Doing Business in Florida Blog

Business Interruption Claims and the Virus

November 16, 2020
Michael J. Higer  |  Insurance, COVID-19

Since March, when businesses of all types came to a screeching halt, there have been approximately 1,200 lawsuits filed in the United States against insurance companies seeking recoveries for their business losses.

Significant Changes Coming to the Florida Building Code

November 9, 2020
Jeffrey S. Wertman and Gina Clausen Lozier  |  Construction, Florida Construction, Building Codes , Insurance

The Florida Building Code seeks to establish unified and consistent minimum standards in the design, construction and compliance processes, and regulations for the safety, health, and general welfare of building occupants. The Code also protects property investments and saves the state and local governments money in mitigation costs linked to natural disasters, including hurricanes. 

New Title Insurance Endorsements Available in Florida

November 1, 2020
Jeffrey R. Margolis  |  Real Estate

Court Upends Hotel Condominium Structure

October 22, 2020
Jeffrey R. Margolis  |  Real Estate

Eleventh Circuit on Arbitration Agreements: Contracting Parties Must “Live With The Results”

September 28, 2020
Marianne Curtis

CDC Orders Nationwide Residential Eviction Halt

September 2, 2020
Jeffrey R. Margolis  |  Real Estate, COVID-19, Evictions

Florida, HUD, FHFA, And VA Announce Extensions Of Foreclosure And Eviction Moratoriums

August 31, 2020
Jeffrey R. Margolis  |  COVID-19, Real Estate, Lenders, Evictions

Amazon Subject to Strict Liability for Defective Products Offered on its Website by Third-Party Sellers

August 20, 2020
Heidi Howard Tandy and Justen S. Fischer  |  Amazon

A California court recently ruled that Amazon can be subject to strict products liability for defective products sold in its virtual marketplace by third-party sellers.  In a unanimous decision issued by Judge Patricia Guerrero, the Fourth District Court of Appeals made clear that “[u]nder established principles of strict liability, Amazon should be held liable if a product sold through its website turns out to be defective.”

Client Alert: Upcoming Deadline to Report Hurricane Irma Damage

August 10, 2020
Gina Clausen Lozier

State Registration and Reporting Requirements for 55+ Communities Eliminated

July 19, 2020
Real Estate, Residential Real Estate, Older Persons

The Florida Fair Housing Act, Sections 760.20-760.37 Florida Statutes (the “Act”), exempts communities that qualify as “Housing for Older Persons” under federal and state law from the provisions and requirements of the Florida Fair Housing Act regarding familial status

Mental Health: Coping with Hurricane Season During a Global Pandemic

July 16, 2020
Mental Health, Hurricane Preparedness, COVID-19

For many of us, it is not the physical symptoms of Covid-19 that plagues us but rather the isolation, the uncertainty and fear that has mentally pushed us to the breaking point. And as if all of that was not enough, along comes hurricane season and the high likelihood that over the next couple of months Covid-19 will have to share center stage with reports of tropical storms, hurricane watches, and hurricane warnings as storms develop hundreds of miles away off the coast of foreign lands and slowly advance towards us.

“Privacy Shield” for Europeans’ Data Use in US Dissolves

July 16, 2020

On July 16, 2020, the European Union Court of Justice ruled that the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, a compliance policy governing the protection of data transferred from the EU to the United States, was invalid.  As a result, U.S. businesses can no longer rely on the Privacy Shield framework in connection with their collection, usage, retention and transfer of personally identifying information about EU residents and citizens.