Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, March 8
Mar 8, 2013
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
Florida’s 2013 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
10:00 a.m.–Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Claims Committee meeting. Teleconference: (866) 361-7525; conference ID: 5219676193#. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Property insurance overhaul clears Senate panel
A bill (SB 7018) that would bring major changes to Florida’s property insurance market passed through the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Thursday, thanks largely to a concession to Democrats on the panel to soften the impact on high-end homes.
Tiara condo owners may recoup millions from insurer
Five years after the Tiara condominium reopened after being ravaged by back-to-back hurricanes in 2004, residents learned they may get back $40 million to $50 million they spent on repairs.
Reinsurance industry may win subsidies in Florida
This year, the Florida Legislature will be considering several proposals that could have a major impact on windstorm insurance throughout the state.
Sinkhole calls increase since Seffner tragedy
Joseph Cortes has no doubt the tragedy that claimed a Seffner man’s life after he was swallowed up in a 60-foot sinkhole under his home will have huge ramifications.
In the wake of the multi-state destruction wrought by the one-two punch of Superstorm Sandy and the nor’easter that followed, a new study suggests that geographically diverse, multi-state catastrophic risk pools provide clear financial benefits without creating subsidies between low and high risk areas.
Free homeowners wind mitigation workshop March 20 in Port St. Lucie
A Homeowners Wind Mitigation Workshop will be from 1 to 3 p.m. March 20 in the Port St. Lucie Building Department Training Room, Building B of the City Hall Municipal Complex, 121 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd.
Report finds insurers unready for climate change-related disasters
The insurance industry is ill-prepared to handle climate change-related disasters, regulators and industry watchers warned Thursday, saying the business hasn’t evolved enough in the face of rising sea levels and extreme weather fueled by climate change.
Florida Judge: 104-Week Limit on Temporary Disability Benefits Unconstitutional
A Florida district court judge’s ruling that declared unconstitutional a 104-week limitation on injured workers’ temporary benefits has left insurers and employers scrambling to come up with a legislative solution as the state’s 60-day legislative session began this week.
House moves to repeal international driver license mandate for foreign visitors
The House Economic Affairs Committee unanimously passed a bill Thursday repealing a measure passed last year requiring foreign visitors to Florida to get an International Driving Permit before driving in the state.
Texting while driving bill gets moving in House
A bill to limit texting while driving appears finally to have momentum in the Florida House, after years of proposals stalling out.
Schemers are targeting your windshields for fraudulent insurance claims
Schemers are out to cash in on your car’s windshield by trying to convince you to let them replace it for “free”.
Blog: Medicaid Expansion Costs — Not As Much As Scott Thought
As Governor Rick Scott and lawmakers are tangled in a debate about whether to expand Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act, new estimates show that the expansion and other parts of the law would cost the state about $5.2 billion over 10 years, reports Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida.
Blog: Florida Taxwatch Calls For Claim Bill Reforms
Florida’s claim bill process-by which individuals can petition the legislature for payment of tort claims against government-is too arbitrary, too political and lacks equity and transparency, according to a report released Thursday by Florida TaxWatch, the independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institution and government watchdog headquartered in Tallahassee.
Senator Negron: Budget allocations out next week
Senate budget chief Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said Thursday the upper chamber of the Legislature will release budget allocations — funding levels given to each piece of the budget — next week. Negron made the announcement during a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee he chairs.
Court weighs whether gated communities can restrict access over Homeowner Association debt
A standoff of sorts has occurred at the gates of one of the region’s most prestigious country clubs.
House Speaker: $10,000 contribution limit isn’t happening
Speaker Will Weatherford said Thursday the House would dramatically lower the proposed $10,000 campaign-contribution limit it is pushing in exchange for broad ethics changes lawmakers are debating this session.
Florida lawmakers lay groundwork for natural gas fracking
The national debate about a type of oil and gas drilling known as “fracking” has never hit home in Florida.
A pair of bills facing environmental opposition passed Senate and House committees on Thursday while bills that would regulate hydraulic fracturing passed a House panel without opposition.
Florida sugar growers win House vote on Everglades pollution payout
The sugar industry won a round Thursday in the long fight over Everglades restoration, when a House panel approved extending a tax on growers that environmentalists say will leave South Florida taxpayers paying most of the cleanup cost.
House panel approves parent trigger bill
The parent trigger bandwagon is once again starting to move in the Florida Legislature.
Northwest Orange County’s newest representative is something of an oddity: a Democrat who’s a strong supporter of charter schools, having worked at one for the last couple of years.
Judge Rules Ohio State Workers’ Compensation Fund Overcharged Employers; Fund Will Appeal
Ohio employers could share refunds totaling $861 million if a court decision holding that the state workers’ compensation fund overcharged employers is upheld.
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