Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, December 30
Dec 30, 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
There are no Florida insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Blog: Insurance discounts granted and revoked by same inspection firm
It appears Coconut Creek resident Sandy Teich wasn’t the only one who hired an inspection firm that said her home upgrades qualified for insurance discounts only to have the very same firm do another inspection at the insurer’s expense and take the discounts away.
Blog: Constitutionality of home insurance laws questioned
A local public insurance adjuster and the president of a home inspectors group allege that parts of property insurance laws passed this year and last hurt their industries and are unconstitutional.
Florida Department of Transportation assessing sinkhole at Polk City rest stop
Repair crews will be back at the site of a Polk County sinkhole today.Florida Department of Transportation officials said they are still trying to assess the hole and determine when and how to fill it in.
Blog: Panel echoes Governor Scott’s call to overhaul Medicaid reimbursement system
A panel created by Gov. Rick Scott to analyze the state’s taxpayer-funded hospital districts is echoing the governor’s call for changes to how hospitals are reimbursed through Medicaid.
Governor Scott names new heads of Office of Open Government and three other posts
Gov. Rick Scott is ending 2011 by naming four new employees to his office. The one of most immediate consequence to the public is Bonnie Hazelton, who will take over as director of the Office of Open Government next week.
Republican Party of Florida appoints two during staff changes
The Republican Party of Florida appoints a new press secretary and a new-media director.
Blog: Amid fundraising binge, Republican intrigue in Florida Senate President race continues
It’s almost session. Do you know who your Florida Senate president will be in two years?
Blog: Proposed boundary changes affect Senator Norman, Senator Storms
About half of Temple Terrace and New Tampa voters who cast ballots last November didn’t bother to weigh in on Jim Norman’s state Senate bid.
Next-generation 911 system with better mobile phone support rolling out
Piece by piece, Palm Beach County’s next-generation 911 system is coming online with the capabilities to support the latest mobile technologies – text messages, photos and video – down the road.
Bogdanoff offers new proposals on gaming bill
The Fort Lauderdale senator and bill sponsor would allow pari-mutuels to morph into casinos and allow local voters to weigh in on expanded gaming.
Editorial: Florida Legislature’s full plate of hot issues
This year’s legislative session begins early because Florida lawmakers must redraw political maps for the state Senate, the state House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Florida Current’s 2012 Session Outlook: Economic Development
After obtaining changes in Florida’s economic development strategy during the 2011 legislative session, Gov. Rick Scott is making more requests for the upcoming session.
The Florida Current’s 2012 Session Outlook: Redistricting and Reapportionment
Differences in approach between the House and Senate have already arisen as the process of redistricting Florida’s voting districts moves toward the 2012 legislative session.
New York Times: Miami Courts Free-Spending Brazilians
Even in a city that has embraced so many waves of Latinos that it is jokingly referred to as the only South American capital in North America, no one group has been as courted and pampered as the Brazilians.
The 25 Most Powerful People in Central Florida, Part 1
They affect the taxes you pay and the schools your children attend. Some control massive workforces. Others hold political sway all the way to Washington. They are Central Florida’s power players.
South Carolina Insurance Director Black Resigns
South Carolina is looking for a new insurance commissioner. Eleven months after being nominated for the job by Gov. Nikki Haley, David Black has resigned.
Fidelity National to Sell Majority Stake in Personal-Lines Business
Fidelity National Financial Inc , the No. 1 U.S. property title insurer, said it will sell an 85 percent interest in its personal lines business to WT Holdings for about $119 million.
North Carolina Farm Bureau Weighs Cutback in Homeowners Policies
One of North Carolina’s largest homeowners’ insurers says it is considering canceling the coverage of up to 70,000 homeowners unless the state Legislature makes changes allowing it to charge higher rates.
Texas Windpool E-Quote System to Be Disabled December 30 – January 3
Changes in the billing and commission program at Texas’ insurer of last resort for coastal property will prompt a shut down of the agency’s E-Quote system over the long New Year holiday weekend.
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