Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Thursday, September 18, 2014

Sep 18, 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

 

1:30 p.m.–Florida Board of Employee Leasing Companies General Business Meeting.  Miami, Florida.  To view the agenda, click here.

     

     

    Daily Florida Insurance-Related News


    Scientists respond to Scott, call for “Science and Solutions Summit”

    Scientists from Florida colleges and universities have crafted a letter asking the Governor and state policy leaders to convene a “Climate Science & Solutions Summit” to be held this fall on a climate change action plan for Florida, the Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports for the “Naked Politics” blog.

     

    R-Street Institute:  Think back to 2004

    If the Florida learned anything from the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons, it is that the state is not immune to back-to-back intense hurricane seasons.  More can and should be done to prepare, including making Florida’s insurance system sustainable beyond one storm, writes R-Street’s Christian Camara in this Tallahassee Democrat editorial opinion.

     

    Consumer Advocacy Group FAIR Honors Locke Burt For Positive Role in Florida’s Home Insurance Market

    Consumer advocacy group Florida Association for Insurance Reform (FAIR) recently paid tribute to former Florida Senator Locke Burt by honoring him with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award during the organization’s Second Annual Awards Dinner and Gala held in Tampa.

     

    Miami-Dade wants more scrutiny of power cooling canals, fearing bigger problems

    Since June, FPL has been struggling to control the temperature in canals meant to cool its Turkey Point nuclear reactor.  A resulting algae bloom has spread throughout the 168-mile loop, the Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports for the “Naked Politics” blog.

     

    Ruling Backs Governor’s Power to Appoint Judge

    A divided appeals court Wednesday upheld the power of Gov. Rick Scott to appoint a Northeast Florida judge, rejecting arguments that voters should fill the seat in November.  Jim Saunders reports for THE NEWS SERVICE of FLORIDA.

     

    $10 million settlement on frozen assets OK’d in post-Allied Veterans Internet cafe scandal

    A settlement has been authorized over money and assets were frozen by court order as part of a series of 2013 raids that shut down Allied Veterans’ 50 storefronts across Florida, Rene Stutzman reports for the Orlando Sentinel.

     

    Charlie Crist lays out his plan to create jobs

    Former Governor Charlie Crist is spelling out some of his plans to create jobs in Florida, the Associated Press reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.

     

    Florida sales-tax break for appliances starts Friday

    Florida’s tax-free-holiday weekend for Energy Star and WaterSense products runs from Friday until Sunday.  Floridians won’t pay sales tax on the first $1,500 they spend, Orlando Sentinel’s Caitlin Dineen reports.

     

    Export-Import Bank Short-Term Extension Looking Likely

    The U.S. Export-Import Bank is likely to have its charter renewed through mid-2015 this week, even though lawmakers in both parties said this week they see the extension as a second-best solution, Reuters reports via Insurance Journal.

     

    California Governor Signs Ridesharing Bill

    California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill to establish insurance requirements for transportation network companies and their drivers, Insurance Journal reports.

     

    Proposition 103 versus Self-driving Cars Revving up in California

    At a hearing on autonomous vehicles held by Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones in Sacramento this week several experts testified that with the technology to build self-driving cars, regulations and insurance need to get up to speed.  Insurance Journal’s Don Jergler reports.

     

    Meet New NAPSLO President Hank Haldeman

    Hank Haldeman discusses what he enjoys most about the Surplus Lines business, his priorities as NAPSLO president, and some of the greatest challenges the excess and surplus industry will face in the year to come.  National Underwriter’s Shawn Moynihan reports via PropertyCasualty360.com.

     

     

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