Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, August 22
Aug 22, 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
9:30 a.m.–Florida Division of Insurance Agents and Agency Services Rule Development Workshop. Section 626.207(8), F.S., requires the Department of Financial Services to adopt rules establishing specific penalties against licensees for violations of Section 626.621 F.S. Proposed Rule 69B-231.090 sets forth the penalties for violations of subsections 626.621(13) and (14), F.S. To view the Workshop notice, click here.
10:00 a.m.–Florida Department of Revenue (“DOR”) Rule Development Workshop. Proposed amendments to Rule 12B-8.0016, “Department of Revenue Electronic Database,” would provide reference to the updates to instructions for the DOR’s Address/Jurisdiction Database used for assigning premiums and policies to local tax jurisdictions. Proposed amendments to Rule Rule 12B-8.003, “Tax Statement; Overpayments,” is to adopt, by reference, changes to forms used by the DOR in the administration of the insurance premium taxes, fees and surcharges. To view the Workshop notice, click here.
3:00 p.m.–Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors meeting; 3:00 p.m. Teleconference: (888) 942-8686; conference ID: 5743735657#. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Blog: Florida Citizens’ board to vote on $45 million clearinghouse contract
Citizens Property Insurance Corp.‘s board of governors meets Thursday to consider a $45 million question: Who will it award the contract to make the state’s new insurance clearinghouse a reality? Maria Mallory White blogs for the Sun-Sentinel.
New law forces Citizens insurance to cover attached structures on mobile homes such as car ports
A new state law forces Citizens to increase coverage on approximately 35,000 mobile home policies, but the increased coverage is not automatic, Jenn Strathman of WPTV.com reports via TCPalm.com.
Craig Fugate Says Florida in Denial About Hurricane Threats
The emergency management chief for the United States is warning Floridians are in “denial” about the threat posed by hurricanes, the Associated Press reports via TCPalm.com.
R-Street Comments on Pociask Op-Ed “Florida’s missed opportunity”
Writing at th Sun-Sentinel, our friend Steve Pociask of the American Consumer Institute reminds Florida lawmakers of the opportunity they missed out on during this past legislative session to take advantage of falling reinsurance rates to lay off more of the risk presented by its state-run insurer and reinsurer.
25 percent of Florida drivers don’t have insurance
The odds of being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver are so high because the division of insurance fraud says 25 percent of the drivers in Florida have no insurance or phony insurance, Mike Deeson reports for WTSP-TV in Tampa.
Drivers in Florida illegally pass school buses thousands of times a day
One-day survey in May found more than 2,500 violations in Central Florida alone
In a single day this past spring, drivers in Orange County illegally passed school buses loading or unloading children 1,851 times. Statewide, 11,684 violations were noted by school-bus drivers that day, Lauren Roth reports for the Orlando Sentinel.
Affordable Care Act supporters respond to Florida GOP attacks
Although registration for insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act begins in fewer than 40 days (Oct. 1), the debate over the federal health care law shows no sign of ending. Supporters of the law this week responded to opponents’ criticism of the plan on two fronts, The Florida Current’s James Call reports.
Allied Veterans defense: It wasn’t illegal
Defendants accused of running a veterans’ charity as a front for a gambling operation are mounting a defense that Internet cafes are lawful based on the legal interpretations of some high-profile politicians and lawyers, Mike Schneider reports for the Associated Press.
Blog: Charges dropped against former aide to Lieutenant Governor Carroll
The Associated Press is reporting that criminal charges against a former aide to then-Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll have been dropped. Carletha Cole was accused of giving a reporter an illegal recording of a conversation between Carroll’s chief of staff and her.
Blog: Senator Margolis files bill to diversify juries
Observers were quick to raise questions when six women, five of whom were white, were impaneled in the recent George Zimmerman trial, Kathleen McGrory writes on the Miami Herald’s Naked Politics blog.
Democrat Amanda Murphy Jumps In Pasco County House Special Election
On Wednesday, Democrat Amanda Murphy announced she was running in the special election for the open Florida House seat previously held by Mike Fasano. Murphy joins three Republicans and a candidate running with no party affiliation in the special election which will be held in October, SunshineStateNews.com reports.
Telecom companies fight for multimillion-dollar Florida prison telephone service contract
Three telecommunications companies are protesting the bid process for a lucrative contract with the Department of Corrections to provide telephone services at prisons throughout the state, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Florida is among the US states with the greatest geographical concentration of science and engineering (S&E) employment, according to a report just released by the National Science Foundation using data from the US Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey, Karen Cyphers reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Texas Judges Turn Away Challenge of State Farm Rate Hikes
A two-judge panel has rejected a petition by Texas’s Office of Public Insurance Council to roll back a State Farm Lloyds rate hike, Ana Khalamayzer reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.
Hawaii’s Top Captive Insurance Regulator Resigns
Hawaii’s top captive insurance regulator has resigned, citing policy differences within the insurance division, AM Best’s BestWire reports via Advisen.com.
A Roundup of Maryland’s New Insurance Laws From 2013 Legislative Session
The Maryland Insurance Administration issued a bulletin this week summarizing new insurance legislation from the Maryland General Assembly’s 2013 session that have been signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley, Insurance Journal reports.
Justice Department Plans New Cases Tied to Financial Crisis
Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department is nearing decisions on a number of probes involving large financial firms and that he plans to announce new cases stemming from the economic meltdown in the coming months, Dow Jones reports via Advisen.com.
Most, Least Expensive States to Own a Car
Georgia is the most expensive state to operate a motor vehicle and Oregon is the cheapest, according to a Bankrate.com report that considers the costs of gasoline, insurance, repairs, taxes and fees, Insurance Journal reports.
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