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FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE AGENTS

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AUGUST 15, 2019 | VOLUME LXVIII, ISSUE 20

The Bubble: Are We In One?

FAIA President &CEO Jeff Grady

I have been thinking and wondering about the subject of agencyconsolidation for quite a while…the last six years to be exact. It stemsfrom a desire to better understand the drivers behind historic levels ofagency acquisition or consolidation, long-term outcomes for theindustry, and how to best position the association to serve the nextgeneration of independent agencies. In the past five years alone, FAIAhas seen more than 350 of its agency members acquired andconsolidated into a larger enterprise, which begs the question...are wein a bubble?

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Don't Assume We Don't

Senior VicePresident of PublicAffairs, Kyle Ulrich

It’s dues renewal time, and it seems each year we get a few emailsfrom members letting us know they have elected to non-renew theirmembership because they don’t perceive any value in what FAIA doesfor independent agencies. Personally, this is a heart-breaker andthere's nothing more disappointing than hearing that the work we doevery day has no value to a member.

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SUMMER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Florida's Future Insurance Leaders Graduate

Congratulations to the newest class of Florida's Future Insurance Leaders! During lastweek's Summer Leadership Conference, the 2018–2019 class completed the program andreceived their certificates. Please join us in celebrating this new class of industry leaders.Evan Beeh, CPCU, Sales Manager, Markel Corporation, Richmond, VACrystal Callahan-Estes, CIC, CPIA, Associate Account Manager, BKS Partners, TampaBrian G. Chapman, Jr., CLU, Owner, Chapman Insurance Group, Port CharlotteJohn William Croley, Vice President, Doug Croley Insurance Services, TallahasseeJennifer Hightower, CIC, Director of Operations, BRP Ryan Insurance, DeLandCollin Kostiha, Commercial Producer, Hugh Cotton Insurance, OrlandoKevin Kouwenhoven, Commercial Producer, TGG Financial Services dba Harry LevineInsurance Agency, OrlandoKarina Paola Lobo, Producer/Sales, Kingdom Tree Insurance Group, MiamiJoshua Niesman, Agency Relations Manager, Safepoint Insurance, TampaRichard Bruce Sinclair, III, Owner, Wells Insurance Agency, MacclennyMichelle Leigh Woodham, Personal Lines Producer/Sales, Trout & Leigh Insurance,Bradenton

Bob Rollins Honored with Chairman's AwardDuring FAIA’s Summer Leadership Conference, the 2019 Chairman’s Award waspresented to Robert K. Rollins, Jr., CPCU, AAI, of The Beacon Group, Boca Raton, byFAIA Chairman Anthony DuBose in recognition of Bob’s outstanding leadership andcontinuous service to FAIA. This award is presented by the FAIA chairman to someonewho he or she feels has helped them along the way in their professional successes. Bob’sattitude, spirit, and efforts inspire others to be their best. As Anthony mentioned, it wastruly a privilege to present this award to someone who has been, and continues to be, afriend and mentor to him for many years. Congratulations, Bob.

ADVOCACY

Legal Brief: Parental Leave Cases PromptCompanies to Review Policies

Vice President &General Counsel

Laura Pearce

Given the changing landscape of parental leave laws and litigation,now may be a good time for your agency to review how you addressparental leave, and make changes to your policies. Keep reading tolearn more about how paid parental leave is evolving.

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Big I Partners with ACORD

Vice President &CIO Paul Peeples

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”)and ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insuranceindustry, today announced a joint program to provide qualifying Big“I” member independent insurance agencies with a complimentarylicense to use ACORD Forms.

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Florida Specialty Update

Director ofEducation Dave

Newell

FAIA has fielded several inquiries related to Florida Specialty and thestatus of their book of business. If you recall, many agents received anotice from Florida Specialty regarding their HO-3 book of businessfor new and renewal policies moving forward. Based on aconversation with a senior official at the Office of InsuranceRegulation, they have not approved a transition plan for FloridaSpecialty at this point.

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EDUCATION

Inspection Requirements ForInsurance...Illegal Now?

EducationInstructor, David

Thompson

Over the course of about three weeks, I received four or five emailsdealing with the preinsurance inspection requirements of vehicles.The theme was, “I’ve been told that there is no longer a requirementto inspect vehicles for insurance purposes.” (That reminds me of, “Aguy in the bar told me…”) One email even stated, “My underwritertold me that it is now illegal for them to require a vehicle inspection.”Keep reading to find out what the statute actually says on this issue.

