3A postseason, the Hurricane coach says.

Florida subpoenas Allstate in collusion probe (AlertNet)
Source: Reuters By Michael Peltier TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct 16 (Reuters) - Allstate Corp, the largest publicly traded U.S. insurer, was subpoenaed on Tuesday by Florida regulators in an ongoing probe into possible ...

Voted #1 Florida Press

South Florida Property Market

South Florida Property Market Outlook May be A Little Cloudy (Turks.US)
South Florida real estate analysts have noted some alarming trends about the glut in the area s condo, and housing market.

Hurricane woman revealed after 20 yrs (Daily Mirror)
Woman who called Beeb to warn of '87 hurricane is rrevealed after 20 years.

Annual harvest of stone

Annual harvest of stone crabs starts today (Sun-Sentinel)
Another slow hurricane season in Florida has commercial fishermen enthusiastic about the potential for a productive stone crab season when the annual harvest opens today.

South Florida Property Market Outlook May be A Little Cloudy (Turks.US)
South Florida real estate analysts have noted some alarming trends about the glut in the area s condo, and housing market.

South Florida sports scene

South Florida sports scene isn't what it used to be (The Palm Beach Post)
South Florida's sports teams are so bad Julie Kicklighter gave up cheerleading to become a stand-up comedian.

Hurricane Wilma victims start receiving share of $22 million in federal aid (Sun-Sentinel)
Nearly two years after Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida, thousands of Broward County residents are starting to get a share of $22 million in federal aid.

Florida citrus bounces back

Florida citrus bounces back (Miami Herald)
Florida will rebound from a small citrus crop last season with a 30 percent increase in orange production this year, the federal government forecast Friday. But a major orange juice maker said consumers shouldn't expect prices to fall.

FEMA working on Hawaii hurricane plan (Honolulu Advertiser)
OAKLAND, Calif. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is quietly drawing up plans for a handful of disasters: devastating earthquakes beneath San Francisco and St. Louis and catastrophic storms in South Florida and Hawai'i, FEMA's chief said Thursday.

Florida CFO Proposes Changes

Florida CFO Proposes Changes to Hurricane Fund (WCTV Tallahassee)
Florida s Chief Financial Officer says the state should stop underwriting hurricane risks since it did not result in lower insurance rates as promised.

Florida's tactics worry USAA

Florida's tactics worry USAA (San Antonio Express-News)
USAA executives said Thursday that Florida's foot dragging on a 53.9 percent rate increase for homeowners insurance could leave all of its policyholders across the country vulnerable to the costs of a major catastrophe.

State CFO wants to shift hurricane risk from consumers (7 News Miami)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink says she has a plan that would shift some of the risk associated with the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund away from Florida consumers.

Florida CFO proposes cat

Florida CFO proposes cat fund changes (Business Insurance)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida s governor and cabinet would have the authority to set the reinsurance levels and pricing of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund s optional coverages under a new proposal by the state s chief financial officer.

Mixed Atlantic hurricane season puzzles experts (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Judge the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season by the 13 storms so far, and it looks like a relatively busy year. But look at the number of days a hurricane has swirled in the Atlantic, or use other measures of a storm season's ferocity, and 2007 has been surprisingly benign.

Reports question Guard's readiness

Reports question Guard's readiness for big storms (The News-Press)
The readiness of the Florida National Guard to help with hurricane recovery this year has sparked debate because almost half of the Guard's equipment...

Shifting hurricane risk away from consumers (WTSP - Tampa Bay's 10 News)
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink says she has a plan that would shift some of the risk associated with the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund away from Florida consumers.

New York Proposes Hurricane

New York Proposes Hurricane Insurance Fund (New York Times)
Seeking to ease soaring insurance premiums, New York regulators are proposing that insurance companies set aside extra money to pay for major hurricane damage.

PWINSIDER Q&A: HURRICANE DURING WRESTLEMANIA 24?, TOD GORDON'S ECW LAWSUIT, WRESTLING TV SERIES ONLINE AND MORE (PWinsider)
If there was a forecast for a hurricane to strike Orlando, Florida next year on the day before, or on the same day, of Wrestlemania 24, would the WWE be forced to cancel the event? If so, does the WWE have an alternate site for Wrestlemania 24 just in case such a thing happens?

In the eye of

In the eye of the storms (Miami Herald)
Col. Ken Weinstein is a politician. Then again, he isn't. Sure, the 76-year-old is vice mayor of Bay Harbor Islands, but while he's proud of that gig he would just as soon you know him for his military service and his disaster preparedness expertise. Even though the 2007 hurricane season has been virtually nonexistent in South Florida, Weinstein still has a few tips for you. And when those run ...

Florida Couple Accept Settlement in Lawsuit Against State Farm (Insurance Journal)
A lawsuit in a Mississippi court over Hurricane Katrina damage ended last week with a settlement between the insurance company and the Florida couple. It was the first Katrina-related insurance ca

Voted #1 Florida Press

Voted #1 Florida Press 2004 and 2005 Best Web Site Florida Keys Keynoter (Keynoter.com)
Coral Shores High School cross-country runners Tyler Boban and Max Jones finished first and second to give the Hurricane boys team victories in two meets this week.

Storm-Tossed Yacht on the

Storm-Tossed Yacht on the Move (ABC News)
Yacht Marooned by Florida Hurricane in '05 Is Finally Being Removed

Weak disturbance to bring

Weak disturbance to bring rain, wind to S. Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
A disturbance near the Bahamas remained disorganized on Thursday and appeared unlikely to develop into a tropical depression, at least any time soon, the National Hurricane Center said.

Yacht Marooned After Fla. Storm to Move (ABC News)
Yacht Marooned by Florida Hurricane in '05 Is Finally Being Removed; Owner Remained on Board

Alternative Construction by Gulf

Alternative Construction by Gulf Coast of Mississippi Performs Hurricane Strength Projectile Test Against Conventional ... (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Alternative Construction Technologies, Inc. a leader in the production of structural insulated panel systems used in the construction of government, residential, and commercial buildings, today announced its' ACTech Panel System will be compared in a test of hurricane projectile strength against conventional building materials.

Blood donations drying up in Southwest Florida (Naples Daily News)
A drop-off in donations has caused Florida's Blood Centers to issue a "Call to Action," for blood donors in Southwest Florida. "It seems to be specific to the west coast where the supply is critically low," said Anna Masters, the nonprofit company's manager of public relations. "The donor pool is shrinking and it is a concern for area blood banks."

Miami-Florida (4-1) at North

Miami-Florida (4-1) at North Carolina (1-4) (Lexington Herald-Leader)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Kenan Memorial Stadium (60,000) -- Chapel Hill, North Carolina Television: ESPN 2. Home Record: Miami-FL 4-0, North Carolina 1-1. Away Record: Miami-FL 0-1, North Carolina 0-3. Neutral Record: Miami-FL 0-0, North Carolina 0-0. Conference Record: Miami-FL 1-0, North Carolina 0-2. Series Record: Series is tied, 5-5. GAME NOTES: The Miami-Florida Hurricanes invade Kenan ...

Rain deficit shrinks in South Florida (Sun-Sentinel)
Thanks to a string of stormy days in the past several weeks, most of South Florida has caught up on its normal amount of rainfall for the year, the National Weather Service in Miami said Tuesday.

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