News

Business groups in Florida were hoping for some reform to the state's bad-faith laws during the 2012 legislative session. However, those hopes ended suddenly when a legislative committee voted by a one vote margin to kill the bill that would have placed additional restrictions on lawsuits.

The House Civil Justice Committee rejected the bill that would have provided insurance companies with more time to settle claims in order to avoid third party bad faith lawsuits.

A bad-faith claim arises when and insurer fails to settle a third-party's claims against the insurer's policyholder, therefore exposing the insured to monetary damages in excess of their policy limits. The third party can also sue the insurance company in cases where they believe the insurance company failed to settle the claim in good faith.

Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, who sponsored the bill, believes that the state needs new restrictions in order to help reign in the cost of...  see more >>

In January 2012, Florida employers could be paying up to 8.9% more for their workers' compensation premiums. The rate changes may also trigger legislative action to clamp down on doctor-dispensed drugs.

The National Council on Compensation Insurance recommended a rate hike for the 2012 year. This rate increase will follow a 7.8% increase in 2011. However, even with the proposed increase, the state's workers' compensation rates have fallen a total of 58.6% since 2003. According to the NCCI, no one expected the 2003 reforms would have had such a positive and continued effect on the system.

Since the 2003 reforms, the rates declined steadily and then leveled off around 2006. The slight increases in premiums for the last two years are only slightly higher. It is obvious that the current economic downturn has also had its effect on the rates. Since the housing bubble burst, the construction industry alone has seen its work force drop by 42%. Due to the...  see more >>

1.They use ratings that you are not allowed to see to determine how much you will pay in premiums.
2.They use your FICO credit rating to assess risk in determining your car insurance premiums. You can't see this risk assessment either!
3.They use a software program called Colossus to determine how much your injury is worth when determining a settlement in your personal injury claim. Most often, this software is rigged to short change you!
4.They use the same software program (Colossus) to analyze the attorney you choose to represent you. They know based on previous settlements with your attorney whether they can get away with a minimal settlement amount or if your attorney will take your fight to court.
5.They sneak percentage based deductibles into your policy for things such as hurricane damages in high risk areas. This passes more cost on to the homeowner when a claim is made.
6.They argue the value of the items you are claiming loss...  see more >>

Florida has just released the Traffic Crash Statistics Report 2010 and it is good news for Florida drivers! The traffic death rate is continuing to drop as is the number of traffic crashes!

Some positives from the report:

• Fatalities have dropped every year from 2005 with 3,533 to 2010 with 2,444 - a 30.8% reduction!
  


• Motorcycle rider and passenger fatalities decreased between 2009 and 2010 by 4.7% from 402 to 383 respectively.
  


• Bicyclist and passenger fatalities plunged between 2009 and 2010 by 24% from 99 to 76 respectively.
  


• Teen crash fatalities fell between 2009 and 2010 by 5.9% from 153 to 144 respectively.
  


• Alcohol related crashes were reduced from 20,085 in 2009 to 17,748 in 2010.