Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, May 23
May 23, 2011
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no insurance-related events today.
Wall Street Journal: Republican Hurricane Season
The Atlantic hurricane season starts in less than two weeks, and Floridians might want to keep an even closer eye on the skies than usual.
Indian River County schools returning surplus insurance money from 2004-2005 storm repairs
Indian River schools plan to send about $3.4 million back to the Insurance carrier that fronted the money the district needed for repairs after the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes.
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Flood variance for paraplegic can stand
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will look the other way when it comes to a variance allowing a paraplegic man to live in a downstairs apartment below the floodplain.
Lawmakers hope new bill fixes hurricane insurance
Florida hasn’t been hit by a hurricane since the disastrous years of 2004 and 2005, but the state’s property insurance companies say they are still losing money despite collecting billions in premiums.
Joan Collier’s Florida People, Places, & Products-May 2011 Round-Up
Your Choice Group Voluntary Long-Term Disability Insurance, a product from Standard Insurance Co. of Portland, Oregon is now available in Florida.
Hurricane confabulation focuses on tourist businesses
An annual hurricane preparedness workshop for the tourism industry is set to begin at 1 p.m. May 25 at the Harvey Government Center in Key West.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater Announces the Arrests of Two Arsonists in Polk County
Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater today announced the arrests of Rodney Michael Lane and John Robert Reid of Frostproof after a joint investigation involving the Division of State Fire Marshal’s Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations determined the two men set fire to a residence, causing approximately $40,000 in damage, in an attempt to cover up a burglary.
New state rule could keep boaters from facing criminal charges for minor infractions
Boaters who accidentally clip a channel marker or bump another boat without hurting anybody wouldn’t need to worry about getting a criminal record – or possible jail time – after a bill by local legislators likely becomes law in October.
Florida now has less than 1 million people out of work
New jobless numbers for April show that Florida’s unemployment rate has dropped down to 10.8 percent, which brings the overall number of unemployed down to just under 1 million.
Naples runs low on recycled water, debate over use pits golf courses versus Port Royal
As a record-setting drought wears on, Naples golf courses are feeling the pinch.
Blog: State budget awaiting Governor Scott’s signature to cause pain before any gain, economists say
The $69.7 billion state budget now before Governor Rick Scott will send tremors through Florida’s struggling economy, with school districts, hospitals and other big employers soon cutting jobs and programs because of a sharp drop in taxpayer dollars, economists say.
Florida’s Department of Community Affairs on Verge of Abolishment
In its 35 years, the state Department of Community Affairs has irritated some of Florida’s most powerful people, including developers, lawyers, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Farm Bureau and a coalition of the state’s biggest landowners.
State dismantles growth-management laws
For a generation, a sharp and sometimes controversial line has contained Miami-Dade’s explosive urban growth like a gasket, largely insulating the county’s fragile agricultural hinterlands, surviving wetlands and two national parks from subdivisions and commercial-strip development.
HMO profits up in Florida even as enrollment is down
Florida Hospital Association releases data for 4th quarter that shows Cigna had the highest profit margin.
Florida: Ground zero for Republican candidates
Where does one go after announcing a candidacy for president? Florida, of course.
Are Florida Democrats regaining momentum?
Florida Democrats gained something in Jacksonville this week that they have not felt in more than a year.
Navarre Beach lawsuit likely headed to Florida Supreme Court
Property appraiser wants to collect property taxes from residents
The question of whether Navarre Beach residents should be exempt from paying property taxes could ultimately be decided by the Florida Supreme Court.
Florida nursing home watchdogs see turmoil in agency
Florida, long one of America’s most revered retirement spots, has launched what critics call an unprecedented assault on watchdogs for its oldest and sickest they believe amounts to political kowtowing to the powerful nursing home industry.
Charter school movement exploding in Florida
Mornings at the Charter School of Excellence are an all-out attack on reading.
West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Cline to Retire
West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Jane L. Cline will retire after 10 years on the job.
Appointed insurance commissioner in 2001 by then-Governor Bob Wise, Cline has been responsible for regulating the insurance market.
Texas Senate votes to extend Department of Insurance
The Texas Senate has voted to renew the state Department of Insurance and give it stronger enforcement penalties when companies lose challenges to their rates.
Mississippi Limits Home Premium Hikes Tied to Fire Risk Classification
Mississippi regulators have moved to limit homeowners’ insurance premium hikes that result from changes in an insurer’s fire grading system.
Industry Embracing New RMS Cat Model After Push-Back
Insurers are beginning to embrace the results of the new catastrophe model from Risk Management Services after getting over the initial shock of higher collateral reserves insurers may have to accept.
Large States Warming Up To SLIMPACT
After initial fear that tax-sharing agreements of surplus-lines taxes could be doomed, there is new optimism that the vast majority of states will enter into some arrangement.
New York Agents Appealing Compensation Disclosure Ruling
The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York says it is moving forward with a legal appeal of a court ruling that forced agents in the state to reveal their commissions to clients.
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