The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has taken the next step toward adopting administrative rules implementing recent legislation. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) recently authorized the OIR to formally publish drafts of the rules as proposed rules. The FSC consists of Florida’s Governor, Chief Financial Officer and Attorney General. These elected officials comprise a […]
The Florida Legislature increased regulatory oversight over the insurance industry in its insurer accountability bill (SB 7052) as summarized separately in this report. The law changes will require the Office of Insurance Regulation to adopt a series of administrative rules. In several cases, the rulemaking process should result in rule workshops this summer as the […]
The 2023 Florida Legislature passed SB 7052, commonly referred to as the insurer accountability bill. The bill came as a surprise to some after the legislature adopted meaningful property insurance reforms in a December 2022 special session and enhanced those reforms earlier in the 2023 session. Some observers commented that SB 7052 will reduce the […]
Governor Ron DeSantis has nominated Mike Yaworsky as Commissioner of the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). Yaworsky’s name might be familiar to those who follow insurance regulation in Florida— he previously served as Chief of Staff of OIR under former commissioner David Altmaier before leaving for his current position as Vice Chair of the Florida […]
The new year brings the initial reporting period for a new closed claim reporting obligation applicable to residential property insurers. In the 2021 legislative session, the Florida Legislature adopted SB 76 which, among other things, amends Section 624.424 pertaining to insurers’ annual statements. The new requirement specifies that beginning January 1, 2022, each authorized residential […]
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) recently indicated it anticipates initiating rulemaking by November 1 with respect to the new closed claim reporting requirement in SB 76 (Chapter Law 2021-77). Adopted in the 2021 legislative session, SB 76 added a new subsection (11) to Section 624.424 governing insurers’ submissions of annual statements. The new […]
Several high profile races in Florida were decided, or at least appeared to have been decided, on election night by close margins. At the state level, Republican Ron DeSantis looked like the winner in Governor’s race, Republican Jimmy Patronis prevailed as Chief Financial Officer, Republican Ashley Moody won to succeed Pam Bondi as Attorney General, and […]
Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced earlier this year that he would be leaving his position in the first week of May. This triggered a search for a replacement that remains ongoing, with the next interviews expected to take place at an April 26 meeting of the Financial Services Commission. With the effective date of his […]
The state’s search for a new insurance commissioner to replace outgoing commissioner Kevin McCarty will continue into April. The four-member Financial Services Commission (Governor and Cabinet) is responsible for selecting the next commissioner by majority vote, with the caveat that the Governor (Rick Scott) and Chief Financial Officer (Jeff Atwater) must be on the prevailing side. The […]
The Financial Services Commission (FSC), consisting of the Governor, Chief Financial Officer, Attorney General and Commissioner of Agriculture, discussed the process of finding Florida’s next Insurance Commissioner at their regularly scheduled Cabinet meeting. The FSC intends to conduct a nationwide search and agreed to potentially increase the compensation level to attract highly qualified candidates. The […]