Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, April 24
Apr 24, 2014
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
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.–Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors meeting. Agenda includes the 2014 Risk Transfer Program. Teleconference: (888) 942-8686; access code: 5743735657#. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Miami Beach Ground Zero for Sea Level Rise
The insurance industry’s refusal to acknowledge climate change may hurt the insurance industry in Southern Florida, says U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. The Miami Herald reports Nelson convened a two-hour field hearing at Miami Beach City Hall on Tuesday to draw national attention to the dangers posed by rising seas in Miami. At the hearing, a half-dozen witnesses forecast a dire future with a three-foot rise in seas by the beginning of the next century, says the Miami Herald via National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
- Editorial: Water in Our Shoes
- Smaller sweep for affordable housing trust fund this year
- House, Senate agree on $15.5 million for bike trail connections
Bill limiting who can be sued at nursing homes clears Legislature
The House and Senate versions of an economic development omnibus package contains clashing provisions on development fee exemptions and a skills test requirement to receive jobless benefits, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Safety-net hospitals win delay on costly funding law
Safety-net hospitals will get a one-year reprieve from a controversial funding formula that they said would cost them hundreds of millions of dollars, Tia Mitchell and Kathleen McGrory report for Tampa Bay Times.
House, Senate negotiators can’t agree on most major spending items
The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports that Florida House and Senate budget negotiators on agriculture and environmental spending concluded their talks on Wednesday without a resolution of most major spending issues.
Florida Governor snared in GOP immigration debate
With time running out on his first term, Gov. Rick Scott entered his fourth legislative session with a limited agenda dealing with education, tax cuts and the state’s economy, Associated Press’ Gary Fineout reports via the Tampa Tribune.
Appeals court supports contractor’s role in issuing red-light camera violations
A decision by a divided three-judge state appeals court on Wednesday defended the role of a contractor helping the City of Hollywood observe motorist violations with red-light cameras, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Peter Schorsch reports.
New License Plates Hit Florida Roads
The specialty license plate spigot has been tightened in the last few years, but there are still drops getting through including two new plates on the road this year and at least four new potential plates being considered by lawmakers. Orlando Sentinel’s Richard Tribou reports.
House votes down amendment allowing local regulation of boat moorings
HB 955, a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission bill, would extend a prohibition on local ordinances regulating the mooring of boats, excluding live-aboard vessels, through July 2017. An amendment would have excluded Broward and Miami-Dade counties from the prohibition but it was voted down, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie explains.
House preps economic development package, but fight over impact fees and skills test looms
Lawmakers in the House discussed HB 7023, an omnibus package containing provisions aimed at boosting economic development programs, on Wednesday, but several provisions in the bill are poised to clash with the Senate version, SB 1634.
Medical Marijuana, Stadiums, Trauma — All “Trade Bait?”
Priorities of House and Senate leaders — including pensions, school vouchers and medical marijuana — are all “trade bait” as the days wind down before the session’s scheduled finale on May 2. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam reports via SunshineStateNews.com.
Legislature passes bill to make killing fetuses a crime
Anyone killing a pregnant woman, or injuring her in ways that maker her lose her baby, could be charged with two homicides under a bill that cleared the Florida Legislature Wednesday as two women affected by the crime tearfully applauded, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Lizbeth Benacquisto mum on political future, returns to warm reception in state Senate
Lizbeth Benacquisto, one day removed from a special congressional primary loss, wasn’t clear Wednesday about whether she will seek another four years in the Florida Legislature, Jacob Carpenter reports for Naples Daily News.
Insurance Industry Wants Clarity on What Constitutes a Terrorist Event in TRIA Renewal
Besides renewal of the current Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, the insurance industry is asking Congress to expand and clarify the law to fill gaps in certification and coverage areas, Arthur Postal reports for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
Insurance Company Sues Local Governments, Alleges Failure to Avert Sewer Water Invasion
An insurance company is suing Illinois’ Will County and a dozen local towns for allegedly failing to make adequate preparations for last spring’s torrential rainfall, Joseph Hosey reports for Patch.com.
Louisiana Residents Moving from Coastal Areas Due to Erosion
A new report says commuting statistics indicate that coastal parishes are losing residents because of coastal erosion. And it says those left behind tend to be those who cannot afford to move, Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
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