Florida Insurance Renewals Come in Lower

A Jacksonville insurance agent said one customer recently renewed a home policy for about $1,100 less than the year before.

Brightway agent Matt Carlucci Jr. said the savings catch homeowners off guard: “It’s almost a shock.”

Statewide, average premiums fell in 51 of Florida’s 67 counties in the first half of 2026.

Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute credits the Legislature’s 2022 and 2023 litigation reforms. Florida’s share of the nation’s homeowners insurance lawsuits fell from 79% in 2020 to 41% in 2025, and Citizens, the state-backed insurer of last resort, cut rates an average of 8.7% this spring.

Floridians still pay the highest home insurance bills in the country, averaging $6,060 a year for $300,000 in coverage, according to Insurify. The reforms that insurers credit also narrowed policyholders’ ability to recover attorney fees when they sue over a denied claim.

Hackers Claim Florida License Database Breach

A cybercrime group called ShinyHunters says it stole roughly 200,000 Florida driver license records, along with Social Security numbers and home addresses, and wants a ransom paid by today.

The target is DAVID, the state’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database. Microsoft warned in July that the group exploits flaws in widely used software to pull off exactly this kind of theft.

University of South Florida cybercrime professor Thomas Hyslip believes the reports are likely accurate. He said hackers appear to have exploited the “forgot your password” feature, which was disabled Thursday afternoon.

State officials say they have no comment. Hyslip’s advice for drivers: freeze your credit with all three bureaus.

DeSantis, Cabinet Set Terror Designation Rules

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet approved an emergency rule Friday laying out how Florida will formally designate a group as a terrorist organization.

The vote came on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and took about two minutes. Under the rule, the state’s chief of domestic security, currently Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass, notifies the governor and Cabinet before any designation.

DeSantis said it gives the state a framework “to defend the people of Florida against hostile actors and terrorist groups.”

The underlying 2026 law, HB 1471, passed 80-25 in the House and 25-11 in the Senate. DeSantis has moved to designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim Brotherhood, and antifa, plus more than 90 foreign groups already on the federal list.

CAIR sued in federal court in Tallahassee, arguing the process violates the First Amendment and due process. Designations take effect 30 days after publication.

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➤ Celebration: Matthew Eric Jenkins, 20, died after an apparent lightning strike Tuesday evening on a walking trail behind a hotel, where bystanders found him unresponsive and started CPR. He had moved from Michigan a week earlier to begin the Disney College Program. (More)

➤ Orange County: Residents packed Thursday’s commission meeting to object to Sheriff John Mina’s $470 million funding request, down from an original $508 million. Commissioners vote Sept. 24. (See Details)

➤ Groveland: Former police chief Shawn Ramsey sued the city in federal court Wednesday, alleging he was fired in retaliation for reporting suspected misconduct by officials. The city’s termination notice, issued Aug. 25, cited his handling of discipline for a sergeant accused of driving over 100 mph to work. (See Details)

➤ Jacksonville: Apartment complexes once owned by landlord Jarek Tadla are selling at foreclosure auction for as little as $800, after months of neglect, unpaid utility bills, and unsafe conditions. Elon Management, brought in to run 10 of the properties, says it inherited significant deferred maintenance and unauthorized occupants. (More)

➤ Daytona Beach: A developer has pitched a luxury condominium complex styled after the Greek islands for a vacant stretch of Daytona Beach waterfront. (See Video)

➤ Miami: United CEO Scott Kirby said he’d build a Miami hub if he could get 40 or 50 gates and noted American Airlines already holds more than 50 at the airport. (More)

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➤ Florida hosts Campbell this afternoon in Gainesville, while UCF heads to Pittsburgh. Florida Atlantic and Florida International are home tonight, facing Navy and Buffalo respectively. (See Schedule)

➤ The Tampa Bay Rays opened a weekend series against the Houston Astros last night with a chance to become the first MLB team to clinch a playoff berth this season. (More)

➤ No. 7 Miami amassed a school-record 856 yards in Thursday’s 77-7 rout of Florida A&M in a game so lopsided that the teams shortened the fourth quarter by five minutes. (More)

➤ A group of fans launched savefsufootball.com after Monday’s 27-24 home loss to SMU, asking 250,000 Seminoles supporters to chip in $102 each toward buying out coach Mike Norvell. That would raise $25.5 million, about half his reported buyout. Donations aren’t open yet. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB | NCAAF | Soccer

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➤ Kenzlee Bryant, 10, is asking Jackson County residents to nominate elderly neighbors, families in hardship, or people living alone for a Thanksgiving dinner through her Full Hearts, Full Plates drive. The idea came after she overheard a woman at a grocery store wish she had someone to celebrate with. (Read Story)

➤ A Villager drove a golf cart into a water-filled hole on the multi-modal path along Buena Vista Boulevard Thursday night, mistaking it for a puddle. Lightning had ruptured a 12-inch irrigation main underneath, washing out the asphalt. (See Details)

➤ Hop’n Spa, Miami’s first beer spa, opened on NE 54th Street with three private suites, each holding a sauna and two cedar tubs steeped in Epsom salt, hops, and yeast. (Watch)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. 

➤ Physical therapists say six simple moves may protect the strength and balance that age quietly erodes. (See Exercises)

➤ One surrogate’s refusal to end a pregnancy has escalated into a custody fight now before the U.S. Supreme Court. (Hear Story)

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When your home insurance renewed this year, what happened to the premium?

1. It went down
2. It went up
3. About the same
4. I rent

Yesterday’s Results:

How do you feel about Florida’s quiet hurricane season?

1. Cautiously optimistic: 56%
2. Relieved: 29%
3. Still fully prepared: 10%
4. Suspiciously nervous: 4%
5. Other: 1%

Which Florida city covers more total area than any other city in the contiguous United States?

Show me the answer