Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, October 10
Oct 10, 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
9:00 a.m.–Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate Personal Injury Protection Working Group meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Insurers use social media to investigate claims
Should they use it to set rates?
Insurers and police are using information from Facebook and Twitter to nail policyholders for filing inflated or fraudulent claims.
Judge orders woman who struck motorcyclist in DUI crash to pay $1 million
An East Naples woman who spent three years in prison after crashing into a motorcyclist while under the influence of alcohol in 2006 was ordered Friday to pay the man nearly $1 million in restitution.
Length of yellow traffic lights not same at all intersections with red-light cameras
About 36,000 people have received $158 tickets after cameras caught their vehicles running red lights in Palm Beach County, and Laurence Grayhills thinks he knows why.
Federal panel says essential health benefits package must be affordable
In a 297-page report, the Institute of Medicine, a federal advisory panel, laid out criteria and methods the Department of Health and Human Services should use in developing the package.
Insurance companies want states to implement health care exchanges
According to reporting by Politico Pro, insurance companies are lobbying GOP-led states, like Florida, to change their mind about not implementing the state health care exchanges from the Affordable Care Act.
Florida judge rules prison privatization procedure unconstitutional
A state judge ruled Friday that the Legislature violated the law and Florida’s Constitution by using budget language to order prisons to be privatized in 18 South Florida counties, and demanded that the project be stopped immediately.
Florida’s Everglades strategy pushes back 2016 deadline, environmental groups worry
Governor Rick Scott met Thursday with top officials in the Obama administration to press Florida’s strategy for Everglades restoration.
Senators to Review $10,000 Bill for Hedge-Fund Investment Records
The head of the State Board of Administration is being called back to the Capitol to address a $10,750 invoice to a state lawmaker for a public records request centered on a $125 million investment by the agency in a private equity firm.
Blog: Governor Rick Scott clarifies his definition of 700,000 jobs
It depends on what your definition of 700,000 jobs is.
Florida Governor Scott may have eye on state pension money saved by local governments
The millions of dollars local governments saved through retirement system reform may not be safe from Governor Rick Scott, who recently has expressed frustration that the pension plan is less than 100 percent funded.
GOP sets date for next debate in Florida
The Republican Party of Florida and CNN plan to hold a debate in Jacksonville in January.
Blog: Governor Rick Scott willing to ‘impose the proper sanctions’ on deadbeat Florida businesses
Governor Rick Scott’s pro-business agenda may include cracking down on companies that, after getting tax incentives from the state, have failed to create jobs executives have promised.
Florida businesses eager for free trade pacts
Dan Richey, an Indian River citrus packer and distributor, is hoping for more grapefruit on Korean tables, and Doral appliance dealer Hector Marulanda would be happy to see his sales of refrigerators and stoves pick up in Colombia.
Major shift underway in Florida’s gaming industry
From Tallahassee to coastal South Florida, there have been increasingly strong tremors of late that may signal a tectonic shift in the state’s gaming business.
Under former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel’s administration, the city spent about $5 million on a police radio system that current Mayor Jeri Muoio wants to scrap, citing problems with the radios’ ability to penetrate some of the city’s high-rises and other buildings.
Future Florida House leaders raising big money from special interests
The next two Republicans slated to lead the Florida House have been traveling the state this summer for redistricting hearings – at the same time raising gobs of cash from health-insurance companies, Big Sugar and companies such as Walmart.
Sahara tied more closely to hurricanes
A big factor that could be keeping hurricanes away from us: More farming in North Africa.
Allstate Corp. says its $1 billion acquisition of Esurance and Answer Financial from White Mountains Insurance Group has met all regulatory requirements and has closed.
Insurance post-election hinges on philosophies
The election to pick the state’s commissioner of insurance is the most-important race on this year’s ballot, and few will pay any attention, says the chairman of the state Senate Insurance Committee.
California Fights Regulation with Regulation
In an odd twist, California business groups applauded Governor Jerry Brown for signing legislation Thursday to create a new layer of government regulation they say will lessen the burdens imposed by future regulations
If gold is hot, con artists play up gold. So now that we’re seeing some record-high prices for used cars, why not a used-car scam?
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