Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, April 21
Apr 21, 2014
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 Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriters Association Safety Committee teleconference meeting. To view the agenda, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Florida Citizens Property Insurance Upgrades Personal Lines Claims Handling System
Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance launched its most recent computer system upgrade, Personal Lines Claim Center. According to a release from the insurer, the personal claims component provides enhanced communication capabilities across business units and eliminates most manual processes while improving reporting and streamlining claims handling, National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com reports.
House to vote on insurance for gun owners
The Florida House is scheduled to vote on a bill Monday that would make it illegal for insurance companies to deny policies or charge higher rates solely based on gun ownership, the Associated Press reports via the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Florida communities prepare for rising seas
Coastal areas emerging as a national model
While the nation looks for solutions to the problem of rising sea levels, some coastal communities in Florida are taking action to save themselves from sinking into the ocean, the Sun-Sentinel’s William Gibson reports.
When being insured is not a choice
Florida regulators have ordered the state’s two largest lender-placed insurance companies to lower rates and reform certain business practices, John Hielscher reports for the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Politically Connected Florida Doctor Rakes in $21 Million in Medicare Payments
A South Florida doctor with campaign finance ties to U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., took in a whopping $20.8 million in Medicare reimbursements in 2012, according to an Associated Press analysis of physician data released by the Obama Administration, William Patrick reports for www.FloridaWatchdog.org.
Florida adds jobs but unemployment rate increases as more return to workforce
The Sunshine State’s jobless rate increased by 0.1 percent to 6.3 percent despite adding 22,900 jobs in March, as more people are returning to the workforce, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Work remains on joint House “Work Plan” as items stumble in Senate
Much of the “work plan” put forth by both House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz has either been accomplished or is on track. But two big-ticket items favored by Weatherford – expansion of vouchers and a move to push most new state workers into a defined contribution pension system – have hit turbulence in the Senate as session enters its final two weeks. The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Charlie Crist’s major challenge: The apathetic voters of South Florida
For Charlie Crist to win back the Governor’s Mansion, South Florida voters need to do something they haven’t done in years: vote in bigger numbers in a governor’s race. The Miami Herald’s Marc Caputo reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
Dade Democrats’ chair: I didn’t break rules by endorsing Joe Geller
Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair Annette Taddeo-Goldstein sent an email endorsing Joe Geller in his race for State House District 100, the Miami Herald’s Amy Sherman reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
South Miami-based charter school management company under federal scrutiny
Florida’s largest charter-school management company has come under scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Education for potential conflicts of interests in its business practices, federal authorities have confirmed, the Miami Herald’s Kathleen McGrory reports.
Florida Oranges, State Symbol, Remain in Life-Death Struggle
Until last year, few Floridians outside the agriculture belt realized the state’s $9 billion citrus industry — responsible for 76,000 jobs — was fighting for its life against a bacterial disease with no cure, Nancy Smith reports for SunshineStateNews.com.
Financial Regulators Tell Congress TRIA Still Needed
The private insurance market is not in a position to fill the gap that would be created if Congress fails to renew the federal terrorism risk insurance program, concludes a new report to Congress by the government’s financial regulators, Andrew Simpson reports for Insurance Journal.
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