Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, April 22
Apr 22, 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
Florida’s 2011 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
10:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association Market Assistance Plan Committee meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here. To view the agenda, click here.
Florida justices side with Enterprise in crash suit
The state Supreme Court is siding with a rental car company in a dispute on whether it should have shared responsibility for damages to an accident victim.
Citizens raises some property insurance premiums
Florida’s biggest property insurer recalculates cost of rebuilding
Citizens Property Insurance is calculating the costs of rebuilding homes in a new way, and it’s driving up some policyholders’ premiums.
Editorial: Legislature should hold the line on property insurance
Most windstorm insurance consumers in South Florida would surely say they already pay too much for premiums, but lawmakers in Tallahassee don’t seem to care.
Monaco Beach Club residents sue condo association over Wilma damages
After paying huge assessments for repairs after Hurricane Wilma, condo owners at the Monaco Beach Club have filed a class-action lawsuit, seeking damages for an insurance claim gone wrong.
Motorcycle fatalities in Florida drop since 2009
Chris Councilor hops on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle every chance he gets. He’s been riding for 15 years and now leads a Wesley Chapel group that rumbles out on trips of 150 miles or so every other weekend.
Florida bill aims to cut workers compensation rates
A proposed state bill would stop doctors from repackaging drugs and selling them at a higher rate – in some cases, for 680 percent more – to workers’ compensation patients.
Pinellas County receives top award from National Hurricane Conference
The National Hurricane Conference award committee presented the Pinellas County Communications Department with the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award in the public awareness category for the eTownHall: Surviving the Storm presentation held Aug. 26, 2010.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced today the arrest of a former Boca Raton insurance agent for scamming a 78-year-old Miami woman out of $25,000.
Sarasota Insurance Agent Charged With Grand Theft
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an area insurance agent for reportedly taking thousands of dollars in insurance premiums from a Nokomis couple without providing a valid policy
House committee approves state lawsuit protection for UM doctors at Jackson Memorial
With little discussion, a House panel advanced a measure (HB 1393) Thursday that limits medical malpractice lawsuits against university doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Tampa General Hospital.
Florida House passes ‘pill mill’ crackdown bill
A bill touted as getting tough on “pill mills” that supply drug dealers and addicts with illicit prescription painkillers passed the Florida House on Thursday and heads for the Senate, where the measure may not be tough enough.
Florida House tightens rules on voting
Florida lawmakers passed a dramatic overhaul of state election law Thursday night, a move that GOP legislators say will bring integrity to the process and one that Democrats counter will disenfranchise voters across the state.
House committee advances local pensions bill — along party lines
A bill to give local governments more flexibility and to use insurance premium dollars to fill their pension shortfalls was approved by the House State Affairs Committee on a partisan vote.
House OKs bill cutting state involvement in land use issues
The House voted Thursday to shrink the state’s control over land use in Florida, a move that supporters lauded as a rightful return to “home rule” but critics have blasted as turning the state into a free-for-all for developers.
Florida justices throw out evidence found by drug dog
Citing a lack of state standards for drug-sniffing dogs, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday tossed out evidence a canine detected against a Panhandle man.
Florida House speaker: No guarantee of on-time finish
House Speaker Dean Cannon says he’s not guaranteeing an on-time finish to Florida’s 2011 legislative session as lawmakers struggle to balance the state budget.
State Chief Financial Officer: BP intentionally slow so claimants will abandon process
The state’s chief financial officer believes the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is deliberately stalling claims from those who say they were injured by the BP oil spill.
Immigration Advocates Threaten Lawsuit
The Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center along with the American Civil Liberties Union plan to sue the state immediately if the Legislature passes either of two pending immigration bills in the House and the Senate, the nonprofit said Thursday.
Blog: Shhhh, Adam Hasner’s officially in U.S. Senate race
Adam Hasner has formally entered the U.S. Senate race. The Boca Raton Republican filed a FEC statement of candidacy paper with Secretary of the Senate a few days ago.
Blog: Broward’s public corruption part of last night’s Jeopardy! questions
Sun Sentinel editorial cartoonist Chan Lowe happened to be watching Jeopardy! last night and caught a not-so-flattering question about Fort Lauderdale, the Sun Sentinel, and the Broward County Commission.
Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation will approve a pending merger between Lakewood Ranch-based Community Bank and Co. and First Community Bank of America, which is based in Pinellas Park.
The Case of Rising Workers’ Compensation Costs Due to Physician-Dispensed Drugs
Despite attempts by lawmakers to put into place rules to reduce drug cost and medical expenses, the cost of drugs within the workers’ compensation industry continues to rise nationwide.
Wall Street Journal: Home Insurers Caught Up in a Tornado
When tornadoes coursed through a string of Southern states last week, medical personnel and local fire departments were quickly on the scene, picking through debris and tending to the injured.
North Carolina Offers Mediation for Storm Claims
Homeowners in North Carolina whose property suffered recent storm damage but had their claims denied by their insurance company may eligible for a mediation program.
FEMA Approves $22 Million for Mississippi Homeowners’ Storm Mitigation
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a $22 million grant program to strengthen homes on the Mississippi Coast against destructive winds, according to U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker.
New York Increases Requirements for Excess Line Insurers
A new regulation that goes into effect in New York this month will force excess line insurers to triple their minimum policyholders surplus to $45 million by the middle of 2013.
Vermont licenses new captive insurers, others await changes in law
Vermont licensed seven new captives during the first quarter this year and has potential formations in the pipeline, including some ready to form as soon as amendments to the state’s captive law are enacted, a Vermont official said.
Insurers Side With Power Companies In Global Warming Supreme Court Case
Property-casualty insurers are siding with power companies in a U.S. Supreme Court case which will decide if states can sue polluters outside their boundaries, leaving federal courts to limit emissions.
Property Casualty Insurers of America Names Bell Senior Counsel
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America has named Michael Bell senior counsel, financial policy in the policy development and research department.
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