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 […]
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a rule banning non-compete agreements between employers and employees. The rule applied to employees, independent contractors, interns, and more, but permitted existing non-compete agreements with senior executives, subject to certain conditions. The rule also required employers to provide notice to workers who had previously signed […]
The Florida Department of Services has issued Emergency Order 2024-01 resulting from Hurricane Debby’s landfall. With respect to public adjuster contracts, the Emergency Order provides that notwithstanding Section 626.854(7), a public adjuster contract based on a Hurricane Debby loss may be cancelled without penalty or obligation within 30 days of after the date of loss […]
Following Hurricane Debby, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis warned consumers about contractors using agreements designed to circumvent Florida’s prohibition against assignment of benefits (AOBs). In recent years, contractors’ widespread use of AOBs contributed to elevated losses, loss adjustment expenses and litigation in the Florida property insurance market. The Florida legislature included a prohibition […]
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has published draft rule 69O-170.013 implementing the premium tax discount requirement adopted in the 2024 legislative session. The draft rule is substantially similar to emergency rule 69OER24-1 previously adopted by OIR. The Florida legislature granted emergency rulemaking authority to both OIR and the Department of Revenue to administer […]