Capitol to Courthouse Daily Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, February 3
Feb 3, 2011
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
- Daily Florida Insurance-Related Bills Filed for 2011
- Daily Insurance-Related News
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
10:00 AM: Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will hold a Tallahassee press conference on her strategy to address Florida’s pill mill crisis. Also speaking will be Dave Aronberg, Special Counsel on Pill Mills; Ken Tucker, Assistant Commissioner of Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Nick Cox, Statewide Prosecutor; Pam Marsh, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida; Lorri Hall, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer and Detective for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; Dr. Fred Bearison, Board of Medicine; and Karen Perry, N.O.P.E. co-founder and anti-pill mill advocate.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Bills Filed for 2011
HB 4129 relating to Residential Property Structural Soundness Evaluation Grant Program by State Representative Steve Crisafulli
Would delete the obsolete Citizens Property Insurance Corporation residential property structural soundness evaluation grant program. Effective date: July 1, 2011
SB 746 relating to Open House Parties by Senator Thad Altman
Would provide that a person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree if the violation of Florida’s open house party statute causes or contributes to causing serious bodily injury or death. Effective date: July 1, 2011
Florida Commissioner Files to Dismiss ‘Vendetta’ Lawsuit
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has filed a motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against him that alleges a “personal vendetta” he has against the owner of a workers’ compensation insurer prevented it from obtaining a license in the state.
5 Florida counties declared disaster areas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Volusia, Brevard, Lake, Seminole and Orange counties are natural-disaster areas and may get relief money for crop damage caused by freezes in December, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
Bill mulls votes on consolidating fire units
Voters may soon be able to decide if Southwest Florida’s hodgepodge of fire districts should be melded into one countywide agency.
Florida Stops Health Care Law Implementation
Florida has shut down its implementation of the healthcare reform law as a result of a decision earlier in the week by Pensacola federal judge declaring the law unconstitutional.
Officials work against Florida consumers on insurance
By refusing to implement federal health care reform, Gov. Rick Scott and Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty are impeding consumer protections that Floridians are entitled to receive.
Governor Ousts Florida Board of Medicine Chair and Vice-Chair
Governor Rick Scott ousted the chair and vice-chair of the Florida Board of Medicine on Wednesday, just two days before they were to lead disciplinary hearings against dozens of physicians charged with wrongdoing.
Scott rescinds 154 of Crist’s appointments
Governor Rick Scott on Tuesday rescinded 154 appointments made by former Gov. Charlie Crist.
Governor Scott names former Univerity of Florida trustee Cynthia O’Connell head of Florida Lottery
Cynthia O’Connell, a communications professional with ties to Tallahassee and higher education, is Governor Rick Scott’s pick to lead the Florida Lottery.
Florida Senator LeMieux considers bid for United States Senate
George LeMieux was Florida’s junior U.S. senator for 16 months, and on Wednesday he sounded like a man who would like to go back in a speech to Tallahassee Republicans.
State won’t block sale of conservation lands
Former Governor Crist asked Suwannee River Water Management District to halt its land sales.
A Department of Environmental Protection initiative to provide guidance to state agencies on the sale of lands originally bought for conservation appears to have changed course, with Department of Environmental Protection officials now saying such guidelines will be only voluntary.
Blog: Don’t bet on date of Florida’s presidential primary moving to March 6
From the News Service of Florida: Florida Republicans and Democrats signaled Wednesday they may agree on urging state lawmakers to change the Jan. 31 date for the 2012 presidential primary – avoiding the chaos and penalties that marred the 2008 contest.
Unions expect Florida governor to get his way on pensions
But state workers object to what they call a change in the rules
Police officers, teachers and government workers across Florida had harsh words Wednesday for Governor Rick Scott’s plan to have public employees contribute toward their pensions, but the unions representing them expressed little hope that they’ll be able to stop it.
Editorial: A $3 billion windfall waiting to be had
Increase Florida’s share of federal grants
As Governor Rick Scott and Florida lawmakers struggle to overcome a nearly $4 billion tide of red ink, they would be foolhardy to ignore the advice of former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and the nonpartisan budget watchdog Florida TaxWatch to seek the state’s fair share of federal grants.
State Representative Dana Young (R-Tampa) announced that she has filed HB 283, to streamline security at our 14 Florida seaports by eliminating duplication with the comprehensive Federal Port Security regime.
Two Democratic Legislators Reintroduce Equal Rights Amendment Measure
After almost 40 years, conservatives call it ‘effort in futility’
Two Democratic leaders in the Legislature announced Wednesday they will fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in the 2011 session — even though the measure has been stalled in Tallahassee for more than 25 years.
Legislator tackles laws on tattoos, cigarettes and adultery
When House Speaker Dean Cannon said he wanted to eliminate the number of statutes and regulations, Representative Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, took him seriously.
Republican National Convention appoints new chairman for Tampa convention effort
In his first visit to Tampa as Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus announced today he has appointed a new chairman for the party’s 2012 national convention in Tampa and vowed to “clean up” convention planning.
Final Scott campaign figure: $79,763,393.92
The final campaign expense reports from the Florida governor’s race, filed today, showed Gov. Rick Scott far exceeded all past spending records for a Florida campaign, spending $79,763,394 through his own campaign and a political committee he funded.
Law enforcement, teachers unions say Scott flip-flopped on pension promise
Police officers, teachers and government workers across Florida had harsh words Wednesday for Governor Rick Scott’s plan to have public employees contribute toward their pensions, but the unions representing them expressed little hope that they’ll be able to stop it.
Blog: Florida Congressman Allen West, Florida Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff hold joint town hall
U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, and state Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, are holding a town hall meeting on Thursday.
Blog: Florida TaxWatch targets no-bid contracts
Florida TaxWatch, which has the ear of Tallahassee politicians looking to cut taxes, recommends the state improve how it hires contractors to make the process more competitive. It estimates that shopping around can bring costs down by up to 15 percent.
Nevada Aerospace Company Signs Florida Deal for Space Hotels
Bigelow eyes launch of commercial space stations from Cape Canaveral
A Nevada company that once promoted plans for orbiting space hotels signed an agreement with Space Florida Wednesday to conduct launches at Cape Canaveral.
At last, a federal district court in Louisiana has put Liability Medicare Set-Asides on the map.
Delaware issues 48 captive licenses in 2010
Delaware licensed 48 new captive insurance companies in 2010, a record that doubled the number of captives to 96 at the end of the year.
Report: Overcapitalization keeping property and casualty market soft
The property/casualty insurance market is overcapitalized to the tune of $74 billion and will remain in the soft market phase of the pricing cycle until that difference between supply and demand is brought into balance, according to a new report from Advisen Ltd.
Renamed health care reform office becomes CMS unit
The Obama administration on Tuesday renamed a key regulatory unit charged with developing health care reform rules and shifted that unit to the massive Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ office.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to bellis@cftlaw.com.