Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, May 1
May 1, 2014
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
Florida’s 2014 Regular Legislative Session
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Florida Legislature passes insurance claims bill
Legislation prohibiting insurers from using credit checks to deny claims and creating a “homeowner claims bill of rights” is headed to Governor Rick Scott’s desk after passing through the House on Wednesday, reports The Florida Current.
PCI gives helpful tips for Floridians dealing with floods
As torrential rains pummeled the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama on Wednesday, with heavy flooding and forced evacuations, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America urged residents to follow all warnings issued by local officials, Phil Ammann reported for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Bill allowing local vacation rental regulations clears House, heads back to Senate
Three years after lawmakers nixed local government regulations of vacation rental properties, cities and counties could soon be able to implement noise ordinances and other rules for properties with frequent rentals, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Bill watering down workers’ compensation penalties clears Senate, heads to Governor Scott
Construction companies and other businesses issued a stop work order from the state for not carrying enough workers’ compensation insurance will be able to get back to work faster under a bill passed unanimously by the Senate on Wednesday, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Pension reform fizzles in the Senate
The Florida Senate rejected one of House Speaker Will Weatherford’s top priorities Wednesday, spiking a long-debated plan to make more public employees take the optional investment retirement plan instead of the traditional monthly pension payout, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
U.S. and Florida resolve money disputes over two stalled Everglades projects
Florida water managers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resolved a two-year stalemate Wednesday that has delayed two critical Everglades restoration projects, the Miami Herald’s Jenny Stoletavich reports.
Lenny Curry to step down as chairman of Florida GOP
Lenny Curry, currently exploring a bid to become Jacksonville mayor, is announcing on Thursday he will step down as chair of the Florida Republican Party. Peter Schorsch of SaintPetersBlog.com notes the Florida Times-Union story.
Voters could have say on clarifying Florida Supreme Court picks
In a party line vote, the House approved a measure Wednesday that would let voters decide to let the winner of the 2014 gubernatorial election pick successors to three justices on the Florida Supreme Court slated to retire on January 8, 2019, the same day the Governor’s term ends, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
New poll shows Crist leading Scott by 10 points
Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist has a 10-point lead over Governor Rick Scott, whose recent barrage of television advertising blasting his predecessor seems to have missed the mark, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Amendment vote foreshadows Senate position on in-state tuition for immigrants
If there ever was an indicator of how the Senate will vote on the immigrant in-state tuition bill, Wednesday’s tally on a strike-all amendment would be it, The Florida Current’s Arek Sarkissian reports.
Growth management bills dealing with referendums, fuel terminals headed to governor
A bill dealing with local referendums on growth management passed the House yesterday without debate and is headed to the Governor, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.
Florida’s Children First President Howard Talenfeld Notes Passage of Landmark Foster Care Bill
Colodny Fass& Webb’s Howard Talenfeld won a long-fought victory yesterday as Florida lawmakers passed a bill requiring the state to provide attorneys to approximately 1,400 Florida foster children with special needs, the Associated Press reports via the Miami Herald.
Ex-Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll felt “betrayed” by Rick Scott, waits for an apology
While Governor Rick Scott celebrates his re-election kickoff, his former No.2 told Jim Schoettler of the Florida Times-Union she feels cheated by the governor and his inner circle for abandoning her over a year ago, when they forced Carroll to resign. Peter Schorsch of SaintPetersBlog.com notes the story.
Shopping on Amazon.com in Florida? Expect to pay taxes starting Thursday
Starting Thursday, Internet giant Amazon.com will start charging sales tax on purchases in Florida, the Miami Herald’s Ina Paiva Cordle reports.
Arthur Postal’s Washington Report: Bills Introduced to Clarify How Feds Oversee Insurance Companies
As expected, legislation was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate Tuesday to clarify that federal regulators must use state-based metrics in overseeing insurance companies, reports Arthur Postal for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
Walmart Begins Selling Auto Insurance Online
Walmart has partnered with AutoInsurance.com in an attempt to offer affordable coverage to its customers, MyNewMarkets.com’s Amy O’Conner reports via Insurance Journal.
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