Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, July 15
Jul 15, 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
2:00 p.m.–Surplus Lines Insurance Multistate Compliance Compact (“SLIMPACT”) Commission Meeting Teleconference. The SLIMPACT Commission will meet in Newport, Rhode Island in conjunction with the National Conference of Insurance Legislators Summer meeting. To participate, call 1-412-858-4600.
Florida drywall deal clears hurdle
But some plaintiffs’ lawyers rip offer
A federal judge Thursday gave a preliminary OK to a $54.5 million settlement between Banner Supply and thousands of homeowners the company supplied with defective Chinese drywall, including many in Southwest Florida.
Condos residents drop out After Great American Insurance Company Refuses Multimillion-Dollar Claim
Condo’s tenants hold up on dues
Frustrated by a lack of repair progress and swelling costs to fix severely damaged concrete, a growing number of Dolphin Tower unit owners appear to be walking away from the troubled 15-story downtown condominium.
Insurance should cover severe termite damage
Jia Wang had $60,000 worth of termite damage to his home and has been fighting with his homeowners insurance to help cover the cost.
Editorial: Insurance needs painful changes
Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s largest property insurer, is overexposed, and adding thousands of policies a week.
Commercial roofing 101: Updates, tips for property managers
Get an update on energy-saving roofing systems, FPL energy rebates and hurricane preparedness best practices at a free commercial roofing seminar presented by Gregg Wallick, president and chief executive officer of Best Roofing.
FPIC merger awaits outcome of legal investigations
The sale of FPIC Insurance Group, a longtime Jacksonville-based carrier of medical malpractice insurance, to a California-based physicians insurer, has hurdles to clear: A public hearing with a federal regulatory agency and a host of law-firm-sponsored investigations.
Florida Senate turns its attention to medical malpractice
A Senate panel plans to look into whether additional medical malpractice changes are needed in Florida law.
State files complaints against doctor involved in Brandon hepatitis outbreak
The state has filed a pair of administrative complaints against a doctor for her role in a hepatitis C outbreak that occurred at a holistic medical clinic in Brandon.
Florida and a Federal Shutdown
If there isn’t an agreement in Washington on raising the debt ceiling and there is a lengthy federal government shutdown, Florida may not be prepared to deal with the consequences.
Thirty people apply to take over watchdog agency OPPAGA
The list of applicants to take over the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability includes the current interim head of the office and the Secretary of the Senate.
Florida team gets International Space Station contract from NASA
NASA has picked a team from Florida to manage the national laboratory aboard the International Space Station.
Lake Okeechobee thirsts despite rains; not expected to rise enough to recover before the dry season
Despite lush lawns, afternoon downpours and smothering humidity, there remains a 65 percent chance that Lake Okeechobee, the main source of water for drinking and irrigation for much of the region, still will be short on water when the dry season begins in November.
Florida Power & Light’s new online tool lets users track neighborhoods that have lost electricity
Starting today, Florida Power & Light Co. customers can go online for information about power outages near their homes or businesses.
Florida Says BP Oil Spill Victims Still Suffering
Nearly 15 months after the massive BP oil spill blighted the Gulf of Mexico and beaches across the southeast, Florida’s top agriculture official said that an untold number of residents whose livelihoods were disrupted have not yet been compensated.
Liability Risk Retention Act Amendment Would Include Commercial Property in RRGs
An amendment to the federal Liability Risk Retention Act that would allow inclusion of commercial-property coverage in risk-retention groups has been introduced in the House of Representatives and awaits further action, according to the office of Representative Peter Welch, D-Vermont.
North Carolina Senate Overrides Malpractice Bill Veto
The North Carolina Senate has rejected Governor Beverly Perdue’s opposition to a bill to limit certain damages for negligence victims in medical malpractice cases.
Prudential granted license for New Jersey’s first captive insurance company
The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance has licensed the state’s first captive insurance company, a single-parent captive formed by Newark, New Jersey-based Prudential Insurance Co. of America.
When disaster strikes states, governors can make a big difference
Tornadoes, floods and fires recently struck full force around the country, and terrorism continues to be a threat, despite a weakened al-Qaida.
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