Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, March 27

Mar 27, 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

 

There are no events scheduled for today.

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related News

 

Florida Senate quickly passes flood bill, sets up clash with House

Legislation designed to get more private companies to cover flood damages swiftly cleared the Senate on Wednesday by a unanimous vote, but SB 542 still has a long way to go before making it into law, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.

 

Barry Gilway:  A response to critics over Citizens Property Insurance litigation costs

While most claimants are hardworking individuals seeking to repair their homes and businesses, it is an unfortunate fact that too many seek to exploit the system by inflating damages on legitimate losses, avoiding repairs or fabricating claims, explains Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance President and CEO Barry Gilway in this Bradenton Herald editorial opinion.

 

Lawmakers may ease short-term rental law

A man’s home may be his castle, but neighbors complain it often turns into a revolving-door party palace when owners rent them out for short-term vacation stays, Tonya Alanez reports for the Sun-Sentinel.

 

Storage fire leaves Palm Harbor tenants wondering who pays

Wednesday’s huge fire at a storage facility in Palm Harbor destroyed millions of dollars worth of classic cars, RVs and boats, Eric Glasser reports for WTSP-TV.

 

Senate stalls red light camera ban

The Senate Transportation Committee virtually killed its chairman’s plan to unplug red light cameras Wednesday, but he said he’s not giving up, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.

 

“Uber amendment” withdrawn – but still stirs discussion

A 119-word amendment to a Senate transportation bill caused nearly an hour’s worth of angst-ridden conversation on Wednesday because the wording was friendly to app-based hired-car services like Uber and Lyft, which are trying to break into the Florida urban market, explains Tampa Tribune’s James Rosica.

 

Nursing home lawsuit bill heads for Senate vote

Senator John Thrasher said his plan to redirect lawsuits against nursing homes would protect silent investors from litigation and hold accountable those under direct operational control, The Florida Current’s Arek Sarkissian reports.

 

Senate readies court pick clarification amendment

The Senate on Wednesday prepared a measure placing a constitutional amendment before voters this fall to clarify the appointment of Florida Supreme Court justices for a final vote next week, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.

 

Renewable energy bills backed by Putnam appear dead in the House

Bills that would extend to commercial properties a tax exemption for renewable energy devices are “more than likely” dead in the House, a subcommittee chairman said Wednesday, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.

 

Louisiana Citizens Policyholders Receiving Application Refunds

Policyholders of Louisiana’s property insurer of last resort have begun receiving refunds for application fees that were charged to them without their knowledge, Insurance Journal reports.

 

Cyber Demand Increasing as Senators Mull Legislation

Interest in cyber insurance is expanding rapidly, a top official of Marsh & McLennan testified before a Senate committee yesterday, with the number of Marsh clients purchasing stand-alone cyber insurance increasing by more than 20 percent in just the past year, National Underwriter’s Arthur Postal reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.

 

Flood Deficit Fix Delayed; Now What?

Congress does have options to stabilize the debt-ridden flood program, Insurance Journal reports.

 

 

 

Click here to follow Colodny Fass& Webb on Twitter (@CFTLAWcom)

 

 

 

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com.