Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, April 11

Apr 11, 2013

 

 

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

 

Florida’s 2013 Regular Legislative Session

  • Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
  • Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar

 

2:00 p.m.–Senate Session

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related News

 

The Florida Current:  Cat Fund bill moves in House, but stalled in Senate

HB 1107, which would reduce the overall coverage of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, has one more committee stop in the House, but has not been able to get much traction in the Senate.

 

Sarasota Herald-Tribune:  Scott shifts stance on Citizens Insurance

Florida’s free-market governor may end up being the key player in preserving lower rates for current customers of state-run Citizens Property Insurance, an unusual twist that could have political implication.

 

Insurance Journal:  2013 Colorado Hurricane Prediction Forecasts Florida Strike

The Colorado State University team is predicting an above-average 2013 Atlantic basin hurricane season with 18 named storms and a 72 percent chance one will make landfall somewhere along the entire Eastern seaboard.

 

Miami Herald:  Soaring insurance rates the unspoken theme in fast-moving Florida Senate Bill

Rate increases have been the unspoken undercurrent of a property insurance bill cruising through the Florida Senate.

 

Patch.com:  Former Palm Harbor Insurance Agent Ordered to Pay Back Millions

A former Palm Harbor insurance agent will have to pay millions of dollars in restitution to senior citizens who he was convicted of selling unsuitable financial investments to more than 30 clients who were senior citizens, according to Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.

 

McClatchy Washington Bureau:  Florida and federal court clash over health privacy laws

The federally protected privacy rights of Florida nursing home patients extend beyond the grave, under a new appellate court ruling that makes it harder for surviving spouses to obtain the health records of their late loved ones.


AdvisorOne.com:  Florida’s Notice-Filing Legislation Affects, Broker-Dealers, Advisors Nationwide

Legislation passes key committee late Tuesday with positive implications for broker-dealers and reps nationwide

The Florida state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee unanimously passed SB 814, which, when signed into law, will make Florida a “notice-filing state” for branch office applications.

 

SaintPetersBlog:  Senate Passes Flores’ Cancer Care And Research Bill

With the goal of developing life-saving cancer cures as well as making Florida a “destination” for cancer care, the Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved SB 1660 to create endowments for cancer-research institutions and to create “Cancer Center of Excellence Awards” for hospitals and centers that meet certain criteria.

 

The Florida Current:  House Democrats plan protest vote on health care

House Democrats say they will not support a budget proposal that does not extend health care coverage to the poor as called for in the Affordable Care Act.

 

The Florida Current:  Senate unanimously passes $74.3 billion budget

The House is poised to take up its spending plan later this week, setting up budget conferences.

 

The Florida Current:  Governor Rick Scott signs bill banning Internet sweepstakes cafes

The storefront video gaming centers are now outlawed in the state of Florida.

 

The Florida Current:  Senate lashes education to the economy

The Senate passed two sweeping education proposals Wednesday.

 

The Florida Current:  In week 6, Scott’s manufacturing tax break begins to move in House

One of Governor Rick Scott’s biggest legislative priorities is moving in the House, but Senate leaders want more requirements showing jobs are created in order to receive a break on machinery and equipment sales taxes.

 

THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA:  Lawmakers Pile Up Cash for 2014 Races

As the House and Senate consider changing Florida’s campaign-finance laws this spring, they are debating whether to increase a longstanding $500 cap on contributions to political candidates.

 

Bradenton Herald Today:  Florida dominates tax return theft wave list

An epidemic of tax-related identity theft continues to plague the Internal Revenue Service despite efforts by the agency and law enforcement officials to combat the fraud, witnesses told a Senate panel Wednesday.

 

LifeHealthPro.com:  2014 budget details Federal Insurance Office vision

The Federal Insurance Office should have the “ability to immediately estimate exposures related to catastrophic events” and provide it to the Federal Government.

 

Insurance Journal:  Court to Review Mississippi Coastal Landowners’ Climate Change Suit

A federal appeals court has agreed to review a three-judge panel’s ruling that a group of Mississippi coastal landowners can sue energy and chemical companies on allegations that linked greenhouse gas emissions to Hurricane Katrina.

 

PropertyCasualty360.com:  ISO Offers Personal Auto Rating Solution 

ISO has launched the ISO Advanced Rating Toolkit for personal auto, a bundled offering of ISO’s pricing refinement tools.

 

 

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