Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, June 22, 2015.
Jun 22, 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
- 2:00 p.m.–Florida Self-Insurers Guaranty Association Board of Directors meeting. Teleconference: (866) 866-2244; conference code: 7903005.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Threat of wildfires growing as Northeast Florida remains most parched area of state
Scorching temperatures are nothing new to Florida residents, but experts say the lack of rain along with the heat is troubling, Joe Daraskevich reports for the Florida Times-Union.
Meteorologist: Orlando hits 100 degrees for first time in nearly two decades
Orlando hit 100 degrees Friday afternoon – the first time the area has recorded triple-digit temperatures in 17 years, David Harris reports for the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida Legislature passes $78.7 billion budget in overtime
After a sprawling and messy budget fight that spawned lawsuits and finger-pointing, the fractured Republican-controlled Florida Legislature approved a nearly $79 billion budget and ended its special session Friday. The Associated Press’ Gary Fineout reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
- Winners and losers of the Florida Legislature’s Special Session
- Richard Corcoran to Rick Scott: “Go forth boldly and veto”
- Senate Takes Parting Shots at House Before Final Budget Vote
- House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford laments “missed opportunities” in Budget
- Rick Scott set to kick off “Tax Cut Victory Tour”
- Talk of big legislative session for environment proved wrong
- $780 Million More for Education in Florida, But a $500 Million Property Tax Increase
2016 Legislative committee meeting schedule announced
Even as the Sine Die hanky fell on Florida’s 2015A Special Legislative Session, and ink dried on a $79 billion budget sitting on Governor Rick Scott’s desk, plans for next year’s Session are already well under way, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann reports.
Florida’s battle over health care likely to return in 2016
A bruising budget battle that divided Republicans in the Florida Legislature is over for now, but the truce is likely only to last a few months. The Associated Press’ Gary Fineout reports via the Tampa Tribune.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera to announce U.S. Senate intentions July 15
Florida Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who has been considering a bid for Marco Rubio’s U.S. Senate seat, confirmed he will announce a decision on July 15, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann reports.
Tom Rooney, Adam Hasner to co-chair Rubio’s Florida effort
U.S. Representative Tom Rooney of Okeechobee and former Florida House Majority Leader Adam Hasner of Delray Beach will be in charge of building a grass-roots donor and activist network for Marco Rubio, the Miami Herald’s Patricia Mazzei reports.
The News Service of Florida has Five Questions for Bill Galvano
Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano has been a top lieutenant to Senate President Andy Gardiner this year, as lawmakers battled about health-care issues and the budget. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Margie Menzel interviews him via the SayfieReview.com.
Tampa Bay judges crack down on serial bankruptcy filers
In the past year and a half, at least 85 Tampa Bay residents have been barred from refiling for up to two years after it became obvious they declared bankruptcy primarily to block foreclosure. The Tampa Bay Times’ Susan Taylor Martin reports.
Deceptive hotel booking sites raise alarms in Florida
An estimated 2.5 million hotel reservations were made nationwide through deceptive booking websites or call centers last year, cheating consumers and bedeviling the travel industry, especially in major destinations like Florida. The Sun-Sentinel’s William Gibson reports.
Flaws but no abuse, U.S. Senate finds in Superstorm Sandy flood insurance study
The Senate Banking Committee will release a report that calls the appeals process for federal flood insurance claims after Super Storm Sandy badly flawed, but also that it found no signs of systematic underpayments to victims, New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Bruce Alpert notes the Reuters report.
Science Panel Tries to Re-inject Reality into Flood Insurance Pricing
Federal flood insurance in the United States is a mess, with politics continuing to trump data, and taxpayers paying the price, the New York Times reports via Advisen.com.
How Ruling That Drivers Are Employees Upends Uber Business Model
If you look at the IRS guidelines for determining whether someone is an employee or an independent contractor, Uber’s model clearly tilts toward concluding “contractor.” So why does California’s Labor commissioner say an Uber driver is an employee, while a freelance writer is presumably still a contractor (at least for now)? Bloomberg’s Megan McArdle analyzes the highly publicized ruling via Insurance Journal.
Reinsurance Suit Against Greenberg Sent to New York’s Top Court Again
A decade-old lawsuit in which New York accused former American International Group Inc. Chief Executive Maurice “Hank” Greenberg of accounting fraud will head to the state’s highest court for a second time, likely delaying for several months a trial that had been set for June 25. Reuters’ Karen Freifeld and Jonathan Stempel report via Insurance Journal.
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