Capitol to Courthouse Daily Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, March 8
Mar 8, 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
Florida’s 2011 Regular Legislative Session Begins
3:15 p.m.–House Government Appropriations Subcommittee (Live Webcast available on The Florida Channel)
- HB 99 relating to Commercial Insurance Rates by State Representative Brad Drake
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Bills Filed for 2011
SB 1930 relating to Motor Vehicle Personal Injury Protection Insurance by Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff
Contents of written reports of motor vehicle crashes would be revised under the provisions of SB 1930, which also would require that an application for licensure as a mobile clinic include a statement regarding insurance fraud. Should it become law, the bill would authorize the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud to establish a direct-support organization for the purpose of prosecuting, investigating and preventing motor vehicle insurance fraud. A claimant’s request about insurance coverage would be required to be appropriately served upon the disclosing entity. Effective date: July 1, 2011
Blog: Hefty rate hikes proposed for Citizens insurance policyholders
Lawmakers proposed bills that would raise Citizens Property Insurance policyholders’ premiums by up to 25 percent a year and make many policyholders ineligible for coverage.
Insurer plans to add 70 workers in Sarasota
Universal North America, which consolidated its U.S. headquarters in Sarasota County last year, received a training grant that will help it add 70 new employees to its staff during the next two years.
Air Force conducts hurricane exercise in Brevard County
Flying in V-formation, three hulking refueling tankers and six Pave Hawk helicopters rumbled above the Cocoa Beach area Sunday morning.
Florida Considers Raising Driving Age for Teens
Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would change the driving age for teenagers.
MedMal Direct Insurance Company Announces New Reinsurance Treaty
Jacksonville-based MedMal Direct Insurance Company announces their new reinsurance treaty with a panel of international reinsurers including Lloyd’s of London and Bermuda based companies, all of which have an A.M. Best financial stability rating of A (Excellent).
Tampa gets Cuba flights; Orlando International Airport may follow
Tampa International Airport got permission to send flights to Cuba, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Charter flights could start this summer, but will be restricted to people traveling for medical and agricultural business; cultural, religious or educational purposes; and people with relatives in Cuba.
Blog: Weatherford named Speaker-To-Be
State House Representative Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, is set to be Speaker of the House from 2012 to 2014, after a House Republican majority voted Monday to elevate the 31-year-old lawmaker to Speaker Designate.
Blog: Florida Governor Scott — Two Supreme Courts could ‘accelerate’ cases
Scribbles from Gov.ernor Rick Scott’s visit to the Department of Transportation this morning:
Legislature Poised to Adopt Pro-Business Measures
| Heading into a legislative session shaping up as one of the most pro-business in years, lawmakers are riding an unprecedented wave of corporate and special-interest cash, with $8.8 million in donations to the state parties in the last two months of 2010.
Corporate cash floods Legislature in record sums
Heading into a legislative session shaping up as one of the most pro-business in years, lawmakers are riding an unprecedented wave of corporate and special-interest cash, with $8.8 million in donations to the state parties in the last two months of 2010.
Lawmakers celebrate before session starts
Florida legislators arrived at the Capitol in a festive mood Monday and raced through a few political formalities in preparation for two months of difficult wrangling over budget cuts, a major overhaul of public-employee pensions and preparations for the 2012 elections.
New York Times: Florida Republicans at Odds With Their Leader
Rick Scott, the conservative Republican billionaire who plucked the governor’s job from the party establishment in November with $73 million of his own money and the backing of the Tea Party, vowed during his campaign to run the troubled state like a corporate chief executive (which he was) and not a politician (which he proudly says he is not).
A House proposal that would reduce the length of time that unemployment benefits are available may be considered on the House floor as early as Wednesday, but differs from a Senate bill dealing with jobless benefits, reports the News Service.
Florida legislators to consider new real estate bills
The 2011 Florida legislative session kicks off Tuesday, and several housing and real estate-related measures will be considered by lawmakers. Homeowners insurance, foreclosure fraud and condo association fees will take center stage.
AOL Inc. has opened up a new publishing engineering office in downtown Orlando at the CNL II building, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
Republican Party of Florida to host 2012 presidential straw poll, debate in Orlando
The Republican Party of Florida will hold a 2012 presidential straw poll and FOX News-partnered debate in September as part of a three-day event in Orlando.
Former aide files sexual harassment suit against Representative Alcee Hastings
A woman who worked for United States Representative Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, on an international commission claims in a lawsuit that he subjected her to “unwelcome sexual advances,” crude comments and unwanted hugging over a two-year period and retaliated against her when she complained.
Congress Wades Into Flood Insurance Reform
Draft legislation to overhaul the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program will be unveiled next week, said the Republican chairman of a congressional insurance oversight panel Thursday.
Bill Targets Misclassification of Workers
State insurance lawmakers have approved independent contractor guidelines for the trucking and courier industries
US judge halts damages enforcement against Chevron
A U.S. judge on Monday halted enforcement of an $18 billion award against Chevron Corp., siding with the oil company against Ecuadorean plaintiffs in a long-running dispute over Amazon rain forest pollution.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to bellis@cftlaw.com.