Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, January 27
Jan 27, 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
Scott to call for 15-day hurricane sales tax holiday
Gov. Rick Scott will announce Monday that he wants a 15-day sales tax holiday on flashlights, tarps and other supplies related to hurricane preparedness, the Palm Beach Post’s John Kennedy reports.
Medical marijuana drive tops signature goal
Supporters of medical marijuana claimed a major victory Friday in gathering more than enough voter signatures to put their proposal on the 2014 election ballot, if the Florida Supreme Court approves it, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Florida adds 14,100 jobs in December, jobless rate down to 6.2 percent
A report issued by state economists last month based on October labor data shows Florida’s unemployment rate would currently be 8.8 percent if the labor force participation rate had held at the same level since January 2011, the month Scott took office, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
GOP Cracks Down on 2016 Primary Calendar (and, Florida, This Means You)
The Republican National Committee is expected to stiffen penalties against states that schedule early primaries. That’s anybody not named Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada, the National Journal reports.
1,700 Floridians who lost homes to receive checks
More than 1,700 Floridians who lost their homes to foreclosure will receive small payments as part of a national settlement with five major banks, the Associated Press reports via the Pensacola News-Herald.
Why unemployment benefits are so difficult to obtain in Florida
Florida’s troubled CONNECT website is only the latest example of the barriers blocking Florida’s unemployed from collecting benefits, Michael Van Sickler reports for the Miami Herald.
Brad Drake Draws Major Primary Opponent in Florida House Fight
After two terms in the Florida House, Brad Drake stepped aside after redistricting in 2012 so fellow Republican Marti Coley could finish her last term. Drake has been running to return to Tallahassee ever since but now he has a major Republican opponent, Jeff Henderson reports for SunshineStateNews.com.
Where in the world is Adam Putnam? Panama!
Ag Commissioner Putnam left Sunday for Panama City, Panama, on a three-day mission that includes seeking to expand Florida growers’ access to the Central American nation, SaintPetersBlog.com notes the Southeast AG Net report.
Governor unlikely to roll dice on election-year gambling debate
As Gov. Rick Scott ramps up his re-election bid, he wants his legacy to be the state’s declining unemployment rate and jobs, but the next few months could shape his message on a more controversial issue: gambling. The Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports via Tampa Bay Times.
Will Weatherford Op-Ed: Higher education for all Florida’s children a “moral consideration”
Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, in an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times, says the State of Florida cannot afford to lose the talents and promise that lies within children of undocumented immigrants. SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann notes the column.
Veteran lobbyist Doug Bruce joins Colodny Law
Veteran Florida lobbyist Doug Bruce is joining the Tallahassee office of the consulting firm of Colodny Fass& Webb, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann reports.
Allowing scheduled National Flood Insurance Program rate increases to move forward would be “a critical first step” toward attracting private insurers to the flood-insurance market, says the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Phil Gusman reports for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
NCOIL Seeks Increased Role in Federal Insurance Office
The National Conference of Insurance Legislators wants a greater say in federal and global discussions on insurance regulation and oversight, reports Insurance Business America.
Click here to follow Colodny Fass& Webb on Twitter (@CFTLAWcom)
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com.