Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, January 3
Jan 3, 2014
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no events scheduled for today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Insurers push back on Atwater cost complaint
Insurance companies are poised to clash with Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater this month over the cost of reinsurance and why homeowners’ premiums haven’t fallen with the price of additional coverage, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Florida senator says proposal would aid homeowners filing Citizens sinkhole claims
The plight of homeowners has prompted a state senator from Pasco County to file legislation to change how Florida’s home insurer of last resort handles sinkhole claims, Frances Gilpin reports for ABC News.
Election Changes, Sex Trafficking Laws Started With New Year
Bills that crack down on human sex trafficking, address problems from the 2012 election, allow foster care children to remain in the program until 21, and provide an incentive for companies to expand their fleet of natural gas vehicles became law Wednesday, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Turner reports via SunshineStateNews.com.
State of Florida doubles staff for unemployment cases after website snafu
The state Department of Economic Opportunity is hiring 330 workers to help process unemployment assistance applications due to troubles with a new $62.8 million online system, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Turner reports via the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Southwest Florida real estate rebounds in dramatic fashion in 2013
Foreclosures fall, construction soars as recovery continues, Ft. Myers News-Press reports.
Orlando airport tallied most gun arrests in Florida in 2013
Orlando International Airport ended 2013 with more gun arrests than any other Florida airport, according to the federal Transportation Security Administration, Henry Pierson Curtis reports for the Orlando Sentinel.
Alabama, Florida shun agreement request by group developing water-sharing plan
The governors of Alabama and Florida are declining to sign an agreement intended to prevent water-use information from a collaborative group of stakeholders from being used in court, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.
2014 forecast: A hot year in Florida politics
This fall’s state elections could determine Florida’s direction for at least the next decade, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer explains.
Reports: Reinsurance Rates Falling; Sector Adapting to Meet Pricing Challenges
The competitive reinsurance pricing environment will push companies to innovate in 2014, say property and casualty insurance experts at the turn of the New Year, National Underwriter’s Ana Khalamayzer reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.
Texas Brine Draws up New Plans for Louisiana Sinkhole
Records show that Texas Brine Co. has developed a backup plan to replace the cracked southern section of a protective levee surrounding the sinkhole in Louisiana’s northern Assumption Parish and may look to reroute Bayou Corne if conditions deteriorate further, Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
North Carolina Licenses Four Captives
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said his agency has issued four captive insurance company licenses since the state’s Captive Insurance Act went into effect in late October 2013, Insurance Journal reports.
Appeals Court Upholds Convictions in Tennessee Asbestos Case
A federal appeals court last week upheld the convictions of two men found guilty of violating federal environmental laws during the demolition of a Chattanooga, Tenn., textile mill that contained large amounts of asbestos, Associated Press’ Lucas L. Johnson II reports via Insurance Journal.
Missouri Insurance Regulator Heese Receives NAIC Award
Insurance Journal reports that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) presented Fred Heese, director of the Missouri Division of Insurance Company Regulation and the state’s chief financial examiner, with the Robert Dineen Award, the Missouri Department of Insurance announced.
RIMS Names New President for 2014
Board member Carolyn M. Snow has been with RIMS for 14 years, National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com reports.
Feds May Require Cars to Talk to Each Other to Avoid Crashes
Federal officials will decided in the “coming weeks” whether to require new cars to include smart technology that would alert drivers of a coming crash, even in vehicles that are two or three cars away, reports Mark Mooney for ABC News.
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