Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, May 22, 2015
May 22, 2015
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
President Obama to stop by National Hurricane Center during upcoming Miami visit
President Obama will visit the National Hurricane Center in Miami next Thursday for a preparedness briefing in advance of the June 1 start of the annual hurricane season, according to a White House official. The Miami Herald’s Patricia Mazzei reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
Rick Scott signs flood insurance flexibility bill into law
Governor Rick Scott on Thursday afternoon granted final approval to a measure sponsored by state Senator Jeff Brandes aimed at increasing flexibility and lowering premiums on insurance premiums. SaintPetersBlog.com’s Ryan Ray reports.
Ruling seen as blow to insurers wary of contractor deals
An appeals court ruling represents another setback to Florida insurers, attorneys say, just weeks after state legislators failed to pass bills to limit when a consumer can sign over control of insurance benefits to a contractor who, say, dries out water damage. The Palm Beach Post’s Charles Elmore reports for the “Protecting Your Pocket” blog.
A judge recently placed a Florida-based insurance company into rehabilitation and turned it over to regulators at the Missouri Department of Insurance.
For Uber, loyal drivers and a new fight for benefits
As Uber wages its battle to change Miami-Dade’s taxi laws and operate legally, it also has recruited a growing fleet of drivers happy for the quick cash that the car service brings. Now it’s facing a new skirmish: whether an ex-driver can collect unemployment insurance. The Miami Herald’s Douglas Hanks reports.
Miami insurance fraud ring extends to Lee, Collier Counties
A massive insurance fraud ring out of Miami extended into Lee and Collier Counties. Some house fires were intentionally set so the homeowners could get the big insurance payout, David Hodges reports for WBBH-TV.
Insurer Hilb Group buys All Lines in Clearwater
A Richmond, Virginia, insurer that’s been growing its Florida businesses has bought a Clearwater firm specializing in serving condo associations, Margie Manning reports for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
$1.6 Billion Is Offered to Hospitals in Florida
The federal government opened the door on Thursday to a compromise that could ease Florida’s budget impasse, rooted in a disagreement over Medicaid expansion and the cost of caring for the uninsured, Lizette Alvarez reports for the New York Times.
44 bills signed by Scott affect guns, muni pensions, distilleries
A measure revamping police and firefighter pension benefits approved under former Governor Jeb Bush, along with weapons and body camera legislation were among 44 bills signed into law Thursday by Governor Rick Scott. The Palm Beach Post’s John Kennedy reports for the “Post on Politics” blog.
Scott’s draft of Special Session agenda banned talk of Medicaid expansion
While the Senate and House scrambled last week to agree on terms of a proclamation for a special session, Governor Rick Scott had followed through on a threat to draft his own proclamation — and on his terms. Steve Bousquet reports for the Miami Herald’s “Naked Politics” blog.
Speaker Crisafulli’s office details House schedule for Special Session
In preparation for the Special Session, the Florida House of Representatives has published a tentative calendar of committee meetings and Session floor dates, SaintPetersBlog.com reports.
Do Chief Financial Officers Understand Property Insurance?
At a recent session on disaster recovery that attracted several dozen CFOs, an official of a major insurance broker implied strongly at the beginning of his address that the audience didn’t understand certain aspects of property insurance very well. David McCann reports for CFO.com
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