Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, August 16
Aug 16, 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
9:00 a.m.–Executive Office of the Governor public meeting; 9:00 a.m. Tallahassee, Florida. Citizens Inspector General candidate interviews. To view the meeting notice, click here.
10:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association Reinsurance Committee teleconference meeting. To view the agenda, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Four candidates remain for watchdog role at Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance
As of Thursday, the number of candidates vying for the internal watchdog role at Citizens Property Insurance stands at four, according Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida, who reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Barry Gilway: Rebuilding the Citizens brand
As we enter the heart of the hurricane season and welcome a new chairman and board members, it is fitting that I give the customers of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and all Floridians a glimpse of how far we have come this year in our efforts to earn the public’s trust, writes Citizens’ CEO Barry Gilway in this Tampa Bay Times editorial opinion.
Florida windstorm insurance rates could fall thanks to new RMS risk model
A computer-simulated hurricane strike on Florida may sound like nothing more than an entertaining backdrop for a B-movie, but it could have a big impact on windstorm insurance rates, Brian Bandell reports for South Florida Business Journal.
Official: 100-Foot Sinkhole at Florida Resort Not Growing
An official at the Florida resort where a villa was partially swallowed into the ground says it doesn’t appear the sinkhole on the site is growing, the Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
Overdevelopment widens Florida sinkhole problem
Sinkholes may be as old as the earth itself, but the increase in sinkhole activity is new. The rush to reason why has put scientists, engineers and real estate developers at odds, Diana Olick reports for CNBC.com.
- Editorial: Sinkhole silence
- Settling in Sinkhole Alley: If you live in Florida they’re just a fact of life
“Dream Defenders” declare victory, leave Capitol
The “Dream Defenders” who vowed to sit in at the Florida Capitol until a special legislative session considered their demands for changes in the “stand your ground” self-defense law Thursday ended their 31-day protest with a vow to take the fight to college campuses and ballot boxes — and to continue working on state lawmakers, Bill Cotterell reports for The Florida Current.
Governor Scott makes a flurry of appointments to Florida boards
Governor Rick Scott announced a series of official appointments to a number of leadership positions throughout the state, Phil Ammann reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Atwater gets Democratic challenger for Chief Financial Officer spot
The Florida Democratic Party announced Thursday former Disney manager Allie Braswell is entering the race for Chief Financial Officer, hoping to take over the Cabinet seat from Republican incumbent Jeff Atwater, Gray Rohrer reports for The Florida Current.
Water Management Board OKs plan to alleviate Lake Okeechobee discharges
A plan to divert some of the Lake Okeechobee water now dumping into the St. Lucie Estuary took a small step forward, the Associated Press reports via the Tampa Tribune.
Unions file suit over SunRail bid
The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and the Florida AFL-CIO filed a lawsuit Thursday to overturn a Florida Department of Transportation decision to award a bid for work on SunRail, the commuter line in central Florida, to a contractor they believe is unqualified for the project, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Blog: Florida Senator Jeff Brandes working on legislation to crack down on wasteful charities
A Florida state senator announced this week that he is drafting legislation to crack down on wasteful charities following a yearlong investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting, Kris Hundley blogs for Tampa Bay Times.
Former lawmaker arrested on kickback charges
Former state Rep. Mitch Needelman and a former business partner were charged with bid tampering and bribery Thursday in what the Florida Department of Law Enforcement called a kickback scheme involving a document-scanning contract signed when Needelman was Brevard County clerk of court, The Florida Current reports.
Scientists’ Report: More Reforms Needed for Flood, Wind Insurance Programs
A new report this week from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog group, warns that sea level rise and worsening storm surge are increasing both the risks of flooding in coastal communities and the potential for large costs borne by U.S. taxpayers, Insurance Journal reports.
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