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NEW DESIGNATIONS

Congratulations to the following individuals for attaining theirdesignations:

Amy Scherer Everhart, Marsh & McLennan Agency, LLC, WinterHavenJune Lynn Hunter-Clarke, Premier Insurance Corporation, Inc.,Cape Coral

Heather Bless, Willis Towers Watson, TampaKrista Lynn Yoho, Insurance Office of America, Inc., Tampa

Andrew Bromberg, TallahasseeKyle Randle Drawdy, FCSRMC, GainesvilleGreg S. Riggs, Orlando

IN MEMORIAM

John Carter “Jay” Adams, Jr.We extend our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Jay Adams upon hisdeath on August 7, 2019. A native Floridian, Jay spent most of his life in Daytona Beach,earning a B.S. in business administration, with a major in insurance, from the Universityof Florida. Working first for the Pan Am Insurance Company, and later for Guy B. Odom &Company, he opened his own agency, Jay Adams & Associates, Inc. He later merged hisagency with Hilb, Rogal, and Hamilton, and then sold it to Brown & Brown. He was widely

respected in the insurance industry, and served his fellow agents as the president of theVolusia County Insurers Association, a member of FAIA’s Board of Directors, and as amember of the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers. Within his local community, Jaywas well regarded for his work in moving the Embry-Riddle campus from Miami toDaytona Beach and, later, serving on its Board of Trustees as chairman, as well as servingas president of the Daytona Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA of DaytonaBeach, and Rotary Club. A service will be held on Saturday, August 17 at St. JamesEpiscopal Church in Ormond Beach. Read more about his life in the Daytona BeachNews-Journal.

Henry P. "Whitey" HolmesWe extend our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Henry P. “Whitey”Holmes upon his death on July 16, 2019. A native of South Carolina, he lived most of hislife in South Florida, graduating from the University of Miami in 1954. He served hiscountry as a Marine in the 1950s. Whitey was president of the Dewey Insurance Agency inPembroke Pines for over 30 years, and believed very strongly in insurance education. Heattended many of FAIA’s education classes, as well as those of the National Alliance, andachieved several designations, including CPCU, CIC, AAI, and ARM. He served his fellowinsurance professionals as president of the Gold Coast Chapter of CPCU. Read more abouthis life.

NEW MEMBERS

AGENCY MEMBERS

Cornerstone Insurance: MargateSouthern Financial Insurance Group, LLC: TallahasseeVertical Insurance Agency: Oakland Park

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

SocialSurvey: San Ramon, CA

HEADLINES

MEMBER NEWS

Brightway Insurance, Inc., Jacksonville: recognized by Franchise BusinessReview as a Top Franchise for Women and Top Service Franchise.Florida Trend Magazine: announced it’s 2019 “Best Companies to Work for inFlorida” recipients: Baldwin Risk Partners, LLC, Tampa; Bouchard Insurance, Inc.,Clearwater; Darr Schackow Insurance Agency, LLC, Gainesville; Lanier Upshaw, Inc.,Lakeland; and, The Plastridge Agency, Inc., Delray Beach.

Douglass F. Wiles, CPCU, Herbie Wiles Insurance: recognized as a 2019Distinguished Alumni by the St. Johns River State College Alumni Association.Indian River Chamber of Commerce: recently graduated Jaime Steele Klekampof Klekamp Insurance, LLC, and Valerie Esposito of Schlitt Insurance Services, Inc.,from its Leadership Indian River County program.Insurance Office of America, Inc., Longwood: named Robert J. Peters seniorvice president of Operations.Gregory Edward Baker, CLU, CPCU, ChFC, ThompsonBaker Agency, Inc.:recognized as a 2019 Distinguished Alumni by the St. Johns River State CollegeAlumni Association.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Florida Trend Magazine: announced it’s 2019 “Best Companies to Work for inFlorida” recipients: FCCI Insurance Group, Sarasota, and Gulfstream Property &Casualty Insurance Company, Sarasota.QBE North America: named Eric Sanders as head of Claims.Zurich North America: named Laura Lazarczyk as chief legal officer of thecompany.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FAIA EVENTS

Feb. 4–5, 2020: Capitol Days; DoubleTree by Hilton, Tallahassee.March 25–26, 2020: Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference; Wyndham GrandOrlando Resort, Orlando.June 10–12, 2020: 116th Anniversary Convention and Educational Symposium;Gaylord Palms Resort, Orlando.

LOCAL BOARD EVENTS

Aug. 15, 2019: IIA of Palm Beach County, August Networking Happy Hour; AmericanCraft Aleworks, West Palm Beach.Aug. 20, 2019: IIA of North Florida, SS4K Collection Party; Seven Bridges Breweryand Grille, Jacksonville.Aug. 21, 2019: Lee County Association IIA, August 2019 Annual CE Day; CypressLake Country Club, Ft. Myers.Sept. 4, 2019: IIA of Central Florida, Officer Installation Luncheon; Citrus Club,Orlando.Sept. 19, 2019: IIA of Broward County, Installation Dinner; Signature Grand, Davie.

YOUNG AGENT EVENTS

July/August 2019: SmartStart4Kids.Aug. 20, 2019: YAC Zone 4, SS4K Collection Party; Seven Bridges Brewery and Grille,Jacksonville.Feb. 3–5, 2020: YAC Political Summit; DoubleTree by Hilton, Tallahassee.March 25–26: Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference; Wyndham GrandOrlando Resort, Orlando.

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Sept. 5, 2019: Palm Beach State College, Insurance Career Day; Lake Worth Campus.Sept. 11–15, 2019: IIABA Fall Leadership Conference; The Westin Savannah HarborGolf Resort & Spa, Savannah, GA.

A publication of the Florida Association of Insurance AgentsPO Box 12129, Tallahassee, FL 32317-2129850-893-4155 | Visit us online

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