Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, August 15
Aug 15, 2011
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no insurance-related events scheduled for today.
January 1 Catastrophe Rates To Soar; Bermuda Execs At Odds On Florida, New Zealand Opportunities
Even as Bermuda executives chatted up the Jan. 1, 2012 reinsurance pricing upside of catastrophe events and model changes recently, midyear 2011 renewal strategies varied widely along with opinions about where to bet reinsurance capital.
New hurricane scale puts more focus on storm surge
A newly patented hurricane scale better predicts the potential destruction from both wind and storm surge, but the National Hurricane Center won’t say whether it will be endorsed or used.
Tampa hearing, Pasco rally focus on Citizens’ Property Insurance rate hike
The state Office of Insurance Regulation will hold a hearing in Tampa next month on Citizens Property Insurance’s rate-hike request, including a proposed increase of more than 2,000 percent in some areas for optional sinkhole coverage.
High-risk areas battle Class 10 fire stigma
For reasons beyond his control, Ralph Moore lives in exile.
Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters: Hiring contractors to repair your home
Julie Patel’s Aug. 5 article, “Need repairs? How to decide whether to go with your insurer’s preferred contractor,” brought up several important issues for policyholders to consider when hiring contractors to repair their homes.
Officials: New bill will spike lawsuits against School District
Polk County School District officials expect to see an increase in lawsuits filed against them when a new bill takes effect that increases the cap on damages awarded.
Florida hospitals stuck with long-term, costly ventilator care
Larry Brazil was a patient at University Community Hospital for almost three years.
Are poor suffering because of cuts at Jackson Health System?
When Myrtle Holmes, 56, wants to get an appointment at Jackson’s clinic in Overtown, she says she sometimes has a hard time getting through on the phone.
Study: 1 in 3 Florida families struggle for food
Nearly one out of three Florida families, and 27 percent of those in the Tampa-Bay area, are struggling to put enough food on their tables, according to a new study released on Thursday.
Column: Jack Latvala eyes state Senate presidency
Senator Jack Latvala has a lot of time to work the phones this summer as he mends from hip replacement surgery.
Blog: Central Florida House leaders keep their clout
House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, released his re-alligned committee assignments Friday, and the Central Florida region maintained its selection of choice chairmanships.
Blog: Florida legislators rush to endorse Rick Perry’s campaign for President
Not twenty-four hours after former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty dropped out of the race for President – a move offering quite a cautionary tale to those Florida legislators who endorsed Pawlenty early on – several Sunshine State lawmakers have rushed to embrace Texas Governor Rick Perry’s campaign for President.
State Representative Grimsley leads in fundraising
Denise Grimsley has been quietly amassing a war chest that, so far, is unmatched by any legislative candidate in the Sunshine State.
Blog: Miami mayor’s spokesman files to run against state Representative Daphne Campbell
State Representative Daphne Campbell, a controversial Miami Democrat who had already drawn one challenger, Matthew Tisdol, for next year’s election, now has a second primary opponent: Pat Santangelo.
State limits beach water sampling
To save more than $500,000 a year, Florida health officials will stop weekly tests for bacteria at 58 beaches statewide, including Patrick Air Force Base.
Judicial split on state drug law widens
The legal battle over Florida’s drug law is heating up.
Fight brewing over pretrial services
The young woman standing before County Judge Stasia Warren quickly learned she could get out of jail in just a few minutes.
No property tax? Idea has fans, foes
With property-tax notices coming out this month, it might be tempting to imagine what you’d do if you didn’t have that expense.
Lawmakers push cooperation by transportation agencies
Victor Crist stunned colleagues on the Hillsborough County Commission and the county’s aviation authority when he proposed cooperative efforts among the area’s seaports and airports that typically compete.
When Republican Rick Scott vetoed $4.8 million for Florida public broadcasting stations, program supporters mocked the governor as a penny-pinching enemy of Big Bird and other familiar Public Broadcasting Service figures.
Undocumented immigrants face checks on Amtrak, Greyhound
As a Greyhound bus prepared to leave a small town near Atlanta, 19-year-old Azucena headed to the window seat on the last row , on her way to Miami to start school and a new life.
Column: Privatization’s $25 million glitch
There’s an apocryphal tale about the Pentagon seeking a plan for sinking submarines off the east coast of the United States during World War II.
New York Times: After Troubles, a Storm Insurer Is Remade, but Vocal Critics Remain
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, a quasi-public insurer of last resort for Texas coastal residents, has been at the center of a political disaster zone since Hurricane Ike hit in 2008.
Sovereign Debt Pressure Spreads to Insurers
A.M. Best is stress testing insurers for how they might be affected by the ongoing economic uncertainty.
First Responder Fees: Insurers Should Expect to Pay More
While fee recovery by fire departments is nothing new, an increasing number of local municipalities have begun to charge for first responder, primarily fire department, services.
Captives may rethink investments after U.S. debt rating downgrade
Standard & Poor’s Corporation’s recent downgrade of the United States’ debt rating to AA+ from AAA isn’t expected to have a significant impact on captive insurance companies’ investment portfolios, though it could prompt some captive parents to review their captives’ investment strategies, experts say.
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