Florida Business Insurance

Hiscox covers all types of massage therapists, including acupressurists, acupuncturists, and spa owners. If a client decides to file a claim because he or she suffered an injury during a massage session or develops chronic pain as a result of a massage therapist’s mistake, Hiscox’s professional liability and general liability insurance options can protect them and their small business. 

Professional liability insurance can support a business in the unfortunate event that the therapist, trainer, or instructor has made a mistake — even if it wasn’t their fault. This could include a pain or an injury suffered by a client during a muscle-stretching exercise or deep tissue massage that was not recognized at the time by either party. Professional liability insurance also protects against the loss of personal information, such as digital storage of customer information, medical history, or financial information. 

If your practice employs more than four employees in Florida, then the business is required to obtain workers compensation coverage. 
 

Home service businesses with one or more employees in Florida are required by law to obtain workers compensation coverage. It is important to find out if your business falls within the state’s definition of a construction company, unless you are the sole proprietor of the business. 

Home service contractors in Florida obtain general liability insurance tailored for artisan contractors/subcontractors, HVAC contractors, landscapers, miscellaneous contractors, painters and plumbers. General liability insurance covers these practitioners against bodily injury, personal injury, and property loss. This type of coverage could also help cover medical costs in the event that a client trips over a tool or ladder and injures themself. 

It is important to remember that general contractors who employ four or more employees are required to obtain workers compensation coverage.
 

While landscapers can turn a boring lawn into a beautiful gardenscape complete with stone walkways,  fountains and more, it is rigorous work. These businesses often work with multiple employees who pull weeds, plant flora, install fountains and stone walkways, and help with a variety of hauling and digging tasks, which is why it is critical for these professionals to obtain proper insurance to protect them from bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury costs. As such, it is important to remember that landscapers with four or more employees are required to obtain workers compensation coverage in the state of Florida.

If a customer falls due to a hazardous landscaping site in progress, general liability insurance from Hiscox could help cover the medical bills incurred by the customer. If a ladder or tool goes through a customer’s window and causes property damage, this insurance could also cover its replacement. 
 

A life coach — much like mentor — provides advice to enhance the lives of their customers. If a client is not satisfied with a service, or advice is taken the wrong way and results in a financial loss, professional liability insurance could support the business if the grieved customer files a claim. 

While conducting seminars and presentations for prospective customers, life coaches often use a team to help set up projectors, computers, white boards, marketing collateral, and other items. In this case, a life coach in Florida should obtain general liability and professional liability insurance, as well as workers compensation for teams of four or more. These types of insurance would help cover the costs of claims filed in the event of customer dissatisfaction, loss of digital and physical materials needed to set up a seminar or presentation, and injuries suffered by potential clients visiting an office or meeting space owned by a life coach and their small business.
 

As realtors frequently travel to showcase homes to potential buyers, they often obtain commercial vehicle insurance. In addition,  real estate insurance, from Hiscox, can be used to help protect valuable physical materials such as signs, brochures, business cards, billboards, media storage, and other marketing and advertising collateral that Realtors use to showcase homes to potential buyers. 

Realtors in Florida may also seek both general and professional liability insurance if they find themselves cleaning and organizing a space before the arrival of potential homebuyers. While professional liability insurance protects realtors from claims, such as buyer’s remorse or wrongful (housing) discrimination, general liability helps cover costs that are incurred if a client slips in the realtor’s office, or property damage occurs during an open house. 

Real Estate Businesses in Florida, like yours, who use four or more employees are also required by the state to obtain workers compensation coverage.  
 

General liability insurance, known as Commercial General Liability (CGL), protects your small business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs, and damage to property. Some examples of what could be covered are below:

• Bodily injury: It is raining outside and a client hastily enters a spa and slips on the floor, which does not have a wet floor sign. The client sustains injuries and makes a claim against the spa owner. A general liability insurance policy could cover the client’s medical costs, including any lost wages, that result from the injury.
• Property damage/data loss: A consultant is working in a new client’s office when they accidentally spill coffee on the server. The machine is damaged beyond repair and valuable data is lost. The consultant’s general liability insurance could cover the cost to replace the server.
• Personal injury: A tax preparer is overheard talking about a client in a false and unflattering way. The client finds out about the conversation and sues for slander. The tax preparer’s general liability policy could cover the defense costs as well as any settlement or judgment.

Learn more about general liability insurance costs to make a smart and forward-thinking decision for your business.

Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance), covers another person’s claims against businesses that provide professional and personal services. Some examples of what could be covered include:

• Protection even if you haven’t made a mistake: A personal trainer creates a workout plan for a new client. After a few weeks of following the workout plan, the client begins to experience some pain related to an injury sustained years before. The client failed to mention the injury but sues the personal trainer anyway for negligence. A professional liability insurance policy could protect them, including defense costs.
• Negligent acts: A photographer is hired to take photos for a 25 year anniversary, but forgets to take pictures of key family members. The client may make a claim against the photographer regarding failure to fully deliver the services agreed upon. Professional liability coverage could cover the claim and pay for an attorney to defend the photographer if necessary.

Learn more about professional liability insurance.

Cyber security insurance, sometimes called cyber liability or cyber risk insurance, can protect businesses from the costs associated with a data breach, extortion threat or security failure. Some examples of what could be covered include:

• Ransomware: An employee receives an email that appears to come from a reputable source, and clicks on a link in the message. The email is from a hacker, and clicking the link causes the system to freeze and display a message demanding a ransom to restore the data. A cyber security insurance policy would protect the business from this type of attack, including providing expert assistance to restore the data.
• Business interruption: A consultant’s computer is infected with malware, preventing them from doing any business until the virus is eliminated. The revenue lost while their system was down could be covered by their cyber security insurance policy.
• Expert breach response: An ecommerce site has a data breach and must notify all affected parties and provide credit monitoring. Their cyber security insurance policy not only covers the cost but provides expert assistance in complying with the appropriate regulations.