Capital to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, November 16
Nov 16, 2012
To go directly to the section of your choice, click on a hyperlink below. Other hyperlinks to meeting information, bills and news are noted in bold type.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
9:00 a.m.–Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Audit Committee meeting. Teleconference: 866-361-7525; participant code: 3877541849#. To view the meeting notice, click here.
2:00 p.m.–Florida Self-Insurers Guaranty Association Finance Committee. Tallahassee, Florida. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Florida justices delay ruling in Citizens Property Insurance Bad Faith Lawsuit
The Florida Supreme Court has put off a decision on whether Citizens Property Insurance Corp. can use its status as a state-backed entity to avoid lawsuits accusing it of bad faith in responding to claims.
Integrity Florida and Sean Shaw: Widen Florida probe of Citizens Property Insurance
There is a lack of oversight and accountability at Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
A Florida Department of Environmental Protection divisional reorganization that includes eliminating a bureau dealing with beach issues is coming under fire.
Misleading numbers? Naples issues more traffic tickets per resident than any other Florida city
Naples police hand out more traffic citations per resident than any other municipality tracked by the Florida Benchmarking Consortium, according to a 2011 report.
Echoing the talking points of Republican leaders in other states, incoming Senate President Don Gaetz and incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford sent a letter Thursday to the federal government saying that Florida will miss the deadline Friday to report whether the state will create its own health insurance exchange or allow the federal government to do it.
Blog: Study says expanding Medicaid could save Florida money
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the Medicaid expansion authorized under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is optional for states, Florida has a decision to make.
Florida Governor’s office criticizes settlement with BP
Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s office is sharply criticizing a settlement reached between the federal government and oil giant BP.
Audits: Water district should repay $18 million to Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal auditors want the South Florida Water Management District to repay FEMA $18.4 million they say the district received for ineligible and questionable expenses billed after Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Wilma blew through the region in 2004-2005.
Senator Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, will be minority pro-tempore and Senator Darren Soto, D-Orlando, will be deputy whip in the Florida Senate, Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, confirmed Thursday.
Florida consumer advocate’s FPL challenge rejected
A three-judge panel has refused to prevent state regulators from considering a proposed Florida Power & Light Co. rate settlement.
Florida justices rule transit employee can’t be sued
The Florida Supreme Court says public employees don’t have to wait until lawsuits are resolved to appeal rulings that deny their claims of sovereign immunity.
Florida ranks highest in October foreclosure rates
The Sunshine State’s foreclosure rate dropped 13 percent from October 2011, but is still the highest in the nation and more than double the national average.
Florida and other states have followed similar paths on transportation — raiding trust funds, failing to adjust tax formulas and allowing the condition of infrastructure to deteriorate.
Florida ready to let you vote on new license plate designs
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has designed four new license tags, with sleek, smooth surfaces, better readability, and seven characters instead of the traditional six.
Judge Urged to Approve Chinese Drywall Settlements
Attorneys for thousands of Gulf Coast property owners urged a federal judge in New Orleans to give his final approval to a proposed class-action settlement that calls for a Chinese drywall manufacturer to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to repair homes damaged by its product.
The National Flood Insurance Program is likely to run out of money to pay Superstorm Sandy claims, meaning it will probably need Congress to authorize a loan, a FEMA official says.
Insurance deductibles snag in Sandy winds
Sandy may not have been a hurricane by the time it slammed into Long Island, but its winds were still powerful enough to trigger higher insurance deductibles that could cost homeowners thousands of dollars.
New loss estimate for Sandy puts two catastrophe bonds at risk
Expectations that catastrophe bond investors will not lose money as a result of superstorm Sandy have been shaken by an estimate that losses for insurers from the Oct. 30 storm will top $20 billion.
New York Times Blog: Taxpayers at Risk As Storm Bills Come Due
The states along the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast have plenty of experience when it comes to rebuilding after hurricanes.
Letter to the Editor: National catastrophic insurance plan needed
Superstorm Sandy again has pointed out why the country needs a national catastrophic insurance plan to cover these acts of God, disasters that occur throughout the country.
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