Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, September 15
Sep 15, 2011
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
- Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate’s Personal Injury Protection Working Group meeting; 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. To access a Webcast on The Florida Channel, click here.
- Florida Surplus Lines Service Office National Clearinghouse Committee meeting; 10:00 a.m. Agenda includes issues pertaining to the proposed national surplus lines tax clearinghouse. To view the meeting notice, click here.
- Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association Operations Committee meeting; 10:00 a.m. To view the meeting notice, click here. To view the agenda, click here.
Blog: Senator Fasano receives hero’s welcome at Citizens sinkhole insurance rate hearing
After unsuccessfully fighting a property insurance bill that led state-run Citizens Property Insurance to propose massive increases for its sinkhole policies, state Sen. Mike Fasano received a standing ovation and thunderous applause at a rate hearing Tuesday.
Commentary: Sinkhole Alley apoplectic about Citizens’ rate hikes, but what did they expect?
Tell those danged politicians to take their hands off our gubberment property Insurance!
Citizens Property Insurance bus riders say long trip worthwhile
About 2 p.m. Tuesday, 112 Hernando County residents boarded two buses and made the long trek to Tampa to voice their concerns at a hearing regarding a huge Citizens Insurance rate increase.
Our take on: Sinking homeowners
Sinking homeownersIf you’re a homeowner carrying sinkhole coverage through Citizens Property Insurance Corp., you’re soon going to pay considerably more for it each year.
The Voice of the People Was Heard at Citizens Sinkhole Public Hearing
Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation hosted a public hearing on September 13, 2011 at the Tampa Convention Center to consider an application by Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to raise sinkhole premiums by a statewide average of 429%.
State investigating 411-PAIN referral service
The Florida Attorney General said Tuesday it is investigating a Fort Lauderdale-based legal and medical referral service on allegations of deceptive and misleading advertising.
Red-light camera statistics show worst and best intersections in South Florida
Red-light cameras have been watching us for more than a year now, and drivers in South Florida have gotten 339,000 tickets from them.
Some drivers ignoring bills sent through mail for tolls on Florida’s Turnpike | Video
Six months into the cashless toll system, more than a third of the drivers getting a bill in the mail for tolls on Florida’s Turnpike haven’t paid.
Governor Rick Scott backs off limit to state employee HMOs
Florida is offering thousands of state workers a choice in their health care plans as part of a settlement it reached to end a legal battle.
New list of top hospitals stirs controversy
The latest list intended to spotlight the country’s best hospitals omits Sarasota Memorial and other prominent local facilities, as well as such prestigious national names as Johns Hopkins, Mayo, New York-Presbyterian and Duke.
Teamsters file ethics complaint against Governor Rick Scott over prisons
The Teamsters Union has filed an ethics complaint against Governor Rick Scott in an attempt to block a state plan to privatize prison operations in 18 South Florida counties.
Teachers and union file lawsuit to halt teacher merit pay law
The Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court Wednesday to stop the state from implementing SB 736, which transforms the way public K-12 teachers are evaluated and paid.
Judges and mediators included in possible list of reductions
The Division of Administrative Hearings offers four administrative law judges and 14 workers compensation mediators as a way to meet a required $2.5 million budget reduction exercise.
Senator wants a 10-year ban on water bottling permits
Senator Evelyn Lynn said she hears all the time that there is less water available for Florida’s growing population and that severe conservation measures are needed.
Blog: Fair District backers want House Speaker Dean Cannon to call off the lawyers
Days after a Miami judge ruled against a pair of Florida members of Congress, leaders of the so-called Fair Districts campaign Wednesday called on House Speaker Dean Cannon to abandon financing any further challenges to the voter-approved standard for drawing congressional district lines.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Hoteliers prep for more fight on online booking taxes
Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida reports that amid wide-ranging court battles about the issue, a major hotel-industry group Friday prepared for a renewed legislative fight about the amount of taxes online-travel companies should pay.
Florida gets a B for transparency in government websites
That’s according to a study by the Sunshine Review, a nonprofit organization that analyzes state and local government websites using a transparency checklist.
Florida Commission on Ethics dismisses Ray Sansom’s complaint against Willie Meggs
The Florida Commission on Ethics has dropped former House Speaker Ray Sansom’s complaint against Leon County State Attorney Willie Meggs.
$3 billion casino resort plan for Miami
A company known for glamorous global resorts showed off stunning plans for a massive project that would accelerate Miami’s reputation for the exotic – on a prime waterfront site.
Construction the worst performer in local economy
We don’t need much reminding that South Florida got hit harder by the recession than the rest of the country. But the latest numbers out of Washington certainly drive the point home.
News Release: NAIC to Congress – State Insurance Regulators Ensuring Strong Markets
Today National Association of Insurance Commissioners Chief Executive Officer Therese M. Vaughan, Ph.D., testified before the insurance subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Insurance Rates for Coastal Alabama Homeowners Going Down
Alabama homeowners insured by the state’s property insurer of last resort are paying less after the insurer implemented its first rate decrease in three years.
Plaintiffs can sue over a hostile work environment under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, said a federal appellate court in its first ruling on this issue.
IRS proposes safe harbor for health care plan affordability test
A new Internal Revenue Service proposal would make it easier for employers to determine if their health care plans are “affordable” and exempt from a stiff financial penalty mandated by the health care reform law.
New York Times: Can Lightning Predict Hurricanes?
Radar and satellites can track the path of storms, but Earth Networks, a company that operates networks of environmental sensors, says it can predict their intensity.
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