Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, October 3
Oct 3, 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
2:00 p.m.– Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors Workshop. Teleconference: 888-942-8686; conference code: 8419204389. To view the workshop notice, click here.
State Farm Florida phases out insurance for churches
The Reverend Thomas Hanson’s pastoral specialty is providing spiritual direction to the churches he serves.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater Assails Citizens Insurance, Encourages Conservatives
From Tallahassee to Washington, the 2012 campaign will be an all-American debate “about who we are,” says Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.
Roofers blast new safety rules as bad for business
Newly enforced rules meant to make construction crews working on roofs safer are fueling a competition between those contractors who are following them and passing on the costs to their clients and those who are skirting the rules and scooping up business.
Winter Haven Sinkhole Insurance Meeting Slated
A presentation on the Florida homeowner sinkhole Insurance rate crisis will take place at the monthly meeting of the Republican Club of East Polk County.
Of sinkholes and sandhills: Just another day in Florida paradise
So you’re driving to the dentist with a root canal in your future, and how much fun is that, when mid-afternoon traffic slams to a dead stop.
Letter to the Editor: Sinkhole thieves
With so much recent attention being given to sinkhole premiums, it is time to shine a spotlight on a disturbing practice in our community.
Hialeah auto repair shop leaves customers feeling dinged
Luis Conde and Julissa Galarza just want their car back.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater: Join the fight against costly auto insurance fraud
Florida currently leads the nation in fake or staged accidents, aka personal injury protection fraud.
Health care agencies are told that budget cuts will likely be ‘a reality’ in 2012
Jane Johnson, the governor’s top budget aide for health care spending, warns at hearings on legislative budget requests that “unless money falls out of the sky” more budget cuts appear likely.
Lawmaker proposes overhaul of controversial hospital tax
State Representative Larry Metz unveiled a draft of a bill that could dismantle the North Lake County Hospital District and end the district’s controversial property tax, which funnels unfettered millions in local tax proceeds every year to Leesburg Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares.
Blog: State worker health insurance hikes “unsustainable”
Describing the current system as “paternalistic,” a new consultants’ report offers possible major changes in the state employee health-insurance program, reports the News Service of Florida.
State employees and retirees will likely face insurance premium increases and cuts in benefits next year, as legislators look to address a projected billion-dollar spike in costs for a “paternalistic” health-care system.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Florida nursing homes fear more funding cuts
Florida nursing homes are bracing for a cut in Medicare payments that took effect Saturday, as they also worry about upcoming congressional negotiations aimed at cutting the federal deficit, reports the News Service of Florida.
Florida’s presidential primary election set for January 31
The panel tasked with choosing Florida’s primary date decided to put the state on the same course it took in 2008, selecting its nominee in late January.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, announced that twenty individuals, including numerous licensed real estate industry professionals, have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud in connection with their alleged participation in a $40 million mortgage fraud scheme.
Prison privatization on hold after court ruling
A plan to privatize prisons across South Florida was put on hold Friday as a Leon County Circuit judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by the Police Benevolent Association.
Greyhound track card games, internet sweepstakes café bills filed
Thwarted in committees and in the last days of the past legislative session, bills to expand or reform gaming in the state are getting an early start ahead of the 2012 session of the Florida Legislature.
Nearly 14,000 acres of protected land removed from consideration for sale by state
The report, from the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Management Services, could help define the emerging debate over the Florida Forever land-buying program.
Column: Pension Battle Looms for Legislature
After a bitter debate this year, state lawmakers mandated that 655,000 state and local government workers contribute 3 percent of their annual salaries to the state pension fund.
Florida Trend: Can Florida emulate Texas in creating jobs? Here’s a comparison.
Before 1989, driving due north 20 miles out of Fort Worth, Texas, would find you amid wheat fields and herds of the longhorns that gave the city its first nickname – “Cowtown.”
Blog: Ethics charges increasingly used as political weapon
It’s a bareknuckled tactic that candidates and experts say is happening with increasing frequency: Foes attempting to tar their political opponents with ethics complaints.
New Florida state motto: ‘This space available’
Among Florida’s beggared public institutions, their budgets desiccated, even a school bus looks like a big yellow business opportunity.
Some Federal Flood Insurance Risks May Be Shifted to Private Reinsurers
Congress is poised to give the Federal Emergency Management Agency the power to shift some of its massive financial risk from flooding to private financial firms that charge expensive fees to absorb liability from extreme natural catastrophes, like Hurricane Katrina.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Concedes Challenges in Probes of Rating Agencies
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission faces hurdles proving wrongdoing at credit-rating agencies, the agency’s enforcement chief said, pointing to the complexity of the cases and the industry’s strong legal defenses.
Insurers win as post-Hurricane Katrina issue is resolved
The next time a hurricane hits, the biggest beneficiary of a person’s flood insurance policy might be his homeowners insurance company.
The new executive director of the National Risk Retention Association, appointed in July, says multiple projects are in the works for the organization.
New York Times: Stuck in Bed for 19 Months, at Hospital’s Expense
On January 4, 2010, Raymond Fok was changing trains on his way to kidney dialysis treatment when he collapsed on the Canal Street subway platform.
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