Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, March 26, 2012
Mar 26, 2012
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
9:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Insurance Guaranty Association (“FWCIGA”) Audit Committee meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here.
10:00 a.m.–FWCIGA Board of Directors meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Citizens Property Insurance changes worry beachfront condo owners
Spiking property insurance costs for many Florida beachfront condominiums could drive down the number of vacation rentals available, undermining the tourism industry that has been a linchpin of Florida’s fledgling economic recovery.
Florida has much at stake as Supreme Court reviews health care mandate
When oral arguments begin Monday before the U.S. Supreme Court over the controversial health care coverage “mandate” in the Affordable Care Act, perhaps no state has as much at stake as Florida.
Florida shuns funds tied to health care reform
Florida may be waging a high-profile fight against the federal health reform law, but its governmental and health care institutions are on different pages when it comes to accepting funding connected to it.
Clash over floating home in Riviera Beach reaches U.S. Supreme Court
Court documents refer to it as “that certain unnamed gray, two-story vessel approximately 57 feet in length.”
Fire ant colonies seem to be down dramatically
The red imported fire ant, one of the most horrifying of the foreign species that have established themselves in the United States, appears to be in retreat.
Public health experts warn Governor Rick Scott against signing health department reorganization
The Florida Public Interest Research Group, along with Florida’s public health associations and a coalition of distinguished public health leaders, have sent a letter to Governor Rick Scott asking him to oppose legislation that seeks to reorganize the state’s Department of Health, warning that it would be “very detrimental to public health.”
Public policy group says Florida is inflating effect of Medicaid expansion
The Florida Center on Fiscal and Economic Policy, a progressive-leaning public policy group, released a report this week explaining that one of Florida’s biggest complaints against the health care reform law- the supposed devastating cost of expanding Medicaid to more people in the state- is “vastly inflated [and] lacking in merit.”
Florida Medicaid child care lawsuit nearing end
A long-running lawsuit claiming Florida’s Medicaid program provided inadequate care to poor children is nearing an end after more than seven years.
Florida Senate Races Take Shape as New Districts Head to Court
Hopefuls have already started to line up for the new Senate districts, eyeing vacant and redrawn seats that will force incumbents to learn new constituents in the upper chamber, though the boundaries have yet to be formally approved.
Report: Florida legislature passed $125 million in “special interest tax breaks”
According to a new report from the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, an economic development package that passed during the Legislative session this year included “$125 million in special-interest tax breaks.
School prayer bill signed by Governor Rick Scott; American Civil Liberties Union warns of lawsuits
Governor Rick Scott’s signature on SB 98 Friday will allow school districts to implement policies letting students of all grade levels deliver “inspirational messages” at official school assemblies and events and brought an immediate response from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
Florida officials warn of tax-lottery scam
Florida officials are warning consumers to be wary of a scam involving purported tax payments and lottery winnings.
Amtrak hopes gain steam with lawmaker move
The return of passenger rail service to Brevard County appears to be on track, after the Florida Legislature removed an obstacle in its way.
Miami state Representative Luis Garcia’s congressional campaign has undergone a shakeup, following Garcia’s comments in which he blasted national Democrats for trying to recruit another candidate to jump in the race.
Florida Senators Face Decisions On Careers
With the new Senate maps expected to easily pass the House this week, lawmakers in the upper chamber and potential candidates for those seats are beginning to evaluate their electoral futures.
NAPSLO Exec: NRRA Benefits Evident; Tax-Sharing Agreement Not Likely
The benefits of the surplus-lines-modernization law enacted in 2010 are already being felt through greater efficiency in the marketplace and likely lower premiums for customers, according to an official of the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices.
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