Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, December 23

Dec 23, 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

 

There are no events scheduled for today.

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related News

 

Name glitch adds to flood insurance woes

Laury Pflaum and her boyfriend know their St. Petersburg home is in a flood zone. But since buying the house two years ago, they have been reassured by information from the National Flood Insurance Program that there has never been a claim, Tampa Bay Times’ Susan Taylor Martin reports.

 

Letter to the Editor:  Senator confused about real PIP fraud

PIP covers a person for his own injuries. Bodily Injury protects you for injuries you negligently cause to others, a Sun-Sentinel reader writes.

 

Senator Ring takes final swing with autism bill

For the sixth straight session Florida Senator Jeremy Ring has introduced a bill that would allow a parent to schedule a child for an autism spectrum disorder screening with a psychiatrist or neurologist without authorization from insurance companies, The Florida Current’s James Call reports.

 

Florida’s unemployment rate drops to 6.4 percent

Florida’s unemployment rate for November was 6.4 percent, down from 6.7 percent in October and  lower than the national rate of 7 percent, The Florida Current reports.

 

Florida knew about problems with CONNECT unemployment website years before launch

Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity was aware there might be problems with the state’s $68 million CONNECT unemployment website, long before its October 15 launch, according to WTSP/10 News reporter Noah Pransky.  SaintPetersBlog.com notes the story.

 

With four justices retiring, control of state Supreme Court could become election issue for next governor

Florida’s 2014 governor’s race may become an expensive popularity contest over who steers the state in the next four years but one little-discussed part of the job – the power to appoint – could give the next governor a legacy that could last much longer, the Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports.

 

Florida says elections supervisors can keep key absentee-ballot information secret

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s division of elections has issued an opinion that could make it tougher to uncover elections fraud, Patricia Mazzei reports in the Miami Herald’s “Naked Politics” blog.

 

Florida’s bubbling springs.  Beautiful.  Beloved.  And under siege.

Springs and the aquifer from which their water boils up are under severe stress, and water experts say the consequences could be considerable to the economy, the cost of water and the health of springs that have been drawing humans to the natural fountains for eons, Halifax’ Cindy Swirko blogs in Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

 

Will Weatherford for Lieutenant Governor? 

Will Weatherford is the latest name attracting buzz as Rick Scott continues his search for a lieutenant governor, Jeff Henderson reports for SunshineStateNews.com.

 

Now officially Senate President Designate, Andy Gardiner talks of his new role

THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA recently spoke with newly elected Senate leader and chair of the Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee Andy Gardiner to gather some insight on Gardiner’s motivation and leadership style.  SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann writes.

 

10 Florida Bills You May Not Hear About — Except Here

It’s not all about budgets, taxes, Medicaid, education and pensions for Florida lawmakers, FloridaWatchdog.org’s William Patrick reports via SunshineStateNews.com.

 

‘Twas The (Florida) Fights Before Christmas

THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA via SunshineStateNews.com provides some Florida-style political holiday cheer:  ‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the Capitol, controversies were brewing, few of them little.

 

Attempt in Washington to stop flood insurance rate hikes fizzled

The senators called a news conference to demonstrate they were serious about tackling soaring flood insurance rates. Help is coming, they promised homeowners in Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and North Dakota, Tampa Bay Times’ Alex Leary reports.

 

United Property & Casualty Approved to Write in Georgia

The Georgia Department of Insurance has approved United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. (UPC) to write property/casualty insurance in the state as an admitted carrier, Insurance Journal reports.

 

Incoming NAIC President Hamm Discusses Issues

Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm of North Dakota will be leading the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2014 with a focus on what’s in front of him, he says, not what’s in the “rear-view mirror,” National Underwriter’s Elizabeth Festa reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.

 

Almost 40% of reinsurance premiums written locally following Argentina reform

Almost 40% of Argentina’s reinsurance premiums are written locally, reinsurance chamber president Horacio Cavallero wrote in a report for local insurance newsletter Onda Seguro, BNAmericas.com notes.

 

 

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