Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, January 17
Jan 17, 2012
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 2011 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
(CANCELED) 10:00 a.m.–Florida Surplus Lines Service Office National Clearinghouse Committee meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here.
3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.–House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee. To view the meeting packet, click here.
- HB 645 relating to Public Records/Title Insurance/Department of Financial Services by State Representative George Moraitis Jr.
- HB 941 relating to Commercial Lines Insurance Policies by State Representative Doug Holder
- HB 1011 relating to Warranty Associations by State Representative Joe Abruzzo
- HB 643 relating to Title Insurance by State Representative by State Representative Moraitis Jr.
- HB 833 relating to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund by State Representative Bill Hager
- HB 1127 relating to Citizens Property Insurance Corporation by State Representative Ben Albritton
National Hurricane Center chief is retiring
National hurricane Center Director Bill Read, who took over the forecasting agency during a time of turmoil and leaves it much calmer, announced Saturday he will retire effective June 1.
Blog: Citizens Property Insurance delivers blow to wallets with high estimated replacement costs
Ruth Lauro has lived in her tiny New Port Richey home since Jimmy Carter was president. Today, the two-bedroom house is worth little more than the $33,500 she and her late husband paid in 1979.
Wind-less storm brews over skyrocketing premiums
Linda Sapp’s reaction to her insurance bill was sticker shock: The annual premium doubled to $4,800, adding hundreds to her monthly mortgage payment.
Homeowners sign makes Chinese drywall dispute public
Stacy and Billy Peek say their $2 million, 7,000-square-foot Davis Islands dream home was ruined by toxic drywall that forced them to leave two years ago.
Weak economy means more Habitat homes built in South Florida
The economic downturn and housing crisis – which have ravaged so many families and forced many nonprofit agencies to cut back – have been good for Habitat for Humanity.
Opinion: Reforms needed before hurricane season begins
Florida avoided hurricane landfall for an unprecedented sixth consecutive year.
Florida Chamber: Catastrophe Fund, Citizens Property Insurance need reform
The end of the year is often a time of reflection. Looking back on 2011, Florida, thankfully, avoided a hurricane landfall for an unprecedented sixth consecutive year.
No Consensus on Car Insurance Reform
What happens after you get into an automobile accident, and who pays the bills, could be changing.
Lake County and two firefighters were named as defendants in a civil lawsuit filed by an insurance company, which is trying to recoup $1.4 million it paid clients injured in a wreck with a county fire engine.
Lake Worth mulls replacing Wilma-damaged building
City commissioners are considering whether to spend $2.2 million to build a new city garage and public services department building to replace a hurricane-damaged building near the city power plant.
Landmark tree in Florida burns down, but why?
The cause of an early-morning fire in Seminole County that destroyed one of the world’s oldest cypress trees remained a mystery yesterday, but an investigator is convinced it was not the work of an arsonist.
Florida Workers’ Compensation Rate Hike Irks Businesses
Florida small businesses seeing their second workers’ compensation rate increase in as many years are calling on the state to reduce the increase because they fear it will harm the economy.
Early voting begins in 5 Florida counties
Charles Gibson didn’t have to wait long to cast his ballot for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Monday.
Support grows in Florida Senate for delaying budget
A letter is circulating among senators saying that they will support whatever decision Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos makes as far as delaying action on the state budget.
Blog: Florida Senate will vote on redistricting maps this week that aren’t what some hoped for
After a long-fought battle to impose redistricting standards, proponents of the Fair Districts constitutional amendments have new maps – and they’re not what they had hoped for.
Florida Senate Democratic leader Nan Rich drops redistricting plans
Florida Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich won’t offer alternative redistricting plans after all on the floor of the Republican-controlled chamber.
Florida Senator Don Gaetz suggests break in session
State Senator Don Gaetz is attempting to convince fellow senators it might be nice to take a little time off between passing redistricting legislation and tackling the state budget.
Florida Representative Paige Kreegel announces run for Connie Mack’s congressional seat
The list of people vying for Representative Connie Mack’s congressional seat continues to grow.
Mudslinging begins in state race in Miami
Eight months before Election Day, state Representative Ana Rivas Logan – who has yet to draw an opponent – is getting attacked in campaign fliers purportedly sent by an inactive political committee whose chairman is dead.
Gun ban law for Florida hospitals unlikely
In Florida, it’s against the law to carry a gun into a school, an athletic event, a jail, a police station or a local government meeting.
The first day of the legislative session is a festive occasion, filled with flowers, family and friends.
Question and Answer: Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Florida Gray Swoope
Gary Swoope, the CEO of Enterprise Florida and the Secretary of Commerce, talks about his first year on the job, the state’s economic development efforts and what he likes to do to unwind.
Louisiana homeowners insurance rates rising more slowly
New data from by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners shows that homeowners insurance premiums in Louisiana remain among the nation’s highest, but are rising much more slowly than they did in the first two years after Hurricane Katrina.
Guy Carpenter: Reinsurers Were Better Prepared for 2011 Catastrophe Losses than 2005
The reinsurance industry his past year weathered near-record catastrophe losses, catastrophe-model changes and the pressures of a challenging macroeconomic environment, but unlike 2005, reinsurers were prepared in 2011, according to a report by Guy Carpenter.
The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers is urging the Federal Insurance Office to use its authority to change the current insurance regulatory system, either through the states or “through federal means.”
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