Florida slaps property insurance company with $100K fine over Hurricane Ian claims
Video above: 'Broke' insurance companies moved money, report finds
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida insurance regulators fined a property insurance company $100,000 for its mishandling of claims in the wake of Hurricane Ian in 2022.
According to a consent order document provided by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Centauri Specialty Insurance Company failed to utilize properly appointed adjusters and provide a disclosure statement when providing payments on claims that were not the full and final payment.
Manatee dies while receiving medical care at Florida state park: report
Insurance regulators pointed to 168 instances where the company used insurance adjusters who were not properly appointed. Florida law requires them to be licensed and appointed.
The office said that Centauri 'did not provide the particular disclosure statement when providing a payment on a claim that was not the full and final payment in 141 instances.'
Centauri was fined $100,000, plus $2,000 in administrative costs. As part of the agreement, the company acknowledged it could face administrative penalties if caught violating the terms of the consent order in the future.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Florida budget talks extended, final plan still pending
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The end of Florida's 2025 legislative session may finally be in sight, but not without another extension. 'When all is said and done on the 16th, I think we'll have a balanced budget our constituents will be proud of,' said Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula. WATCH: Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested on racketeering charges House and Senate members returned to the floor Thursday to extend the budget deadline, for a third time. While leaders say they're making headway, lawmakers still haven't even gotten their hands on the budget yet.'We don't have any information, no idea what the budget looks like,' said State Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Tampa. Budget cuts are expected, but there's just no clarity yet on where those cuts will fall. 'That's a sad place to be, knowing that you're going home and you can't really talk to constituents about the budget because we don't know what's in the budget,' said Hart. Speaking publicly for the first time since lawmakers have been back in Tallahassee, Senate President Albritton and House Speaker Danny Perez. 'We don't have a final product yet, but we both have the same goal,' Perez said. According to both leaders, the goal of this year's budget is to provide long-term stability and recurring relief for Floridians.'We're making decisions today that are going to be super helpful in the future,' said Albritton. Albritton highlighted tax holidays like back-to-school and hurricane preparedness — saying they are still a part of the budget. 'What we are trying to do is stop that from happening into the future. The only way you can do that is by tying up some of the savings,' said Perez. It continues to be a waiting game, and from here on out, it will be up to the budget chairs to finish the job. Lawmakers are expected to return the week of June 16th, with Senate leadership saying he's 90% positive the budget will be passed on time. 'It was a bumpy road, and I believe we are better for it,' said Albritton. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Tampa dog bar forced to shut down after losing legal battle with state
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Pups Pub in Tampa is preparing to close its doors this weekend after losing a legal battle with the state over its dog-friendly indoor operations. The business, which allows dogs to roam freely both inside and outside its premises, initially won a lawsuit in 2023 that permitted non-service animals indoors. But the Florida Department of Health appealed the decision and won. A state court ultimately ruled that the Department of Health has the authority to prohibit non-service animals inside any food service business, effectively banning the indoor-outdoor dog bar model. 4 dolphins from Florida park involved in criminal investigation moved to Clearwater Marine Aquarium 'To use the term divide and conquer, they picked one entity,' attorney Gary De Pury, at De Pury Law told News Channel 8. 'They went through the entire legal battle in order to create all the legal precedents. And now they can pick five, six, eight, ten at a time and start shutting them all down by saying, okay, we don't like what you're doing.' While other dog bars in places like St. Petersburg remain open for now, legal experts said they could face similar scrutiny if the health department decides to expand enforcement. 'Until the health department comes in their establishment [and says], okay, here's the new ordinance and you have to shut it down,' the attorney added. 'And as you know, laws change every single day in Florida.' In a Facebook post announcing the abrupt closure, the owners of Pups Pub wrote: 'Despite previously winning our case in 2023, the Department of Health appealed and ultimately reversed the ruling. We are heartbroken to announce we will be closing our doors this Saturday.' The decision has left loyal patrons and pet lovers disappointed. 'With any neighborhood bar, everybody kind of knows their name and their dogs,' one visitor said. 'I think it's kind of a travesty. I feel very sorry for the patrons and the business owner.' Pups Pub's final day of operation is set for Saturday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Help me get back into my home': Hillsborough residents give input on spending $709M in storm recovery funds
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla (WFLA) — Hillsborough County is asking residents to give input on potential spending for storm recovery funds. The county held the first of nine public meetings on Wednesday night. $709 million of federal funding is available to help with recovery and mitigation efforts related to Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene, and Milton. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery. Many hurricane victims are at different stages of recovery. Barbara Yarborough is back in her West Park home after having four feet of water on the inside. 'I walked in the front door and nothing was in the same place,' said Yarborough. 'It was dirty sewer water, that's what bothered me.' Yarborough couldn't make it to the meeting on Wednesday, but said she had been encouraging her neighbors to go, as she says they've never seen flooding like what they saw last fall. Evelyn Igbinosun lives in Lake Magdalene and said three feet of water rushed into her house. 'I'm still not in my house,' said Igbinosun. 'If I didn't have a relative, I would be out on the street.' These women, and other residents, called on Hillsborough County to make some changes. The county proposes putting $35 million toward administration, $5 million for planning, $360 million for housing, $107 million for infrastructure, $180 million toward the economy, and $12 million for public services. 'We want this to be fair and accessible to all who qualify,' said the moderator of the public hearing. Residents said they felt $709 million isn't enough money to help. '$10 million for flood mitigation wouldn't even cover this area,' said one resident. 'These public dollars should prioritize long-term community resilience, not corporate profit,' said another resident. They also mentioned the backed-up canals and drainage systems they feel make storms even worse. 'Our ditches in the Town and Country area are horrible,' said one woman. 'It rained the other day and I went into a panic. I said 'Oh my gosh, I hope it's not going to rain too much,'' said Yarborough. 'I want them to redo the gutters and that canal there. Stormwater and drainage, after all, that's why we're here. Florida, we're known for that, so we need to take care of it. And I thought our taxes went to take care of things.' Igbinosun said she doesn't think the county was prepared for these storms and wants them to act now. 'Help me get back into my home. I would love that because my husband is in a nursing home. We use to go and get him and bring him home for the day. We can't even do that anymore,' said Igbinosun. 'Drainage would be the most important thing to me and then helping people like me get back into their homes and function day to day in their own surroundings.' The county has six years to use these funds. If the plan is approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the county can implement the program later this fall. If you want to send Marilyn Parker a news tip about this story or other newsworthy events, fill out the form below! Submit a form. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
