Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, April 5
Apr 5, 2013
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 2013 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
There are no Florida insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Hurricane Center changes policies on issuing warnings
Responding to criticism after Superstorm Sandy, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday it would change the way it warns people about tropical storms that morph into something else.
Blog: Florida Chief Financial Officer appoints new Citizens Property Insurance board member
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater tapped a Wellington CPA to fill a vacant seat on the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors, the company announced Thursday.
Citizens’ Property Insurance policy rates could skyrocket
Rocked by a series of corporate scandals — and with its CEO facing a tough confirmation hearing — Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has gone increasingly positive with its messaging in recent weeks.
Demotech Completes Year-End 2012 Financial Analysis of Florida Property Market
Demotech, the financial analysis company whose Financial Stability Ratings® have coalesced Florida’s property insurance marketplace since 1996, has finalized its financial review of the year-end 2012 annual statements, statements of actuarial opinion and other pertinent data as regards forty-nine carriers writing more than 60 percent of Florida’s homeowners’ insurance.
Editorial: Legislature should not shrink Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund
A remarkable thing happened Tuesday in the Florida Senate: Large, out-of-state property insurance companies lost a vote. More remarkable was how the vote broke down.
Airport officials in January submitted a contract of $1.25 million to buy the foreclosed Brooksville Air Center in the corporate park.
Experts predict a bumper year for catastrophe bonds
The catastrophe bond market is set to have a bumper year in 2013 say experts with Bermuda at the forefront of the insurance-linked securities industry.
The impending hurricane season has Southwest Florida property owners rushing to redo their roofs and harden their houses.
PIP reform: It’s supposed to lower your car insurance
You’ve heard the old adage, ‘What goes up, must come down.’
Texting-While-Driving Bill Motors Ahead in House
Legislation to ban texting while driving in Florida is cruising ahead in the Florida House with plenty of support, and that’s a stark contrast to past years.
“Eyeball wars” end in a unanimous compromise deal
A decades-long battle between Florida’s optometrists and ophthalmologists — nicknamed the “eyeball wars” – is finally over.
AssuredPartners buys Florida based Alan James Insurance
AssuredPartners of Florida has acquired all of the assets of Alan James Insurance, an insurance broker specializing in insurance products and services designed for the south-Florida real estate market.
Florida is safe again for Canadian snowbirds.
Jennifer Carroll talks about resigning as lieutenant governor
Former Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll said Thursday she had no idea law enforcement was investigating a veterans charity accused of running illegal slot machine-style casinos until two agents walked into her office last month.
Florida Governor Rick Scott Will Sign Internet Cafe Closure
Governor Rick Scott will sign legislation prohibiting the gaming at Internet cafes, his office said Thursday, following Senate passage of a bill that flew through the Legislature spurred by an ongoing racketeering investigation.
Parent trigger bill approved by House
The Florida House approved the controversial parent-trigger proposal Thursday, setting the stage for a showdown in the Senate.
Blog: Federal budget cuts affecting cargo inspections at South Florida air, sea ports
Federal budget cuts to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol that have already delayed thousands of international passengers at South Florida’s air and sea ports are starting to affect a different type of cargo: Flowers.
Bill to end alimony draws acrimonious debate in Tallahassee
Connie Bacher was awarded $1,400 in monthly alimony payments when her 23-year marriage ended in 2009.
Miami-Dade GOP Opposes Sun Life Stadium Funding, Rebukes Miami GOP Sponsors
The Miami Dolphins, and two Miami-Dade Republican legislators, suffered a symbolic blow on Thursday night to their push for taxpayer subsidies to renovate Miami’s Sun Life Stadium, as the Miami-Dade GOP narrowly passed a resolution condemning the effort as just so much corporate welfare.
Senate bill mandates warrants for drone use
Reassured that tea party activists and other government critics will not have their rallies spied on by police using aerial drones, the Florida Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to a bill requiring search warrants for most law-enforcement use of the unmanned surveillance planes.
Petition for More Slots Raising Eyebrows
Gulfstream Park Thoroughbred After Racing Program is asking the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering to clarify whether, under state law, the park must negotiate an agreement with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association before petitioning to be allowed to install more slots.
Mississippi Insurance Agent Denied New Trial in Kickback Case
A federal judge in Mississippi has denied arguments from Ecru insurance agent Ken Nowlin that he was given faulty advice by his attorney in a government kickback case.
Careful design leaves New Jersey house unscathed in storm
When Hurricane Sandy roared ashore last fall, causing billions of dollars in damage and ruining tens of thousands of homes, Bernard Bertino felt like the luckiest guy on his block.
New York Times DealBook: Consumer Bureau Says 4 Insurers Made Kickbacks to Mortgage Lenders
A federal regulator set up after the financial crisis to protect consumers announced enforcement actions against four insurance companies on Thursday, asserting that the firms paid kickbacks to mortgage lenders for more than 10 years.
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