Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report – Thursday, December 01, 2016

Dec 1, 2016

 

Citizens Assesses Hurricane Response as 2016 Season Comes to a Close

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation expressed satisfaction with its response efforts to the first hurricanes to hit Florida in more than a decade as the end of the 2016 Hurricane Season officially ended November 30, Insurance Journal reports.

 

Workers’ Comp Rate Hike Ruling Gives Florida Trial Lawyers Reason to Cheer.  But How Long Will it Last?

Mark Touby, who is President of Florida Workers’ Advocates, said the Insurance Industry is increasing the rates without explanation. While NCCI is the body requesting rate hikes, the NCCI Board of Directors is also populated with executives closely tied to the Insurance Industry, SaintPetersBlog.com Publisher Peter Schorsch writes.

 

Personal Injury Law Work Prepares Representative Erin Grall for New Job

Erin Grall may be a Rookie in the Florida Legislature, but the Personal Injury Lawyer said she has developed a thick skin to deal with the Political Wrangling that awaits her in Tallahassee, TCPalm.com’s Isadora Rangel reports.

 

Half Million Floridians Last Month Signed Up For Obamacare

Federal Health Officials say Floridians make up about a quarter of the 2.1 million Americans who have chosen plans since the start of open enrollment.  The Associated Press reports for the Tampa Bay Times.

 

Reports Show Florida Medicaid HMOs Fined $1.2M for 153 Violations

Florida’s Medicaid HMOs have paid more than $1.2 million in penalties over the last 15 months for 153 Violations of Managed Care Contracts, Politico Florida’s Christine Sexton reports.

 

Pharmacist Who Bought The Rock’s Former Mansion Faces Insurance Fraud Charges

The owner of Atlantic Pharmacy has been held in a tiny jail cell in downtown Miami since his arrest in early November on charges of Conspiring to Fleece $37 million from the TRICARE Health Insurance Program for Military Personnel as well as another Federal Coverage Network for Government Employees.  The Miami Herald’s Jay Weaver reports.

 

Worker Accuses Unum Life Insurance of ERISA Violations

A Florida man is suing Unum Life Insurance, the Florida Record reports.

 

More than 200 Jacksonville Women Now Claim Breast-Implant Surgeries Were Botched

The number of women claiming two Jacksonville Plastic Surgeons disfigured them in Botched Breast-Implant Procedures has climbed to more than 200 as the slow-moving Medical Malpractice Lawsuits continue to gather records from the Doctors and the Implant Manufacturer.  Andrew Pantazi reports for the Florida Times-Union.

 

Study:  Florida is the Third-Most Vulnerable Place in the Nation for Identity Theft and Fraud

Florida had the dubious distinction of being named the third-most vulnerable place in the country for Identity Theft and Fraud, according to an analysis released Wednesday by credit monitoring website WalletHub.  The Tampa Bay Times’ Jeff Harrington reports.


Bill Again Targets Attorney Fees in Public Records Cases

A Bill that would give Judges the discretion to award Attorney Fees in Public Records Lawsuits was refiled Wednesday, FloridaPolitics.com reports.

Undocumented Immigrant Tuition Issue Re-Emerges

A newly elected Florida Senator has Filed Legislation that would undo a 2014 Law allowing In-State Tuition for some undocumented immigrant students, potentially reopening an emotionally charged debate in the wake of Donald Trump’s Presidential Win.  THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Brandon Larrabee reports via SayfieReview.com.

 

Anger over FPL Rate Hike Fuels Call for Utility Regulation Reform

Anger over Regulators’ Approval of an $811 million Rate Hike for Florida Power & Light boiled over Wednesday with calls for Utility Regulation Reform and second-guessing of the State’s Public Counsel. Susan Salisbury reports for the Palm Beach Post.

 

Greg Steube Picked to Chair Senate Judiciary Committee

Senate President Joe Negron announced Tuesday that Senator Greg Steube will serve as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee for the 2016-18 Legislative Term.  The Appointment now puts Steube in charge of the same Committee that blocked Gun Bills.  Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster reports for FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Fant to Lead Duval Delegation in Tallahassee

In addition to Fant, Members of the Duval Legislative Delegation include State Representatives Cord Byrd, Kimberly Daniels, Tracie Davis, Jason Fischer, Clay Yarborough, and Senators Aaron Bean and Audrey Gibson, News4Jax.com reports.

 

Georgia Falls Below US Average on Insurance Regulation Spending

Georgia’s Department of Insurance had a Budget of $21.5 million in 2015, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

 

New Mexico Needs a Second Audit to Unravel Insurance Taxes

Five New Mexico Agencies are weighing in on whether a handful of Health-Insurance Companies really owe the State $193 million or more in back premium taxes, the Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board writes.

 

 

 

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