Progressive insurance to return $1 billion to Florida policyholders.
Progressive auto insurance says it will begin paying back about $1 billion in excess profits to its policyholders in Florida. The amount of the credit will depend on what you paid for your policy — and how much excess profit in Florida is identified by the company at the end of the year. The average credit will be about $300. You don’t need to take any action, but only customers with active policies on Dec. 31, 2025, will qualify for the credit.
Does Florida have too many counties?
Florida's House Speaker recently questioned whether the state has too many small counties. Daniel Perez broached the subject on The Florida Roundup:
"Look, I'm gonna play devil's advocate here. Should some of these counties not exist? You know, do we have too many counties? Should some of them maybe be combined? I don't know. I have no idea. I'm not saying yes or no, but those are the questions that I that I'm asking."
Craig Mosteller from the Florida Association of Counties says these questions create many more questions.
"If you're going to do that, then I think you just have a lot of things to look at, like, which counties merge? Why should they merge? How do services get divided so that everyone gets the same services that they need or are required for safety and care and water and all of those things?”
Not surprisingly, local government representatives don't believe consolidating counties is a good idea.
Holiday gift from Trader Joe’s
Could Brevard County get an early holiday gift? No opening date for the first Space Coast Trader Joe’s has been announced yet, however, a proposed timeframe has been. Trader Joe’s corporate told Florida Today that they hope to open before the end of the year at the Avenue Viera. The store will be located on Town Center Avenue where the former Michael’s was located.
Double-header rocket launch tomorrow.
Two rocket launches are scheduled for Wednesday evening from the Cape. SpaceX is up first, with a launch window that opens at 6:08PM. Then United Launch Alliance will send a communications satellite to orbit for ViaSat. That launch is set for 10:24PM. If both missions are successful, that will tie the yearly launch record of 93 set last year.
Central Floridians learn about rising healthcare premiums.
Some Central Floridians are learning they’ll soon be spending hundreds more each month for healthcare from the Affordable Care Act marketplace. That’s because A-C-A tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year. Democratic lawmakers say unless those tax credits are restored, they won’t end the government shutdown. Constance Brown is a registered nurse and case manager with the Central Florida Black Nurses Association. She says she wants the focus to stay on the people being affected.
“Our residents are worried about how they can afford their food and basic needs during this government shutdown. Programs like SNAP help our elderly, disabled and also our veterans.”
Brown was speaking at a press conference yesterday in Orlando.
Parish Healthcare re-opens Titusville facility.
Parrish Healthcare is partially reopening its Titus Landing facility following repairs to the HVAC system. The first floor of the Titusville facility is now considered safe for limited services, while the second and third floors remain closed. Parrish Medical Group Cardiology will be the first practice to return to the reopened space.
