Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, April 30
Apr 30, 2012
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 Event
9:00 a.m.–Florida Division of Emergency Management Hurricane Loss Mitigation Advisory Council meeting. Tallahassee, Florida. To view the meeting notice, click here.
10:00 a.m.–Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Division of Community Development workshop on hurricane evacuation modeling in the Florida Keys. To view the meeting notice, click here. (This workshop was rescheduled from March 30.)
Florida debates storm finances
With the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season about a month away, state lawmakers continue to debate if state rainy-day funds have enough money to cover claims in the event of a major crisis.
Republican Representative Bryan Nelson has a suggestion for consumer advocate, neo-populist Mike Fasano: To go start his own insurance company.
Florida Agency to Fight FEMA Ban on Flood Insurance Commission Rebating
One Florida insurance agency is protesting a decision by the federal flood insurance program that would stop insurers and agents from offering clients a rebate on agents’ commission to customers who buy flood insurance policies.
Florida Citizens Property Insurance Eyes Catastrophe Bonds for Hurricane Protection
The state-backed Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is set to raise $750 million of hurricane protection through a sale of catastrophe bonds, more than three times the original target, market sources said.
Opinions on hurricane fund differ
With the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season little more than a month away, area state lawmakers and other officials continue to debate if state rainy-day funds have enough money to cover claims in the event of a major crisis.
Letter to the Editor: Republicans back higher home insurance rates
One has to wonder where the people of Barefoot Bay were when Rick Scott was elected governor. For that matter, what were Floridians thinking when they voted for Scott and Republican lawmakers who championed insurance companies.
Woman’s driveway sinkhole fixed after Ft. Myers FOX 4 steps in
After our Fox 4 story aired last week, the companies in question agreed to fix the driveway. Today, they made good on that promise.
Letter to the Editor: Reduce Insurance Fraud
Florida’s mandatory automobile insurance no-fault law is beset by runaway personal injury protection costs – including the nation’s highest incidence of staged accidents and nearly $1 billion in automobile insurance fraud.
Neighborhoods crumble as thousands of homes sit in legal limbo, Sun Sentinel finds
Banks that made reckless home loans have been tiptoeing away from foreclosures in a tactic designed to cut their losses. The result: Orphaned, dilapidated homes dot the landscape from Kendall to Lake Worth.
- Canceled foreclosure sales saddle neighbors, homeowner associations with expenses
- Short-sale firm Nationwide hit with homeowner association liens
- Maintenance for bank-owned, low-value homes often cut short
Lakeland-Based Heacock Insurance Stays Local
Lakeland businessman Ford Heacock III has become the sole owner of his family’s company, Heacock Insurance Group, after purchasing his cousins’ 50 percent share in the business.
Health department reorganization now is law
Governor Rick Scott signs bill that has some public health officials and environmentalists concerned.
Court upholds revised Florida Senate district map
The Florida Supreme Court on Friday upheld a revised redistricting plan by the state Senate.
Florida Court ruling helps foreign workers in country club, resort industry
A U.S. District Court judge in Florida has temporarily blocked new federal rules that would make it harder for U.S. employers to import foreign guest workers for certain jobs.
Florida Supreme Court says Legislature can OK slots
The Florida Supreme Court says that slot machines can be allowed anywhere in the state.
Three top Democrats set for primary in Riviera-to-Boynton state Senate district
Get ready for an epic Democratic primary featuring left-vs.-center ideological clashes, demographic identity politics and condominium schmoozing in newly drawn state Senate District 27.
Campaign Roundup: Governor Rick Scott has cash, Supremes have trouble (maybe)
Governot Rick Scott told reporters this week that unlike his first campaign for governor, when he was a political unknown running against an establishment Republican, he won’t have to bankroll his reelection campaign.
Building surge bolsters economy in Southwest Florida
In another sign that the region’s economy is recovering, building permits for single-family homes rose nearly 60 percent in Sarasota County during the first quarter of this year.
Governor Vetoes Unlimited University Tuition Hike
Expressing concerns about mounting student loan debt, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed House Bill 7129, which was crafted to give universities the power to seek higher tuition increases with the goal of building nationally-touted science, technology, engineering and math programs.
Governor Rick Scott OKs bill to loosen high school athlete recruiting rules
Governor Rick Scott signed a controversial bill Friday loosening restrictions and softening penalties on recruiting high school athletes.
Rate Hike Proposal Sent to Board of Texas Windstorm Insurer
In advance of the start of hurricane season, the actuarial underwriting committee of Texas’ property insurer of last resort for coastal counties is recommending a rate increase.
New York Regulators to Hold Hearings on Force-Placed Insurance in May
New York’s financial regulators will hold hearings on the so-called force-placed insurance next month. These hearings will be open to the public and will also be webcast over the Internet.
Bill To Align California With Dodd-Frank Passes Committee
The California Senate Insurance Committee passed a law regarding reinsurers that would put the state in alignment with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and a model law from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Blog: Alabama’s Federal Emergency Management Agency approval rate lowest among 7 states
Alabama remains the lowest in the rate of federal disaster grant approvals among seven states hit by last year’s late April tornado outbreak, according to nearly final numbers released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
New Orleans inspector general criticizes how City Hall handles insurance
Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux’s office has issued a report critical of the way New Orleans handles its property and casualty insurance, saying the city lacks a comprehensive plan for managing risk and the list of insured city-owned properties has numerous errors.
Flooding disperses invasive species
Last year’s hurricanes and flooding not only engulfed homes and carried away roads and bridges in hard-hit areas of the country, it dispersed aggressive invasive species as well.
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