Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, September 10, 2015.
Sep 10, 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 Citizens Property Insurance Claims Committee meeting. Teleconference: (866) 361-7525; conference code: 5219676193#. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
State orders some Citizens customers to pay more than company asked
Customers with standard homeowner policies from state-run Citizens Property Insurance will pay more than the company requested in 2016 – thanks in part to an expense Citizens did not have five years ago: hundreds of millions of dollars spent on reinsurance from private offshore firms. Charles Elmore reports for the Palm Beach Post.
How would Uber, Lyft fare in big hurricane?
Florida’s 10-years-and-counting gap between hurricanes has left regulation of companies such as Uber and Lyft unaddressed by emergency-management rules, Gray Rohrer reports for the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida cab companies launch insurance challenge in Uber war
Taxicab companies in Broward County and Tallahassee filed their second lawsuit against the state in as many days, this time accusing app-based transportation services like Uber and Lyft of operating without proper insurance in Florida, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Governor Scott in favor of statewide decision for rideshares
Florida Governor Rick Scott says he believes that there should be a statewide decision made on how to fairly regulate rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, the Associated Press reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Hillsborough County to stop ticketing Uber, Lyft drivers – for now
Uber and Lyft drivers can now operate in Hillsborough County – without getting tickets. Members of the Hillsborough Public Transportation Commission voted Wednesday to allow the drivers to operate, although the services are still considered illegal. It’s a temporary move, as members of the commission are working on a bill to regulate the companies. Chip Osowski reports for WFLA-TV.
AssuredPartners Acquires Nashville Broker Bandy Van Cleave & Williamson
AssuredPartners Inc. has acquired Bandy Van Cleave & Williamson of Nashville, Tenn. The agency’s staff will continue to operate from their Nashville location under the local leadership of Bob Van Cleave and Chuck Williamson, Insurance Journal reports.
Scott signs executive order tracking mental health services
A directive issued Wednesday adds to a partnership Florida Governor Rick Scott established in July — also by executive order — creating a pilot program in Broward County to conduct a countywide inventory of all state programs that address mental health needs. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Margie Menzel reports via SayfieReview.com.
Jeff Brandes says Florida’s policy on drivers license suspensions is broken, wants it reviewed
St. Petersburg Senator Jeff Brandes agreed with Miami Herald reports that Florida’s policy on drivers license suspensions is broken, with far too many Florida residents having their driving privileges suspended or revoked for reasons unrelated to their driving behavior. Mitch Perry reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
State of Florida gets January hearing in legal fight over pharmacy costs
A pharmacy benefit management company’s brewing legal battle with the state over tens of millions of dollars in pharmacy costs could see some resolution this winter, now that a judge has scheduled a January hearing, Christine Sexton reports for PoliticoFlorida.com.
Governor Scott says Florida will maintain sanctions on Iran
Florida law bars the state pension fund from investing in companies doing business with Iran, and Governor Rick Scott says that won’t change, even if a pending international nuclear agreement with Tehran takes effect, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Florida Senator Chris Smith files for Broward Commission run in 2016
A former Senate Democratic leader, state Senator Chris Smith, filed Division of Elections paperwork Wednesday for a run for the Broward County Commission in 2016, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Ryan Ray reports.
U.S. Chinese Drywall Victims Face China’s Legal Wall of Immunity
More than a year after suing the Cabinet agency that oversees China’s biggest state-owned companies, lawyers for people who say their homes were ruined by drywall made in China are still trying to get the lawsuit served on the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Janet McConnaughey reports for Insurance Journal.
Texas Department of Insurance Posts Summary of Bills Affecting Property and Casualty Insurers
The Texas Department of Insurance has produced a summary of various bills passed by the Texas Legislature this year that impact property and casualty insurance companies, Insurance Journal reports.
North Carolina Governor Approves Ridesharing Regulations
Governor Pat McCrory has signed into law state regulations for ridesharing companies where potential customers use smartphone apps to hail drivers and complete cashless transactions, Insurance Journal reports.
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