Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, May 16
May 16, 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 today
I recently read Senator Mike Fasano’s op-ed attacking the property insurance reform bill, and I cannot simply watch from the sidelines as a 17-year career politician mischaracterizes and demonizes badly needed public policy reform.
- Statement from Senator Mike Fasano to Governor Scott: Please Veto SB 408
- Senator Garrett Richter: The Hard Truths about Florida Insurance Reforms
Editors Note: This is the first in a two-part series on key insurance legislation that was passed this month by the Florida Legislature.
Lawmakers hope to curb sinkhole fraud
Editors Note: This is the second in a series on key insurance legislation that was passed this month by the Florida Legislature
Richard Parillo Sr.: Put Personsal Injury Protection reform back on agenda for next session
Trial attorneys, doctors, chiropractors and advertisers trumped the best interests of Floridians when they stopped legislation to reform personal injury protection.
Editorial: More favors, with no strings
This year’s property insurance bill from the Legislature is another favor for the insurance industry.
Fidelity National Property & Casualty Insurance wants to raise rates 27 percent on average statewide.
Opinion: Lawmakers ran over Personal Injury Protection legislation
Trial attorneys, doctors, chiropractors and advertisers trumped the best interests of Floridians when they stopped state legislation to reform personal injury protection.
New Florida law allows retirement communities to aid seniors still in their homes
Contracts between seniors and the retirement communities will be considered Insurance products with oversight by the state Office of Insurance Regulation
Legislation passed by Florida lawmakers during the recent session could offer some remedy.
Florida Pushing New Fees For Most Medicaid Recipients
Florida wants to be the first state in the nation to charge most of its Medicaid recipients a monthly premium as well as $100 for using the ER for routine care.
Governor Rick Scott urged to veto bills
Governor Rick Scott, the political newcomer whom critics say has a tin ear for open government, is the last hope for First Amendment advocates who want him to veto bills that they contend would make it harder to investigate suspicious deaths, elder abuse and wasteful spending.
Blog: ACLU, unions, others may challenge new Florida laws
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has hired two more lawyers and is planning to add another to help handle an expected workload increase resulting from the Republican-led Legislature’s recently ended session, reports Bill Kaczor of the Associated Press.
Scott to put assets in blind trust
Governor Rick Scott won’t run afoul of conflict-of-interest laws if he puts his vast wealth into blind trusts he can’t control.
The Scott administration squares off against some of its supporters in federal court
The state of Florida — including Secretary of State Kurt Browning — is defending an attempt by conservative groups and Tea Party activists to strike down a portion of the state’s campaign finance laws. Both sides laid out their legal arguments this week in federal court.
Don’t call it a comeback: Governor Scott launches campaign to tout successes
Amid lagging poll numbers, Governor Rick Scott has launched a series of media interviews across the state to tout his achievements during the recently concluded legislative session.
Session meltdown behind them, leadership pair must handle redistricting before taking reins of Legislature
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, were good friends when the 2011 legislative session began.
Mike Haridopolos Faces a Tough Sell Down on the Farm
Skeptical Manatee tea partiers spell trouble for GOP field in U.S. Senate contest
Armed with Mike Huckabee’s endorsement, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Haridopolos travels to Bradenton Tuesday to speak to a tea party group. Heated members say he has some explaining to do.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Atwater backs Haridopolos for U.S. Senate
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater endorsed Senate President Mike Haridopolos for the U.S. Senate on Friday, calling him a tough constitutional fundamentalist who gives the Republicans their best hope of beating Senator Bill Nelson next year.
Democrat U.S. Representative Corrine Brown again aligns with GOP in Florida redistricting battle
Florida’s 3rd Congressional District looks like someone crushed a giant bug in the Ocala National Forest, splattering north to Jacksonville and south to Orlando.
Once a major issue in Florida, climate change concerns few in Tallahassee
Four hundred scientists gathered in Copenhagen this month to talk about the warming temperatures in the arctic.
U.S. House Committee Backs Medical Malpractice Reform Bill
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has reported to the full House legislation that would cap non-economic damages in malpractice cases at $250,000 and set other restrictions on lawsuits against doctors.
Fontenot Named Deputy Commissioner at Louisiana Insurance Department
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced that Emma Fontenot has assumed the position of deputy commissioner of the Office of Health for the Louisiana Department of Insurance.
Alabama Storm Damage Could Result in an Increase to Homeowners’ Premiums
Estimates of property losses from the April 27 tornadoes that ripped through Tuscaloosa and much of Alabama have just begun, but they are expected to reach into the billions of dollars.
New York Times: Seeking Business, States Loosen Insurance Rules
Companies looking to do business in secret once had to travel to places like the Cayman Islands or Bermuda.
New York’s Cuomo to name Lawsky to oversee new finance/insurance agency
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will on Monday nominate Benjamin Lawsky, his chief of staff and a former prosecutor with a reputation for aggressively policing Wall Street, to head a new agency set up to regulate banks and insurance companies.
Utah official: Insurers captives pose little risk
Dozens of special captive insurance subsidiaries that have settled in Utah during the past eight years shouldn’t pose a danger to policyholders or taxpayers if they ever go broke, a state regulator insists.
Top Trends and Key Drivers of Pharmacy Spend In Workers’ Compensation
A new study by PMSI identifies current pharmacy spend trends and costs drivers in the workers’ compensation arena.
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