Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, February 3
Feb 3, 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
There are no insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Letter to the Editor: More choices than Citizens’ Clearinghouse
If you bought your Citizens’ policy through an agency that sells only one company – a captive agent – you may unknowingly buy a policy with an agent who has a “Limited Service Agreement” with that company, a reader writes to the Sun-Sentinel.
Sinkholes: A deadly threat from Florida’s “underworld”
In the last few years, vast sinkholes have appeared overnight from as far afield as China and Guatemala, but it’s Florida where the fear is greatest, writes Professor Iain Stewart for BBC News.
Rogue Florida Department of Law Enforcement Chemist Could Have Compromised Hundreds Of Drug Cases
A chemist at a Pensacola crime lab could have compromised hundreds of state drug cases, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey announced over the weekend. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Margie Menzel broke the story via SpaceCoastDaily.com.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera To Be Sworn In As Lieutenant Governor On Monday
Former House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera will become Florida’s Lieutenant Governor today, SaintPetersBlog.com reports.
Florida Capitol A Beehive Of Activity Monday
Legislators will address a variety of topics, including a hurricane-tax holiday, concealed weapons permits, a demonstration of telemedicine and a look at gambling and its impact on the state’s horse industry, Phil Ammann reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Florida Senate’s GOP leader, Benacquisto, plans to announce bid for Radel congressional seat Monday
Florida Senate Republican leader Lizbeth Benacquisto is calling and telling supporters she intends to announce as soon as Monday that she’ll run for the congressional seat vacated by Trey Radel after a cocaine scandal, the Miami Herald’s Marc Caputo blogs on “Naked Politics.”
Georgia asks U.S. Supreme Court to reject Florida’s lawsuit over river water
Florida filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court on October 1 after Florida Governor Rick Scott said Georgia’s unrestrained growth and use of water threatened the Apalachicola Bay oyster industry, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.
Bill would impose local preference contract guidelines on Florida cities, counties
Florida Senator Alan Hays has filed SB 612, looking to give preference to Florida-based busineses in contracts awarded by local governments that use state funds, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Five Questions for Jorge Labarga
Jorge Labarga will become the first Cuban-American chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court when he moves into the role July 1. Labarga, who has served on the court for five years, will head the state courts system amid funding questions and episodes of tension with the Legislature. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Margie Menzel interviews him below via SunshineStateNews.com.
Eric Eisnaugle Faces Major Primary Foe
Eric Eisnaugle wants to be speaker of the Florida House in 2021 — but first he has to get back to Tallahassee and he has drawn a major primary opponent, SunshineStateNews.com’s Jeff Henderson reports.
Former Florida Democratic Chair Charlie Whitehead is dead
Former Florida Democratic Chairman Charlie Whitehead, who led the party through a potent era in the 1980s and returned to bring stability in 1999, died early Sunday in Panama City. He was 82. Palm Beach Post’s John Kennedy blogs for “Post on Politics.”
U.S. Senate Passes NARAB Legislation as Part of Flood Bill That Faces Hurdles in House
The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday re-establishing the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers, National Underwriter’s Arthur Postal reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.
Should Homeowners Policies Cover More Risks? The GAO Weighs In
While homeowners-insurance policy exclusions can burden consumers with significant out-of-pocket expenses, expanding policies to fill coverage gaps creates a new set of challenges, such as affordability issues, lower consumer demand as rates rise and regulatory approval for risk-based rates, the Government Accountability Office says. National Underwriter’s Phil Gusman reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.
Arthur Postal’s Washington Report: Greater Federal Regulation Role a Lingering; Not Immediate Issue
A recent paper on insurance supervision by a Wharton School professor suggests that the industry’s current state-based regulatory system is out of date, is “focused on the wrong problems,” and that the federal government needs to play a stronger role in overseeing an industry that is becoming increasingly globalized, Arthur Postal writes for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance ordered to return policyholder fees
Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. may have to return $16 million to homeowner customers who, for years, were charged a $65 application fee without their knowledge, the Associated Press reports.
NPR: Putting The Brake On Who Can See Your Car’s Data Trail
A recent report by the Government Accountability Office found that many companies collect those data and provide them to third parties for traffic instructions or research. It also found the companies’ privacy practices were unclear, making it difficult for consumers to understand privacy risks, Brian Naylor reports for National Public Radio.
Federal Program Gives Driving Exemption to Noncitizen Residents
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a federal program for residents illegally brought to the United States as children, can receive a two-year exemption from possible deportation, a work permit and eligibility for a driver license, Gary White reports for the Lakeland Ledger.
Super Bowl Madness: Insuring Kick-Offs, Touchdowns and More
Dallas-based SCA Promotions isn’t complaining despite paying a lot of Super Bowl claims, Insurance Journal reports.
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