Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report – Friday, February 19, 2016

 

Uber, Lyft insurance bill still “work in progress” in Florida

The Senate floor is the next stop for a proposal that would establish new insurance requirements for drivers with app-based transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft.  THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Turner reports via the Palm Beach Post.

  

Kentucky Commish Green Lights Aetna-Humana Acquisition, Florida Approves Deal

On February 15, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued its approval of the request by Aetna to acquire CarePlus Health Plans, Inc., Humana Health Insurance Co. of Florida, Human Medical Plan, and CompBenefits Co., Insurance Journal reports.

  

Florida Senators reject major health regulation change

With hospitals, nursing homes and hospice providers lined up in opposition, a Senate panel Wednesday rejected a proposed overhaul of a key regulatory process for new health-care facilities.  THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Turner reports via the Palm Beach Post.

 

Florida’s AssuredPartners Acquires Encompass Risk Solutions in Pennsylvania

AssuredPartners Inc. announced that it has acquired Encompass Risk Solutions Inc., an independent agency based in Warminster, Pennsylvania, with two additional offices in York, Pennsylvania, and Marietta, Georgia, Insurance Journal reports.

 

Georgia insurance agent accused of selling fake policies to Florida seniors

A Georgia man was arrested in Florida on suspicion he accepted insurance premium payments from two clients for insurance policies that he did not purchase, ActionNewsJax.com reports.

 

Scott gets nine bills, including one to curb backyard gun ranges

The Florida Legislature sent nine bills to Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday, including a measure (SB 130) known as the “backyard gun range” bill, which is intended to curb recreational shooting in residential areas.  The Palm Beach Post reports.

 

Budget Writers Won’t Work This Weekend

Florida budget negotiators will not start formal talks until at least early next week, though leaders are making “forward progress,” the NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via the Orlando Sentinel.

 

Lawmakers strike political compromise to repair Florida’s troubled death penalty law

Florida lawmakers have struck a compromise to rewrite the death penalty law in hopes of avoiding more legal attacks and to allow executions to resume in a state with nearly 400 death row inmates.  The Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet reports.

 

House, Senate bills seek broad changes to Florida Department of Financial Services

A pair of bills making way through both the House and Senate this week seek to make wide-ranging changes to the Department of Financial Services, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann reports.

 

Gaetz criticizes Diaz de la Portilla on open carry

State Senator Don Gaetz said in a lengthy statement this evening that Miami Republican Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla “stretched” his authority as Judiciary Committee chairman and “stifled the will of the Senate to cast an up or down vote” on Gaetz’s proposal to let people openly carry handguns in Florida.  The Tampa Bay Times’ Kristin M. Clark reports via “The Buzz” blog.

 

Fiscal Watchdogs Clash Over Rick Scott’s Call to Increase Enterprise Florida Funding 

Advocates of free market economics and limited government split on Thursday over Governor Rick Scott’s call for increasing the funding for Enterprise Florida to lure businesses to the Sunshine State.   Kevin Derby reports for SunshineStateNews.com.

 

Top Florida Political Scientists Come Out Against Unified Elections

In an unusual occurrence, four of the state’s best-known university-based political scientists have been brought together to express opposition to House Bill 7059, which aims to unify Florida’s election dates for national, state and local elections.  Scott Powers reports for FloridaPolitics.com.

 

How Employer Joint Liability Is Changing

Businesses known for their uniforms are worried about lawyers in business suits in the wake of a change in the nation’s labor laws affecting their liability for employment practices.  Insurance Journal’s Andrea Wells reports.

 

 

 

 

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