Former state Senator Jeff Brandes wrote last week in the Tampa Bay Times that the state must stay the course on its 2022 insurance reforms. During his time in the Senate, Senator Brandes was an advocate for laws designed to foster a stable, competitive property insurance market. In a recent Tampa Bay Times opinion, he […]
In an opinion piece in Florida Politics this week, former state Senator Garrett Richter identified Florida’s 2022 statutory reforms as the critical foundation of Florida’s improving property insurance market. He noted that from 2017 to 2022, Florida’s property insurance market devolved into one of the worst in the country. More than a dozen insurers became […]
The Florida legislative session began on March 4, 2025, with opening remarks from Speaker of the House Daniel Perez, Senate President Ben Albritton and Governor Ron DeSantis. The comments of Speaker Perez attracted the most attention from observers of Florida’s property insurance market. Speaker Perez generally said he wants the Florida House to focus on […]
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued updated “Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting Workers,” which outline several business practices that may violate antitrust laws. These guidelines follow a recent federal court decision striking down the FTC’s final rule prohibiting nearly all non-competition agreements in the workplace. The guidelines identify […]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has named Attorney General Ashley Moody to replace Marco Rubio in the United States Senate. Senator Rubio has been tapped by President-elect Trump to serve as the country’s next Secretary of State. Moody was first elected as Florida’s Attorney General in 2018. She won reelection in 2022. During her tenure as […]
On January 15, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on the appropriate legal standard for reviewing certain claims made under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In E.M.D. Sales, Inc. v. Carrera, No. 23-217, 2025 WL 96207 (U.S. Jan. 15, 2025), the Court held that the “preponderance-of-the-evidence” standard applies when an employer seeks to […]
Several early nominees for positions in the next Trump administration have deep Florida connections. Prominent examples include U.S. Senator Marco Rubio being tapped for Secretary of State and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi being the nominee for U.S. Attorney General. Bondi’s nomination followed a brief cycle in which U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz from the […]
The Florida legislature has taken a series of steps in recent years to curtail abuses in Florida’s residential property insurance market. Policymakers and industry representatives typically point out that it can be several years before the full effects of statutory changes are known. This is largely because most legislative changes apply prospectively, meaning their effectiveness […]
The Florida legislative calendar typically ensures there’s no post-holiday haze as we return to work in the new year. This year’s session begins March 4, 2025, and lasts 60 days. This isn’t as early as some years— the session begins in January in even-numbered years. Still, committee meetings begin before the session starts so the […]
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has amended its Hurricane Helene emergency order and adopted a new emergency order in response to Hurricane Milton. The orders extend applicable grace periods until December 10, 2024. Hurricane Helene OIR adopted Emergency Order 400385-24 after Hurricane Helene. The order tolled the time period for policyholders in affected counties […]