In 2003, a major reform was made to the Florida workers’ compensation system. At the time, Florida had the highest rates in the country. One of the major aspects of the reform was to cap the amount plaintiff lawyers were able to charge for their work in a workers’ compensation case. This changed when a recent court case was ruled in favor of removing the cap. As a result, there is the potential for the new 2009 Florida workers’ compensation rates to be increased to reflect the change in the system.

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) sent a proposal to Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation regarding a change in the new rates. The proposal requested an average increase of 8.9% on all the classification codes in Florida. They also proposed that this change goes into effect on March 1, 2009.

The workers’ compensation filing by NCCI will be discussed on December 16th. We will keep you up to date on any decisions made in that meeting and how this will affect your landscaping business. This could have a large effect on your workers’ compensation rates for your 2009 renewal.

The Agent Articles section of BearWiseLandscapers.com allows our insurance agents to provide practical information for landscapers. These agents can also obtain quotes and establish a custom insurance program for your landscaping business through our access to a variety of insurance carriers. This agent article is filed under 4 Workers' Compensation, and you can follow comments to it through the RSS 2.0 feed. Feel free to leave your own response below: