Tagged: hurricane

The price of property insurance in Florida keeps going up --  such that some homeowners are getting second mortgages or dropping coverage all together.  The state created Citizens Property Insurance to be the insurer of last resort for Florida homeowners. But plans to shrink Citizens by loaning money to private insurance companies and allegations of corporate misconduct have sparked outcries by some state officials and the public alike. 

Florida has successfully dodged a major storm for a while now. But, the state's residents have not been so lucky at dodging rate increases on their property insurance.

Property insurance rates have been rising for millions of Floridians even though the state hasn't been directly hit by a hurricane in seven years.

 Today is the last day of hurricane season, and South Florida was largely spared. The season concludes a busier-than-expected year punctuated by one of the most damaging storms on record. We take a look back at Sandy, a storm with a track forecasters say they haven't seen in more than 150 years. WLRN-Miami Herald News has details on how a no-show weather pattern from the Pacific may be to blame for an unusual six months. 

More than 1,000 Florida Power & Light workers are still up north, helping homes and businesses restore power after a double whammy:  First, Hurricane Sandy and then a powerful winter storm that blew the lights out again.

Sandy became a hurricane this morning, the 10th of this active season, as it approached Jamaica. A tropical storm watch continues in Florida from the Keys north to the Brevard-Volusia county line. South Florida is not in the cone, but it can expect wind and rain Thursday though Saturday. Here's the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Sandy is expected to bring wind and rain to South Florida Thursday and Friday as it tracks north toward the Bahamas through Jamaica and Cuba. A tropical storm watch is already in effect from Jupiter Inlet south to the Florida Keys. Get the latest update from the National  Hurricane Center.

The weather phenomenon was expected to suppress the hurricane season somewhat. But Sun-Sentinel hurricane guy Ken Kaye reports there's no sign of El Niño yet and forecasters are starting to worry.

El Niño was supposed to rip storms apart and put a damper on the hurricane season, but it appears to be a no-show.