Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, September 17
Sep 17, 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
3:00 p.m.–Florida Automobile Joint Underwriting Association (“FAJUA”) Finance Audit Committee meeting. Tampa, Florida. To view the meeting notice, click here.
4:00 p.m.–FAJUA Budget Committee meeting. Tampa. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Blog: Pro-business groups support Citizens’ $350 million loan program
A plan to loan $350 million of Citizens Property Insurance’s surplus to private insurers has garnered praise from several pro-business groups in Florida.
Representative Artiles lashes out at Citizens, calls for audit of companies involved in loan program
The frequent critic of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. also made a public records request for all correspondence between Citizens officials and two private companies looking to participate in the incentive loan program.
Editorial: Citizens takes big step forward, bigger backward
First, the good news: In a heartening display of responsibility, the board of governors at state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is cutting up the corporate credit cards following a cyclone of condemnation set spinning by newspaper reports detailing wanton spending by the insurer’s brass and intensified by remarks betraying an executive culture disdainful of prudence.
Editorial: A continuing risk for the Sunshine State
Although a large portion of Florida remained in the cone of uncertainty as Isaac spun in the Atlantic, this time the Sunshine State was spared a direct hit.
Audobon of Florida: Property insurance needs change
Just halfway through hurricane season, Floridians need to remain vigilant as we are not in the clear with regard to storm damages.
8 more in Florida turn up with Tuberculosis
Although eight more positive tests were returned none were active or linked to a virulent strain of tuberculosis.
Counties looking to revamp growth management rules
The day of reckoning for local development regulations has finally arrived. In Sarasota County, planners are talking about replacing the 1,300-page comprehensive plan – the community’s blueprint for development – with a slimmed-down version, saying the old document is “burdensome” to read.
Florida court records are going on computers – but not online
Florida’s court system is breaking into the digital age. Instead of musty paper files that sit on forgotten shelves in courthouses, county clerks across the state have entered tens of thousands of criminal, civil, traffic and other public records onto computers.
Either side could win critical South Florida elections
Two South Florida contests are attracting national attention and money. Another race is a critical priority in the state capital. And other election showdowns are stirring passions among Democratic and Republican activists throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Lesser known Koch brother is top Florida donor
Billionaire William Koch and his coal companies have donated more than $3 million to federal campaigns in the past year, making him the largest individual donor from Florida, according to an analysis by the Herald-Tribune.
Governor says he won’t cut school funding in the 2013 session
Rick Scott dines at the Governor’s Mansion with officials of the Florida Education Association — which is suing him over education reforms and a 3 percent pension fee.
South Florida more in debt than rest of nation
Many of those living in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area are heavily in debt, concludes a new survey. South Floridians owe — a lot — on car, home and student loans. The average South Florida mortgage balance is more than $30,000 higher, for example, than the average U.S. home loan balance, according to a report released by Credit Karma, a consumer website.
Families grapple with shrinking state services offered to “medically fragile” kids
We call them “medically fragile” children, but labels don’t begin to convey the help they need to survive.
Official: Texas Coastal Insurer Is Unsustainable
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is not sustainable and likely won’t be until the state spreads the costs of risks associated with major hurricane strikes beyond just Texans living in coastal areas, the state’s top insurance official said.
The Financial Stability Oversight Council, the agency created to quickly identify and address risks to the stability of the U.S. financial system, needs greater transparency to do its job correctly, the Government Accountability Office says in a new study.
New York Times: Defense of Reinsurers From Two Industry Groups
“With Lax Regulation, a Risky Industry Flourishes Offshore,” by Steven M. Davidoff (Deal Professor column, Sept. 5), doesn’t fairly reflect how the reinsurance industry works and how it is regulated.
Insurance Agent is Face of Anti-Muslim Film Inflaming Middle East
A California insurance agent and Vietnam War veteran is the public face for the anti-Muslim film inflaming the Middle East, several news sources are reporting.
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Colodny Fass& Webb.
Click here to follow Colodny Fass& Webb on Twitter (@CFTLAWcom)
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com.