Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, June 27
Jun 27, 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
Paige St. John: Disasters drive up Florida insurance rates
Higher reinsurance costs are ahead for many homeowners here
A record string of disasters across the globe and a new view of hurricane risk mean Florida homeowners will pay more to insure their homes in the coming months.
Florida insurance school to open
Timothy Ball, a retired Edgewater police officer who now operates an Insurance agency, Ball Insurance Services of Florida, on Friday announced plans to launch an insurance school to train future agents.
Uptick in homeowners insurance rates ‘only the beginning’
Brace yourself before you open your next home insurance bill.
Banner year for companies, not consumers
The state website that helped keep consumers from getting soaked by insurance companies stopped operating earlier this year.
2012 GOP convention planners prepare for slight chance of hurricane
As he looks ahead to hosting next year’s Republican National Convention, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is upbeat, but blunt.
A local woman is being recognized nationally for the hundreds of hours she has dedicated to building homes for less fortunate people.
North Pointe Casualty Insurance Company appealed a declaratory judgment determining that its liability insurance policy issued to M & S Tractor Services, Inc., provides coverage for an accident in which the young son of Glenn and Aimee Hines was severely injured.
Joan Collier’s Florida People, Places, & Products June 2011 Round-Up
Read fresh information and recaps of this month’s news about Florida’s people, places, and products.
Workers’ Compensation Fraudster Convicted in Florida
David Rodriguez Socarras has been convicted in a Florida court in connection with an elaborate workers’ compensation fraud scheme.
Legislature rejects federal nursing home grant money again
A budget panel voted against accepting federal grant money that would have been used to help transfer elderly patients from nursing homes into community based care initiatives.
Agency for Health Care Administration signs $2 million Medicaid contract
Mercer Health & Benefits edges sole competitor for the contract to help the state overhaul the $22 billion Medicaid program.
Walk-in clinics must post prices for 50 services starting July 1, some are confused
The charges for stitches or getting checked out for a respiratory infection at the nearby urgent care center are supposed to be posted on the wall come July 1, but the new law could cause some pain for urgent care operators.
AARP raps Governor Scott for not exempting volunteers from background checks
The senior citizens group AARP says it’s baffled by Governor Rick Scott’s veto of a bill that would have exempted social service volunteers from background screening.
New state laws set to go into effect
Florida will take another step into an era of declining expectations from its cash-strapped state government this week when the most austere in a series of tight annual budgets goes into effect.
New Florida Voting Law: Voting Ban on Final Sunday
The Legislature’s recent changes to Florida’s elections law were so massive and controversial, it would be ironic if the overhaul came tumbling down because of one slightly obscure overstep.
Casino companies are betting on expanded gambling in Florida
Florida was once the state where casino blueprints went to die.
Lawmakers expect redistricting litigation – and they’re ready to pay
Florida lawmakers tasked with redrawing the state’s political maps are professing they’ll follow the constitutional amendments passed last year to strip partisanship from the redistricting process.
State job recovery shows troubling trend
When new employment statistics were announced this month, Governor Rick Scott was quick to jump on the data, noting that Florida has been steadily gaining jobs – nearly 61,000 since he took office in January.
Wall Street Journal: Florida Governor Rick Scott
The Wall Street Journal’s Arian Campo-Flores sat down with Florida Governor Rick Scott at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach to talk about approval ratings, changes in his administration, candidates for 2012 and more.
Synthetic marijuana back, despite federal ban, state law
The synthetic marijuana that federal authorities banned months ago is back, being sold legally in a different form in shops and on the Internet.
New rules chip at homeowner rights
New laws that take effect next week for homeowner and condo associations cut back on the rights of owners and renters alike while shoring up community associations’ ability to collect delinquent dues and fees.
Texas Lawmakers Ordered to Agree on Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, or Stay Put
The fate of reform to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association-and the summer plans of lawmakers-may be in the hands of two legislators working privately on a bill on which the state Senate and House can agree.
Blog: Alabama insurance struggles – Disputes from tornadoes begin to gain traction
Across tornado-affected areas of Alabama, thousands of property owners are grappling with insurers about how much money they are owed to rebuild.
Allstate Continues Onslaught of Fraud Lawsuits in New York
Allstate Insurance has filed another lawsuit in New York-this time in an attempt to get back $1 million from 10 psychological services facilities that alleged were never eligible to get insurance payments.
New Jersey assembly passes worker benefits overhaul
New Jersey’s Democratic-led Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a plan that would force public workers to pay more for benefits-a signature issue for Republican Governor Chris Christie.
Washington Post: A new way of thinking as sea levels rise
From his government office in Virginia Beach, Clay Bernick can see the future, and that future looks a rather lot like the movie “Waterworld.”
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com.