Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Friday, January 16, 2015
Jan 16, 2015
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
Looking Ahead
Florida Legislature: Interim Committee Meetings
- Week of January 20, 2015
- Week of February 2, 2015
- Week of February 9, 2015
- Week of February 16, 2015
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Is Kevin McCarty Scott’s next target? Atwater, Bondi & Putnam say they haven’t discussed it
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has survived sitting on one of the hottest seats in state government for more than a decade. But there’s growing signs that Gov. Rick Scott may want his tenure to come to a close, just as he sought to end the career of FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
Florida Approves Removal of 93500 Policies from Citizens
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has approved the removal of up to 93,000 personal residential policies and 500 commercial residential polices from Citizens Property Insurance, Insurance Journal reports.
Florida Court Upholds Workers’ Compensation “Exclusive Remedy”
Florida’s insurers are breathing easier after the state’s high court ruled that the workers’ compensation law bars injured workers from seeking additional benefits in civil court, Insurance Journal’s Michael Adams reports.
Florida is the worst state to get into a car crash
According to the study, 23.8 percent of Florida drivers have no insurance at all, the South Florida Business Journal reports.
Nonlawyers Providing Medicaid Advice, Florida Supreme Court Says Watch Out
The Florida Supreme Court issued a ruling that took aim at non-lawyers who are paid to help people get Medicaid benefits, including seniors who need Medicaid coverage for nursing-home care. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via the Daily Business Review.
Bill would toughen state ban on traffic ticket quotas
Legislation that would give teeth to Florida’s prohibition on traffic ticket quotas and require local police departments to be upfront about budget funding is up for discussion during this year’s session.
Report: No option as flexible for state as Low Income Pool
The state of Florida was given four recommendations on how it could replace upward of $2 billion in health-care funding if the so-called “low income pool” were to expire at the end of June, as anticipated. Christine Jordan Sexton reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Army Corps to begin pumping Lake Okeechobee
With a wetter-than-normal dry season predicted, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday that it would begin releasing water from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River, raising concerns that the polluted water could trigger toxic algae blooms. Jenny Staletovich reports for the Miami Herald.
Appeals court hears challenge in blind trust case
Did the Florida Legislature violate the state’s financial disclosure law when it allowed public officials to shield their assets in a blind trust? The Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports.
Florida Department of Health proposes selection committee to award Charlotte’s Web licenses
The Department of Health has released a draft proposal of a rule to implement the state’s low-THC/high-CBD medicinal marijuana law. James Call reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Miami-Dade’s Bill Johnson may be up for Enterprise Florida post
Bill Johnson, Miami-Dade’s longtime port director and current head of water and sewer, may be in the running to take over Florida’s economic-development arm.
Anitere Flores is a Rising Star
The RNC tapped Anitere Flores as a rising star on Thursday and there’s no arguing she has some of the most potential of any of the several politicians making up the Republican bench in Florida.
World Economic Forum Report Cites “Interstate Conflict” as #1 Risk
The World Economic Forum Global Risks 2015 report, released at a press conference in London yesterday, singled out potential “interstate conflict with regional consequences” as the number one global risk in terms of likelihood, and the fourth most serious risk in terms of impact. Water crises were ranked highest in terms of impact. Charles Boyle reports for Insurance Journal.
Texas Bills Target “Named Driver” Automobile Policies; Disclosure Rules Adopted
A pair of bills filed in the Texas Legislature would prohibit automobile insurers from issuing “named driver” policies in the state, but one would allow named driver exclusion under certain circumstances, Insurance Journal reports.
North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Seeks Reduced Operating Budget
Efficiencies at the North Dakota Insurance Department have led the state’s insurance commissioner to ask for a reduced operating budget for 2015 – 2017, Insurance Journal reports.
Snow Problem When It Comes to Self-Driving Cars, Says Google
Google Inc. sees Detroit’s snow as a bigger barrier than Washington’s regulators for its self-driving car. Bloomberg’s Craig Trudell reports via Insurance Journal.
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