Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, April 21
Apr 21, 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
- Daily Florida Insurance-Related Bills Action
- Daily Insurance-Related News
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
10:00 a.m.–Florida Legislature Revenue Estimating Conference
- CS/CS/HB 1227 relating to Surplus Lines Insurance by the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee; State Representative Bill Hager
- CS/CS/SB 1816 relating to Surplus Lines by the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Finance and Tax, Committee on Banking and Insurance; Senator Mike Fasano
11:00 a.m.–House Economic Affairs Committee
- HB 617 relating to Discriminatory Taxes/Reinsurance by State Representative Jeff Brandes
12:00 p.m.–National Association of Insurance Commissioners Surplus Lines Implementation Task Force meeting; 12:00 p.m. (ET) To register for the teleconference, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Bill Action
- Bills Presented to the Governor: April 20
- The insurance-related bills listed below were passed during the 2011 Legislative Session. Governor Rick Scott must sign or veto these bills by April 27, 2011 (15 days), otherwise they will become law without his signature.
- HB 4081 relating to the Repeal of Obsolete Insurance Provisions by State Representative Mike Horner
- HB 4129 relating to the Residential Property Structural Soundness Evaluation Grant Program by State Representative Steve Crisafulli
- HB 4181 relating to Prohibited Activities of Citizens Property Insurance Company by State Representative Daniel Davis
- The insurance-related bills listed below were passed during the 2011 Legislative Session. Governor Rick Scott must sign or veto these bills by April 27, 2011 (15 days), otherwise they will become law without his signature.
(To view a complete story, click on a headline below)
Florida gets $76 million from Aries Insurance Company
Florida has won a $76 million circuit court judgment against the former owners of Aires Insurance Co. that folded in 2002.
Citizens Chairman Jim Malone: Reform Citizens
As chairman of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors, I applaud The Tampa Tribune for highlighting the urgency of reforming Florida’s property insurance market (“Sunset for Citizens,” Our Views, April 17).
The “good” news is that the Legislature may let property insurers gouge policyholders only moderately.
Blog: Palm Beach Post Reporting from the National Hurricane Conference
The Palm Beach Post reports from this week’s National Hurricane Conference in Atlanta.
Blog: Sinkholes are sinking insurance
I just got this mind-numbing number on sinkhole losses.
Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal reversed a motor vehicle umbrella policy ruling yesterday in favor of the insurer.
Blog: Bill to repeal red-light cameras clears final House committee
A Florida House budget panel voted narrowly on Wednesday to keep an alive an effort to outlaw red-light traffic cameras.
Will health insurers and HMOs participate in a mandate-free Florida health care marketplace?
Companies have been asked whether they have interest to sell plans in the Florida Health Choices program. Meanwhile, a House committee considers a bill to expand the mandate free program to more employers while the Senate moves dental mandate bill.
Redistricting process begins under new rules
House Speaker-designate Will Weatherford sounded an early bipartisan tone Wednesday as the committee he chairs began the inherently political work of re-drawing Florida’s political maps.
Florida House OKs deregulation of telephone landlines
The Florida House has approved the deregulation of landline telephone service in the state.
Florida environmental agency appoints water czar to oversee state’s 5 water districts
In response to Gov. Rick Scott’s insistence upon more control and consistency in Florida’s water policies, the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection has named a water czar to oversee the budgets, rules, regulations, permitting, lobbying and land deals made by the state’s five water management districts.
Blog: Protesting Florida Chamber, union members to yank millions from banks
Labor organizations throughout Central Florida plan to withdraw “close to ten million dollars” from banks affiliated with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, in retalliation for the Chamber’s support for legislation opposed by public employees unions.
Blog: House works overtime haggling over elections bill
In a largely-deserted Capitol, the Florida House worked late into the night Monday discussing a controversial rewrite of the election code.
Miami lawmaker caught living outside his district, says he’ll move soon
More than 170 days since Republican Rep. Frank Artiles was elected, he still hasn’t moved to the west Miami-Dade district he represents in the Florida House – a potential constitutional violation that could cost him five months’ pay.
Jeff Atwater, Florida’s chief financial officer, arranged a wake-up call Wednesday for Gulf Coast Claims Facility representatives who he said were in denial of any problems that still existed in processing of oil spill claims
Crowd cheers Debbie Wasserman-Schultz at town hall meeting
The congresswoman defended the federal healthcare overhaul and foreign-aid spending before a friendly crowd that was conspicuously lacking tea party critics.
The questions were friendly and the crowd was adoring – with many giving a standing ovation to U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, at the mention of her new role as incoming chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
House reviews property tax cap for businesses
Legislators wrap up an abbreviated week Thursday as House committees consider creating a Save Our Homes-style assessment cap for businesses and weigh a proposal to lift requirements that local dog tracks actually race dogs.
Legislators seek fix to laws allowing squatters to take property
A real estate agent who sold a house in Deltona last year was shocked to find a woman already living in the expansive abode.
Florida budget has loads of hometown spending
Even in these lean financial times, state lawmakers have found enough cash to pay for orange juice at Florida welcome centers, meals for needy seniors, a biker group safety study, extra buildings for colleges and a grant to aid the prosecution of Casey Anthony, accused of killing her child.
Blog: Former legislator Jack Tobin dies
Former state Rep. Jack Tobin of Margate, has died.
Blog: Ralph Arza “seriously thinking” of return to FL House
Former Republican Rep. Ralph Arza, the one-time bad boy of a wild Dade delegation, says he’s “seriously thinking” about running for his old Hialeah-based seat, District 102.
Blog: Growth management bill ready for vote
Lawmakers are set to go on a bill that would essentially un-do 25 years of growth management law that allowed the state to maintain strict oversight of local land use decisions.
Florida looms as 2012 ‘neck breaker’
It’s all coming down to Florida, again.
The fight for the GOP presidential nomination looks increasingly like it could be decided by a state with a rule-breaking, unsanctioned election that has thrown the presidential primary calendar in flux.
Venture capital deals in Florida improving but remain puny compared to states like California
Fourteen private companies in Florida received a total of $114.6 million in venture capital funding in the first quarter of 2011.
Tampa Bay homes sales surge to level not seen in five years
Tampa Bay’s existing home sales skyrocketed in March to levels not seen in nearly five years.
Texas Panel Adopts Arson Rules
A state panel has recommended more education and training for fire investigators following its review of a case involving an inmate executed after a fire labeled arson killed his daughters.
Marsh & McLennan names Glaser group president, Zaffino to head Marsh
Daniel S. Glaser has been appointed to the new post of group president and chief operating officer of the Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc., MMC said Wednesday.
Garber Named Chief Legal Counsel at Ohio Insurance Department
Ohio Lieutenant Governor and Department of Insurance Director Mary Taylor named Joe Garber chief legal counsel at the Ohio Department of Insurance
Ohio Non-Insured Property Exclusion Case Sent Back to Lower Court
The Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that a trial court must reconsider arguments in a lawsuit over an exclusion in a homeowners’ insurance policy that bars coverage for claims “arising out of” premises that are owned by an insured person but are not identified in the policy as an insured location.
Kansas Governor Signs Workers’ Comp Reform Bill
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has signed a workers’ compensation reform bill backed by both business and labor groups.
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