Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, April 23
Apr 23, 2013
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’s 2013 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.-Florida Senate Committee on Appropriations. To view the agenda, click here. Agenda includes:
- SB 662 relating to Workers’ Compensation by Senator Alan Hays
- CS/SB 860 relating to Workers’ Compensation System Administration by Senator Bill Galvano
- CS/SB 1408 relating to Captive Insurance by Senator Richter
8:30 a.m.–Florida Automobile Joint Underwriting Association Annual Meeting of the Members/Board of Governors meeting. Tampa, Florida. To view the meeting notice, click here.
9:00 a.m.–Florida Cabinet meeting. To view the complete agenda, click here.
- State Board of Administration
- Request approval of the 2013/2014 Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (“FHCF”) Premium Formula and proposed 2013/2014 FHCF Rates
- Request authority to file a Notice of Proposed Rule for Rule 19-8.028, “Reimbursement Premium Formula” and to file it for adoption if a hearing is not timely requested.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
The winds of property insurance reform have been blowing in the halls of the 2013 Florida legislative session and, with hurricane season less than two months away, the timing couldn’t be better, writes Security First’s General Counsel Melissa Burt Devriese.
Growing number of Florida legislators siding with insurance consumers
The insurance industry’s lobbying muscle is well known in the Capitol, Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet writes. But here’s its problem: It can’t cite a company that relocated to Florida because of the tax credit, and a veiled threat that a repeal might make a company flee sets lawmakers’ teeth on edge.
Some consider Florida’s lack of bodily injury requirement to be irresponsible
Jessica Geenty has some unpleasant memories from her vacation in Daytona Beach: the tiny pieces of glass still surfacing on her skin, the devastating injuries to her boyfriend and a better understanding of what she said is Florida’s seriously flawed auto insurance system, Frank Fernandez of the Daytona Beach News-Journal writes. Many out-of-state insurance adjusters consider Florida’s lack of a requirement that drivers carry bodily injury liability to be irresponsible.
Southeast Ag Net reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated four counties in Florida as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought. Those counties are: Alachua, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns.
Private Retail Home Inspection Firm adds Florida Peninsula Insurance Company as carrier
In a news release, Quality Built, LLC, Florida’s leading Windstorm Quality Assurance Company, and Florida Peninsula Insurance Company announced Florida Peninsula as the latest participating carrier in the QB Windstorm PlusTM program, a private retail inspection program available to all Florida homeowners working with participating insurance companies to eliminate costly and disruptive windstorm re-inspections for up to 5 five years.*
Florida Judge Lifts Personal Injury Protection Injunction Stay
A Florida judge has lifted an automatic stay of a temporary injunction of certain provisions within a landmark auto insurance reform bill adopted last year, PropertyCasualty360.com‘s Chad Hemenway reports.
Drug Repackaging Workers’ Compensation Compromise Possible in Florida Senate Today
A Senate committee Tuesday is expected to take up a proposal that could resolve a long-running fight about the costs of drugs dispensed by doctors to workers-compensation insurance patients, Peter Schorsch of SaintPetersBlog.com reports.
Florida urged to consider expected fallout for states rejecting Medicaid
With the Florida Legislature now actively contemplating doing nothing on Medicaid expansion, perhaps it would be wise for lawmakers to read this story about the expected fallout for states which reject expanding Medicaid, Peter Schorsch of SaintPetersBlog.com reports.
The Florida Current’s Policy Note: Health Care Budget
Health and Senate budget negotiators have closed out negotiations on most of the health and human services budget, The Florida Current reports. The two sides still remain apart on how much to spend on hospital reimbursements and will meet 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Expert Witness Bill Could Be In Trouble
Dealing a blow to business groups, a Senate committee Monday revamped a controversial bill that would place more restrictions on expert witnesses in lawsuits, reports Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Florida Governor approves sweeping education bill
Tampa Bay Times’ Kathleen McGrory reports that, on Monday, Gov. Rick Scott signed a sweeping education bill that will revamp the state’s high school graduation requirements and place new emphasis on coursework that prepares students for high-tech careers. The law will also create two new diploma designations: one for teenagers seeking technical training and another for teenagers pursuing college-level classes.
Feds take over Cocoa Housing Authority
The federal government took over the Cocoa Housing Authority on Monday to resolve a two-year debt dispute with another Brevard housing authority, FloridaToday.com‘s Scott Gunnerson reports.
Florida legislators approve sales-tax holiday, spring training franchise incentives
Florida legislators on Monday hammered out a tax package that includes a three-day sales tax holiday for this coming August, South Florida Business Journal’s Christine Jordan Sexton reports.
Turf war between Florida Cabinet officers over contracts
The Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports that Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater may be hitting a nerve with lawmakers and top state leaders. In his quest to post every contract in state government on a public website, Atwater is getting pushback from House leadership, which wants to exempt all contracts handled by every Cabinet agency, including Atwater’s.
Three Florida House Members File to Run for Senate
Jeff Henderson of SunshineStateNews.com reports that while State Representatives Patronis and Gaetz keep an eye out on 2016 — and each other — two House Democrats whose names have surfaced for state office in 2014 are also looking to move over to the Florida Senate in 2016.
Representative John Wood’s Florida House Seat Now a Target
While State Representative John Wood is looking for his bills to reach the finish line, SunshineStateNews.com‘s Jeff Henderson reports that he drew a primary opponent at the end of last week — conservative activist John Lindsey, who challenged Wood in 2012 and took on Dennis Ross for an open congressional seat back in 2010.
Allstate Returns to Catastrophe Bond Market
Reuters’ Sarah Mortimer reports via PropertyCasualty360.com that Allstate, the largest publicly traded U.S home and auto insurer, has returned to the catastrophe bond market with a $250 million offering, five years after investors lost millions of dollars on a previous issue due to the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
New York, New Jersey Insurers Settle Most Superstorm Sandy Claims
PropertyCasualty360.com‘s Arthur Postal reports that Superstorm Sandy is now the third costliest storm in U.S. history, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
New Mexico Governor Names Panelists To Select Next State Insurance Regulator
Health care and insurance industry officials and a state legislator were named by Gov. Susana Martinez to a panel that will select New Mexico’s newly independent insurance regulator. A nine-member committee will name the superintendent of insurance to run an independent regulatory office starting in July, Insurance Journal’s Barry Massey reports.
State Farm notes 4,400 West Virginia Wind-Hail Damage Claims in 2012
State Farm says the most common homeowner insurance claims in West Virginia are from wind and hail damage, Insurance Journal reports.
Insurance Information Institute’s President Hartwig Narrowly Misses Boston Marathon Blasts
Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute, was no more than 100 feet away from where one of two reported explosions near the finish line at the Boston Marathon occurred April 15, PropertyCasualty360.com‘s Chad Hemenway reports.
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