My car insurance increased $300+ this year because of Irene and the Nor'Easter two years ago.

[Jessy169]

4. Insurance companies have to adjust rates state-wide to make up for predicted losses

That's my understanding of how it works. If an insurance company suffers significant losses in one small county, for example -- due to a freak ice storm or wind storm or (name it) -- then they can and may be forced to adjust rates state-wide to compensate. It is on a state-by-state basis. An insurance company with losses in another state can't raise rates in the unaffected state to compensate for the losses.

As far as insurance rates and predictable rate increases go, I think you're going to see a lot more home/auto rate increases in Florida coming up in the next few years. If global warming predictions start to pan out -- even the most modest predictions -- we may see insurance companies pulling out of Florida entirely in the next 10 - 20 years, for obvious reasons.