Monday, May 14, 2012
On the surface, it appeared Monday that little had changed in Robert and Rhonda Matheny's backyard. The crater-like sinkhole that opened up Saturday, its lip a few yards from the swimming pool, hadn't grown much since Sunday. But what was happening below the surface on the Mathenys' property in Jonesville was of concern to geologists.

TALLAHASSEE — If Citizens Property Insurance Corp. moves forward with a controversial plan to uncap rates for new customers, the price to join state-run insurance will increase by an average of 30 percent next year.

TALLAHASSEE — If Citizens Property Insurance Corp. moves forward with a controversial plan to uncap rates for new customers, the price to join state-run insurance will increase by an average of 30 percent next year.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A sinkhole is threatening a home in Windermere.  Residents at a home located at 4926 Indian Deer Road first discovered the sinkhole around 7 a.m. Thursday morning.   Lou Lambrose said when his wife woke up to take the family dog out for a walk, she saw the earth opening up in their back yard.

As Citizens Property Insurance tries to eliminate more than 675,000 policyholders from its rolls by 2014, the state-run insurer is dropping coverage and raising rates at an alarming pace. Citizens Property Insurance has some new ambitious goals: Move as many as 678,000 policyholders out of state-run insurance and once again become the “insurer of last resort.” Its strategy: Enact a flurry of policy changes that will undoubtedly raise premiums and reduce coverage for thousands.

TAMPA - Florida’s largest property insurance company backed away Thursday from a plan to allow unlimited rate increases for new customers in the face of criticism from consumer advocates and two elected officials who helped draft the current rate cap.

Stymied by lawmakers who have balked at larger premium increases for Citizens Property Insurance Corp., advocates for higher rates at the state-run insurer are proposing a backdoor plan that skips legislative approval.

As sure as death, taxes and humidity, it was inevitable Mike Fasano's name was going to appear on a ballot sometime this year.

Seth Pardue grew up yearning to be a soldier and still bears scars from make-believe skirmishes on his family's 5-acre spread on Centralia Road, northwest of Brooksville.

NEW YORK (CNN Money) -- A huge wave of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have returned to the U.S. in recent months, and that's created a surge of applicants for the GI Bill.

He's barred by term limits from running for reelection to the Florida Senate.

EVIDENCE OF SINKHOLE DAMAGE IN YOUR HOME?
If you answer YES to any of these questions, you need to call APT! 1-888-440-SINK or visit www.askthesinkholeguy.com

A Tampa sinkhole lawyer will begin the sinkhole claims process by first carrying out a detailed and in-depth study to uncover whether the damage to your property has actually been due to a sinkhole.

In the final days of a lawmaker's tenure, there are usually congratulatory farewells.

A proposal to shrink the size of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation by allowing unregulated surplus lines companies to take over policies hit a speed bump Monday, with a Senate amendment intended to make the bill more consumer-friendly.

This gives public outcry a whole new meaning. An unhappy Citizens Insurance Property Insurance Corp. customer has written a song in protest to the state-run insurer, after it dropped coverage of his carport. Kevin Roth, a folk singer from Oakland Park, was shocked when he found out that Citizens would no longer insure his carport and screened porch, part of a wide-ranging coverage change enacted by the company last year.

State-run entities that expanded over the past decade to provide affordable homeowners insurance in hurricane-threatened Florida are in danger of becoming so big they threaten to wreak havoc on the local economy.

In a narrow vote on Friday, Florida''s House passed a bill that would allow so-called “surplus lines” carriers to take over policies from Citizens Property Insurance, if they meet certain criteria.

Tell your Florida House member to vote against this controversial bill that will remove insurance protections consumers now possess under Citizens.