Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, October 22, 2015
Oct 22, 2015
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 Consumer Services Rule Development Workshop. Tallahassee, Florida. Proposed amendments to Rules 69J-8.008, “Selection of Neutral Evaluator,” and 69J-8.009, “Evaluation Process,” would increase the period of time that an insurer has to contact an insured after notice of a request to have a neutral evaluation of a sinkhole claim from three days to five, as well as clarify that failure to comply with the five-day requirement does not invalidate a party’s right to neutral evaluation or to disqualify proposed evaluators without cause. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Despite 10-Year Respite From Storms, Floridians Still Paying Top Dollar for Homeowners Insurance
If the Sunshine State gets through this season without a major hurricane, it will be 10 years since Florida was hit by a substantial tropical cyclone, Brendan McLaughlin reports for WPTV.
Florida lawmakers reintroduce Citizens bill vetoed by Governor Scott
Early this month, two Florida legislators introduced a bill similar to one vetoed by Governor Rick Scott this year that would give policyholders more options as they are moved out of Citizens Property Insurance, reports WWSB via National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty 360.com.
Bundle if you can: Florida savings grow most for home, car insurance duo
Bundling can mean good things for Florida insurance customers, the Palm Beach Post’s Charles Elmore reports for the “Protecting Your Pocket” blog.
The Hilb Group acquires Florida insurance agency
The Hilb Group LLC said Tuesday that it has acquired Gentry Insurance Agency Inc., an independent insurance agency in Apopka, Florida, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Driving through Hollywood? Make sure your insurance is valid
Motorists in certain parts of Hollywood today may see extra enforcement as police and the National Insurance Crime Bureau team up to make sure drivers have valid insurance coverage, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Cigna pulls out of State of Florida exchange, blames addiction treatment fraud
Southwest Floridians who purchased Cigna insurance on state government’s Health Insurance Marketplace will have to shop for new policies in the coming weeks if they want to remain covered. By Pat Beall and Christine Stapleton report for the Palm Beach Post.
Florida Secretary of State silent on Senate four-year terms, but what about residency rule?
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner has received a few questions — from supervisors of elections, reporters, etc. — about what he thinks of the legal argument advanced by Senator Bill Galvano to allow senators in the middle of a four-year term to not run for re-election in 2016 even if their districts are redrawn. The Tampa Bay Times’ Mary Ellen Klas reports via “The Buzz” blog.
- Clemens offers a map that doesn’t cross Tampa Bay, Galvano quickly rejects it
- Florida Senate Goes Back to the Future
Senator promises fix to Florida’s “pill mill” law
The Legislature may have inadvertently made it harder for legitimate patients to get critical pain medications when it passed a 2011 law aimed at shutting down rogue clinics that branded the state as the “pill mill capital” of the country. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam reports via the Orlando Sentinel.
State of Florida crime lab getting even slower at processing evidence
Florida’s crime lab is getting even slower at processing forensic evidence as the state’s top law enforcement agency continues “hemorrhaging” workers who leave to find better-paying jobs in other states or counties, state officials say. The Tampa Bay Times’ Jeremy Wallace reports.
Senate President Andy Gardiner exploring what State of Florida can do to shut down fantasy sports
Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner is exploring what the State of Florida can do to shut down daily fantasy sports, even as federal prosecutors are probing the online industry that has taken the nation by storm and drawn accusations of illegal gambling. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via the Tampa Bay Times.
Airbnb introduces a broader insurance coverage policy for Canadians
Airbnb is adding a new level of insurance coverage in Canada as part of wider support for people who list their properties through its service. David Friend reports for The Canadian Press.
Click here to follow Colodny Fass on Twitter (@ColodnyFassLaw)
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to colodnyfassnews@gmail.com