Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report – Wednesday, February 07, 2018

Click on the hyperlinks below to read headlines from Florida insurance, political, legislative and national insurance news today, February 7, 2018:

 

Senators lash out at insurance industry during hearing on AOB reform

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday stripped assignment of benefits legislation of an attorney-fee provision despised by the insurance industry. But that didn’t satisfy industry objections to the overall bill.  Michael Moline reports for FloridaPolitics.com.

• Steube AOB bill passes judiciary panel despite business opposition
• Senators back assignment of benefits measure

 

FSU Researchers:  Florida’s Climate is Changing, and We Should All Take Notice

Florida State University Professor Eric Chassignet and Associate Professor Vasu Misra, both from the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, believe that more attention should be paid to state-level effects of climate change, especially in Florida.

 

Florida Moves To Stop Insurance Companies From Reporting Illegal Immigrants

The new bill, introduced by Democratic state Senator Gary Farmer, alters a 2003 state workers’ comp law so that it will apply only to individuals who perpetrate traditional workers comp fraud, rather than anyone who uses false identification in filing a claim.  Jack Crowe reports for the Daily Caller.

 

Who’s in charge of Brightline safety gates?  Spat between feds, state concerns local officials

An argument between two transportation agencies — over whose job it is to address safety at railroad crossings — has local officials nervous, especially as Brightline trains get closer to running through the Treasure Coast and Space Coast.  Colleen Wixon reports for TCPalm.com.

 

Bill that would have let pharmacists test and treat flu, strep stalls in committee

A bill that would have allowed pharmacists to test and treat the flu or strep infections was shelved in a state Senate committee meeting, after pushback from physicians and committee members about patients bypassing their primary care providers.  Elizabeth Koh of the Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau reports via FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Rubio asks feds to crack down on Florida sober homes, drug rehabs

Senator Marco Rubio is asking Attorney General Jeff Sessions and two federal agencies to look into “bad actors” at unscrupulous drug treatment centers, citing a series of NBC News reports on kickbacks and deadly overdoses at rehabs in South Florida.  Anna Schecter reports for NBC News.

 

Bill Montford recovering from emergency surgery

The chair of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee said midday Sunday he was struck with extreme abdominal pain and doctors recommended surgery.  James Call reports for the Tallahassee Democrat.

 

Senate panel advances proposed constitutional amendment changing Florida CFO duties

A Senate bill that would put a constitutional amendment expanding the Chief Financial Officer’s duties on the ballot cleared its second committee stop Tuesday.  Drew Wilson reports for FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Abortion rights, greyhound racing on agenda as hundreds address constitution commission

Hundreds of people came to Nova Southeastern University Tuesday to support abortion rights, denounce or defend greyhound racing and offer views on more than a dozen other issues, as the Florida Constitution Revision Commission held the first of several meetings.  The Sun-Sentinel’s David Fleshler reports.

 

Bill criminalizing unpermitted access to electronic devices moves forward

Law enforcement officers in Florida could soon need probable cause and warrants to access a suspect’s mobile location tracking device.  Ana Ceballos reports for FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Florida House gears up for what could be its biggest debate of the Session

It’s a debate worth about $26.9 billion, and involves the most fundamental, nagging question surrounding Florida’s education system: What does Florida owe its students in public education?  The Miami Herald’s Emily L. Mahoney reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.

 

Miami could vote 4 times in 9 months for a state House seat. 

In a February special election befitting the Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day,” thousands of Miami voters will cast ballots this month to decide who will run in an election to decide who will run in an election to claim a state House of Representatives seat vacated by a disgraced lawmaker.  The Miami Herald’s David Smiley reports.

 

Senators wade into legal thicket of vegetable garden

A South Florida couple is asking the Florida Supreme Court to resolve a long-running dispute with the Village of Miami Shores, which passed an ordinance four years ago banning front-yard vegetable gardens like the one the couple had maintained for nearly two decades.  THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam reports via FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Aon Securities Structures Largest-Ever Earthquake Catastrophe Bond for World Bank

Aon Securities, the investment banking division of reinsurance intermediary and capital adviser Aon Benfield, has assisted the World Bank in structuring the largest-ever catastrophe bond covering earthquake, which provides the organization with US$1.36 billion of capital markets’ protection, Insurance Journal reports.