Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, August 18
Aug 18, 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
9:00 a.m.–Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Protection Methodology meeting. Continuation of 2011 Standards and Procedures discussion and review of the 2011 Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model under the Standards and Acceptability process for 2009. To view the meeting notice, click here.
(CANCELED) 10:00 a.m.–Florida Surplus Lines Service Office National Clearinghouse Committee meeting. Agenda includes issues pertaining to the proposed national surplus lines tax clearinghouse. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Rural Floridians Face Insurance Woes After Change in Fire Risk Rating
Florida residents in rural areas may be having fire insurance difficulties now that insurers have begun using revised community fire ratings that rate some rural counties a high risk for fire loss.
Florida Personal Injury Protection Auto Insurance System Taxes ‘Joe and Mary Lunchbox’
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty gives a bleak outlook of the state’s out-of-control personal injury protection insurance system.
Florida’s broken Personal Injury Protection insurance system: ”It’s like whack-a-mole”
Rampant fraud in Florida’s personal injury protection system is costing Floridians hundreds of millions of dollars on their car Insurance premiums, according to a new report and that’s angering state leaders. T
Florida Agency For Health Care Administration names acting Medicaid director
Agency also says that outgoing Medicaid director Roberta Bradford will contract to continue working with state. In notable personnel moves, the Florida Senate has hired a new staff director for the budget committee that oversees health care spending.
Florida gains new residency slots to help train future doctors
Florida hospitals gain 325 new residency slots. The majority of the new slots were awarded to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital which has a partnership with Florida State University.
Ohio REIT buys Sarasota hospital building
A Toledo, Ohio-based real estate investment trust has bought a 40-bed hospital building near Bee Ridge Road and Interstate 75 operated by LifeCare Hospital of Plano, Texas, for $22.5 million.
Healthcare Program for Low-Income Patients in Jeopardy
Florida health officials remain uncertain about the future of a program that funnels $1 billion a year to hospitals and other medical providers – or whether the state will have a fallback if the program is eliminated.
Red-light cameras are constitutional, Broward judge rules
Auto insurance premiums should go down for Pembroke Pines residents because the city has installed 22 red-light cameras, according to a resolution passed unanimously Wednesday by the City Commission.
Tom Grady, new state banking regulator, suing his bosses
Florida’s next banking commissioner is friends with Governor Rick Scott and even lives right down the street from him in Naples.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Florida BP Oil Spill Claims Top $2 Billion
Claims Facility has received 314,098 claims from 190,831 separate individuals, businesses in Florida
Florida individuals and businesses have so far received more than $2 billion in payouts because of the BP oil spill, but the going may get tougher for some with federal overseers having earlier this week tightened requirements for future payments under the $20 billion program.
Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann ‘Likely’ on Florida Straw Ballot
As of now, all candidates at Fox News debate will be included in Presidency 5 poll
Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann say they’re skipping the Florida straw vote, but it looks like their names will be on the Sept. 24 poll ballot anyway.
Congressman wants changes to Cuban Adjustment Act
South Florida freshman U.S. Representative David Rivera on Wednesday called for an overhaul of the decades-old law that grants most Cubans U.S. residency a year after they arrive – proposing to revoke the residency of any Cuban who then goes back to visit family on the island
New numbers show Florida tourism rebound
Florida tourism increased 7 percent this spring over last year, a boost in visitors that added hospitality jobs and cash to the state’s economy.
U.S. Census: Hispanic population booming in Southwest Florida
The Hispanic population nearly doubled in Collier County and exploded in Lee County from 2000 to 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reports.
- Census: Same-sex households soar in South Florida
- Influx of working-age adults fuels Florida growth
- Census shows old hug coast, young favor inland
$291 Million Toll Road to Be Built
A 15-mile, $291 million toll road will be built to serve as a western bypass around Jacksonville.
Florida gun law may face challenges from several counties
The state says it is against the law to fire a gun across a paved road. But state law says nothing about unpaved roads.
New York Times: Governor Rick Scott sued by teachers, poor and more
Governor Rick Scott, a Republican conservative, took office this year on a promise to shake things up.
Former State Representative Sansom files ethics complaint against prosecutor
Former state Representative Ray Sansom will file an ethics complaint against State Attorney Willie Meggs, who unsuccessfully tried to prosecute him on grand theft charges.
Texas Investigates Buyouts of Homes Damaged by Hurricane Ike
Disagreements among homeowners in an exclusive Galveston Island beach community have led to a fraud investigation involving a $25 million federal buyout program for houses damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008.
New York Times: Court Ruling Offers Path to Challenge Dodd-Frank
A new front has opened in the behind-the-scenes battle over financial regulation.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says it has filed suit against United Insurance Co. after denying employment to a man with methadone in his system.
Nevada to appeal auto liability ruling in favor of risk retention group
The state of Nevada has filed a notice of appeal of a federal court’s summary judgment order favoring a Vermont-domiciled risk retention group that sued Nevada over the state’s attempt to bar the RRG from writing first-dollar automobile liability coverage in Nevada.
Bermuda approaches Solvency II equivalency
The Bermuda Monetary Authority said it is “pleased” that the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority’s preliminary assessment of Bermuda’s regulatory framework in relation to Solvency II indicated that the island’s regulatory system for commercial insurers generally meets the criteria for Solvency II equivalence.
Louisiana Rises Again in State Business Rankings
The following information was released by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development.
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