Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Aug 18, 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
- 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.–Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation Proposed Rule Hearing. Tallahassee, Florida. To view the hearing notice, click here. The following rules are no longer necessary and are proposed for repeal:
- 69L-3.018: Wage Loss Benefits Due to Permanent Impairment (Dates of Accident August 1, 1979 through December 31, 1993)
- 69L-3.019: Wage Loss Benefits for Temporary Partial Disability (Dates of Accident August 1, 1979 through December 31, 1993)
- 69L-3.0191: Temporary Disability Benefits (Dates of Accident January 1, 1994 through September 30, 2003)
- 69L-3.0192: Impairment Income Benefits (Dates of Accident January 1, 1994 through September 3T0, 2003)
- 69L-3.0193: Supplemental Income Benefits (Dates of Accident January 1, 1994 through September 30, 2003)
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Hillsborough continues to assess damage amid more flood concerns
Hillsborough County emergency management teams have documented $1.2 million worth of flooding damage to private businesses and homes, but that wasn’t enough to get federal assistance for the victims. The Tampa Tribune’s Mike Salinero reports.
Sinkhole prompts evacuations at Altamonte Springs condo complex
Six units of an Altamonte Springs apartment complex were evacuated because of a possible sinkhole, Dave McDaniel reports for Orlando’s WESH-TV.
Uber and Palm Beach County Commission meet in showdown today
In what is expected to be quite the show for spectators and stakeholders, the Palm Beach County Commission will meet today to discuss the future of Uber and the future of other similar tech companies serving Palm Beach County, Examiner.com reports.
Florida Health Choices Targets Realtors, State Licensees For Health Insurance Enrollment
Florida Health Choices, the state-based insurance exchange, is reaching out to professionals licensed by the state, as well as realtors, to grow its numbers. Lynn Hatter reports for WFSU.org.
Florida Legislature now divided over new map for Congress
The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature – which has been split this year over health care and a new state budget – is divided yet again, this time over a new map for congressional districts. The Associated Press’ Gary Fineout reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
- Hillsborough County at Core of New Political Divide
- House Rejects Unified Sarasota District
- Senate Panel Rejects Montford Amendment
- Senate Panel Passes Altered Redistricting Map
Latvala will try again to make wage theft a crime
As more local governments pass local wage theft ordinances, the pressure grows on the Florida Legislature to take some kind of action, Senator Jack Latvala told the Tampa Bay Times’ Tony Marrero.
Governor Scott Re-Opens National Guard Recruitment Centers
Under orders from Governor Rick Scott, the Florida National Guard has reopened the state’s six store-front recruitment centers, including ones in Brandon and Temple Terrace, that were shuttered in the wake of the killing of four Marines and a Navy reservist in Chattanooga last month. The Tampa Tribune’s Howard Altman reports.
Election supervisors praise ruling by Governor Scott’s staff
State law requires that signatures be collected from voters who live in the district where the candidate is running — except in a reapportionment year when the signatures are valid from anywhere in Florida. Election supervisors must decide which signatures are legal and which are not, and the 2016 petition gathering is already underway. But congressional and Senate district boundaries aren’t final, so how would candidates know which signatures are legitimate? The Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet reports via “The Buzz” blog.
Will Cuba drain tourists from Florida?
Whether New Yorkers would prefer a long weekend in Key West or Havana depends largely on how Cuban leaders embrace tourism in years to come. The Orlando Sentinel’s Kevin Spear reports.
New California Insurance Law Increases Corporate Governance Oversight To Reduce Insolvencies
Sponsored by California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, AB 553 establishes new oversight tools to reduce the number of insolvencies of insurance companies and bring U.S. standards for regulating insurance companies in compliance with established international ones. Colodny Fass’ G. Donovan Brown notes the development on NationalInsuranceNews.com.
Congress May Tackle “C” Corporation Tax Reform After Vacation
Fixing the tax code for U.S. businesses will be at the forefront when Congress returns from vacation next month, with many lawmakers focusing on “C” corporations, despite new data showing a continuing decline in their numbers. Reuters’ Alex Wilts reports via Insurance Journal.
EU Close to Easing Solvency II Capital Rules to Lure Asset-Backed Debt Buyers
The European Union’s plan to revive the asset-backed securities market may heed industry concerns by broadening the range of products eligible for a high-quality label and easing capital requirements for insurers. Bloomberg’s Boris Groendahl and Alastair Marsh report via Insurance Journal.
Regulator: Missouri Now Has $100B in Property Uninsured for Quakes
Angela Nelson, director of the Division of Market Regulation for the Missouri Department of Insurance, said the state now faces an earthquake coverage crisis and that the value of uninsured residential property in the state is nearing $100 billion, Insurance Journal reports.
Democrats think they’ve figured out how to turn the Uber wars to their advantage
Some liberal strategists now say they have the seeds of a winning blueprint, one they say won’t pit Democrats in Silicon Valley — an emerging, wealthy and powerful constituency that is driving the sharing economy forward — against the party’s more traditional base in organized labor, which has major concerns about how on-demand businesses treat their workers. The Washington Post’s Brian Fung and Jacob Boga report via the DailyHerald.com.
Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame Announces Inaugural Inductees
The Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame has announced its inaugural class of eight inductees. The inductees will be honored at the inaugural ceremony at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015, in the Farris Center on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. Alexis Hosticka reports for Arkansas Business.
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