Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, February 11
Feb 11, 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
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.–Florida Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance meeting. Agenda includes consideration of the following bill:
- SB 708 relating to Insurance Claims by Senator Aaron Bean
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.–Florida House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee meeting. Agenda includes consideration of the followng bills:
- HB 129 relating to Insurance by State Representative Raburn
- HB 565 relating to Insurance by State Representative Santiago
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance falls below 1 million policies for first time since 2006
Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the government body that is still Florida’s largest insurer, announced yesterday it has dropped below 1 million policies, the Tampa Tribune’s James Rosica reports.
Boehner heads to Florida for campaign cash as flood insurance issue rages
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner will fundraise in Sarasota on Saturday, according to an invite. Entry ranges from $500 per person to $52,600 for “chair” status, Tampa Bay Times’ Alex Leary reports for “The Buzz.”
Red-light cameras misused, should be disconnected, lawmakers say
State Representative Frank Artiles and Senator Jeff Brandes say the practice of using the devices has become all about money, not driver safety, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Florida’s Guarantee Insurance Co. Entering Texas Workers’ Comp Market
Guarantee Insurance Co., a monoline workers’ compensation insurance subsidiary of Florida-based Patriot National Insurance Group Inc., is expanding into Texas, Insurance Journal reports.
Proposal would lift regulations on Florida nurses
Florida nurse practitioners are pushing for a change in state law that would allow them to practice independently from a supervising physician, The Florida Current’s James Call reports.
Clemens, Saunders file bills to legalize marijuana by statute
Two state legislators, predicting public passage of a constitutional amendment allowing medical marijuana uses, introduced bills Monday to do it by statute — and get a one-month jump on the November elections, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Cuban embargo emerges as a political issue in Florida
Florida Gov. Rick Scott took issue Monday with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist’s view that the U.S. embargo has outlived its usefulness, saying keeping it in place is “standing up” for the Cuban people, the Miami Herald reports.
Senate considers lobbying rules for tax districts
The Florida Senate will consider new laws to require lobbyists to disclose how they seek to influence nearly 1,000 single-purpose districts, some of which have the power to levy property taxes, Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet reports via “Naked Politics.”
Scott hauls in four times what Crist raises in January
Governor Rick Scott’s “Let’s Get to Work” committee raised $3.4 million in January, but, for the first time, he got an additional boost from his own campaign account, according to finance reports due Monday, Tampa Bay Times’ Tia Mitchell and Michael Van Sickler report via “The Buzz.”
Senate casino bill delayed as rift remains over new gambling
Although a Senate panel is moving forward with legislation to allow large, non-Seminole casinos in south Florida, and despite House Speaker Will Weatherford’s recent statement that he would be amenable to new casino resorts, the prospect of Las Vegas-style gambling houses is not a done deal, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Charity reform bill passes Florida Senate committee with overwhelming support
On Monday, a Florida Senate bill seeking increased governmental oversight of charitable organizations passed the Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism with “overwhelming bi-partisan support,” SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann reports.
Amanda Murphy the Favorite to Keep Pasco County House Seat
The newest member of the Florida House is already gearing up for re-election though 2014 should be a lot easier for her than 2013 was, SunshineStateNews.com’s Jeff Henderson reports.
Flood Insurance Premium Hikes from New Maps Could Be Delayed Until 2015
Some flood insurance premiums required under a 2012 law now won’t be raised until the fall of 2015 at the earliest, Insurance Journal’s Andrew Taylor reports.
Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish Found Negligent in Hurricane Katrina Flood Case
A jury has found Jefferson Parish government negligent in the way it drafted and enacted a plan that evacuated drainage pump operators on the eve of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in Louisiana but ruled the parish was not responsible for subsequent flooding and that former parish President Aaron Broussard’s actions did not rise to the level of willful misconduct, Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
Property and casualty industry officials gave unanimous support last week for the concept of the Federal Insurance Office, although they acknowledged the devil is in the details and said they remain comfortable with the current state-based regulatory system, Arthur Postal reports for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
Property and Casualty Insurers’ Net Income Up 60%, A.M. Best Reports
A relatively quiet year for catastrophes helped the U.S. property/casualty industry achieve an underwriting profit for the first time in four years, according to A.M. Best, Insurance Journal reports.
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