Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, February 13
Feb 13, 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.–Florida Division of Insurance Agents and Agency Services Proposed Rule Hearing. If amended, Proposed Rule 69B-231.090, “Penalties for Violation of Section 626.621,” will impose the highest identical penalty, if available, or a substantially similar penalty to the highest penalty imposed for a violation of subsection 626.621(13), F.S. When substantially similar penalties are not available, the Rule would impose specified penalties based upon whether the order contains allegations or findings related to monetary loss, fraud, misappropriation, conversion or the unlawful withholding of money. A violation of Section 626.621(14), F.S., will result in the imposition of a six-month suspension. To view the Hearing notice, click here.
Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association meetings. To view the meeting notices, click here.
- Investment Committee meeting–10:00 a.m. To view the agenda, click here.
- Rates and Forms Committee–2:00 p.m. To view the agenda, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Second flood insurance bill floated in House as legislation hits turbulence
Republicans looking to entice private companies to cover flood damage at cheaper rates than the new National Flood Insurance Program rates are having a difficult time finding consensus on legislation, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
FCCI Insurance Group Ranked as a Top 10 Property and Casualty Performer
FCCI was ranked #6 out of 270 property and casualty insurers nationwide in a study released in January 2014, an FCCI news release reports.
Will Weatherford signals opposition to red-light cameras, will back repeal
Making it clear he wants changes in Florida’s red-light camera laws, House Speaker Will Weatherford on Wednesday pointed to a “scathing” new account on the effectiveness of the controversial program, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Peter Schorsch reports.
Florida job creation slows in January, ADP report says
Florida’s job-creation machine slowed down in January, according to a regional report released Wednesday, Tampa Bay Times’ Jeff Harrington reports.
Florida Legislature sets procedures for audits of lobbying firms
On Tuesday, the Joint Legislative Auditing committee outlined the procedures for auditing the compensation reports of state lobbying firms. (Read here about how the auditing will work.) SaintPetersBlog.com’s Peter Schorsch reports.
Adam Putnam Seeks to Dim Electricity Tax on Businesses
Supporters hope that a proposal by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam to gradually reduce the state sales tax paid by businesses on electricity will help its chances of being included in Governor Rick Scott’s goal of cutting $500 million in taxes and fees. Jim Turner reports for THE NEWS SERVICE of FLORIDA via Sunshine State News.
Florida Education Commissioner releases new school grading formula
Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart announced plans to simplify the formula used to calculate the letter grades for Florida public schools, The Florida Current’s James Call reports.
The Return of Jennifer Carroll (in CD-18 cameo)
Jennifer Carroll, the one-time lieutenant governor forced from office amid a gambling scandal in which she was never really implicated, is hitting the campaign trail again — but not for herself, the Miami Herald’s Marc Caputo blogs for “Naked Politics.”
Search continues for missing legislative intern
Tallahassee Police are still searching for missing legislative intern Ryan Uhre of State Representative Rick Stark’s office, the Miami Herald’s Kathleen McGrory blogs on “Naked Politics.”
States’ Rules Complicate Efforts to Enact Uniform Data Security Law
Data thefts at U.S. retailers have rekindled enthusiasm in Congress for a single federal law on how customers should be notified about such breaches, but those efforts face the same roadblock as in the past: dozens of overlapping state laws already in place, Reuters’ Alina Selyukh reports via Insurance Journal.
Texas Lowers Workers’ Compensation Maintenance Tax Rate
The Texas Department of Insurance announced that the Division of Workers’ Compensation has lowered the maintenance tax rate to 1.543 percent of gross premiums collected by workers’ compensation insurance carriers from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013, Insurance Journal reports.
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety is voicing its strong support for U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer’s (R-TX) plea for Congress to pass the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Reauthorization Act. This legislation would fund additional research aimed at significantly reducing the vulnerability of homes and businesses to wind-related hazards, National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com reports.
Preparing for Disaster by Betting Against It
A new kind of financial innovations seeks to bring public needs to the private markets, explains Roosevelt Institute Fellow Georgia Levenson Keohane in this New York Times editorial opinion.
Sinkhole swallows cars at Corvette Museum in Kentucky
A gaping sinkhole opened beneath the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky and swallowed eight prized cars like they were toys, piling them in a heap amid loose dirt and concrete fragment, Associated Press reports via Fox News.
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