Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, July 11
Jul 11, 2011
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 today.
Proposed Florida Drywall Settlement Unfair to Victims, Say Attorneys
A proposed $55 million class-action settlement between a building supplier and hundreds of Florida homeowners whose homes were damaged by tainted Chinese drywall may be unfair to victims, says a group of attorneys.
Cost to insure homes takes off in Florida
Southwest Florida homeowners face steep rate hikes
Pedro Ocasio said his insurance agent warned him to expect a small increase in his homeowners insurance bill this year.
Legislator: 5-year septic exams unenforceable
Remember House Bill 550, passed by the 2010 Legislature, which required inspections for all 2.6 million Florida septic tanks every five years?
Climate Change: As water rises, Florida officials sit on their hands
How is it that the government of Florida – the state most vulnerable to rising seas, most exposed to hurricanes, and highly reliant on tourism and agriculture as its economic drivers – is doing nothing to address climate change?
Swamp buggies allowed in Everglades again
The homemade contraptions known as swamp buggies that look like they’re out of the “Mad Max” movies are back after a long dry spell.
Florida Tweaks its Workers’ Compensation Law
A variety of changes to Florida’s workers’ compensation law went into effect July 1.
Wells Fargo Acquires consulting firm EDIFY in Florida July 8th
Wells Fargo Insurance Services says it has acquired EDIFY, LLC, an employee-benefits consulting firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
State work-force agencies gave board members contracts worth millions
Florida’s 24 regional work-force boards pride themselves on helping unemployed Floridians get back on the job.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Hearing set for sale of medical-malpractice insurer FPIC
As Florida moves forward with laws aimed at curbing medical-malpractice lawsuits, state regulators are ready to consider the sale of a major malpractice insurer to a California company.
Medicare anti-fraud system launched
Tactic pioneered in South Florida expands nationwide
Using South Florida as a trailblazer, federal officials launched a nationwide computer system this month to spot suspicious Medicare claims and try to prevent billions of dollars from flowing to criminal enterprises.
Ex-Solantic doctor tells of intense pressure on staff to reap revenue
When family practice physician Randy Prokes joined Solantic Urgent Care in 2004, he told state investigators, his Neptune Beach clinic brought in just $2,000 a day.
Governor Rick Scott in April directed Department of Environmental Protection to move forward with adopting nitrogen and phosphorus limits in Florida waterways and to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw limits it adopted last November.
Blog: Orange County on pace to lead Florida growth
Emptiness is what people see today when they drive through the monogrammed iron gates of Lake Drawdy Reserve in east Orange County.
Public outcry leads official to slow plans to expand camping in state parks
Florida’s top environmental official said Friday the state will put the brakes on an expedited plan to build new family campgrounds in 56 Florida State Parks.
Florida No. 1 for campaign spending by party committees
Political party committees poured more than $594 million into campaigns in 2010, according to data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics, and Florida accounted for roughly a fifth of that total.
Restaurateur enters U.S. Senate race
Central Florida restaurateur Craig S. Miller plans to enter the Florida Republican U.S. Senate primary contest this week.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Putnam’s political future eyed
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam will testify today in Pensacola before the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
Blog: Redistricting under way, Florida Congresswoman Sandy Adams looks to protect her turf
Congresswoman Sandy Adams, the Orlando Republican who took a seat from Democrats in the 2010 mid-term elections, is taking no chances in the upcoming redrawing of congressional lines.
Gambling Will Be an Issue; Bet on It
It’s a safe bet that Florida lawmakers will once again be immersed in gambling issues next year.
Florida consumers’ funk hurts economy
Florida’s consumers are financially queasy.
Blog: Enu Mainigi, Governor Rick Scott’s confidante, stays in the shadows
The most influential person in Governor Rick Scott’s inner circle is unknown to most people in Florida, including Tallahassee’s political elite who make it their job to know everything.
Firms, environmentalists polarized on Everglades mining as moratorium expires
For years the Palm Beach County Commission has hosted summits, workshops and studies on rock mining in the Everglades Agricultural Area in the hope environmentalists and mining companies could reach some agreement on how, when and where mining should be allowed.
Alterra Can Enter New York Market With Reduced Collateral
Insurance agents in states along the swollen Missouri River basin say federal officials are causing widespread confusion among property owners by pushing the sale of flood insurance policies that might not cover damage from the river flooding that began this month.
Appeals Court: Injured Wal-Mart worker can pursue retaliation claim
A woman can proceed with a lawsuit alleging that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and retaliated against her for demanding her workers compensation rights, a federal appeals court has ruled in a split decision.
Wall Street Journal: Insurers, Investors Fight Over Death Bets
After Esther Adler died in 2009, the insurer that was on the hook to pay a $5 million death benefit discovered she wasn’t all she had appeared.
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