Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, June 12
Jun 12, 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
1:30 p.m.–Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors meeting. Teleconference: (888) 942-8686; participant code: 5743735657. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Question and Answer with Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund’s Jack Nicholson
Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund chief operating officer Jack Nicholson spoke with The Florida Current about the Cat Fund’s creation after Hurricane Andrew, the effect of the 2004 and 2005 storm seasons and the possibility of a shortfall.
The board of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state-owned home insurance company, has been advocating a rate increase for new policies.
Column: Which will flatten homeowners first — Storm or insurance rates?
The head of state-run Citizens Property Insurance has been barnstorming the state, talking about the need for rate hikes.
Keys exploring windstorm alternatives
With Florida Keys property owners facing rising windstorm insurance premiums and more policy exclusions, local government and business leaders are examining alternatives to Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state’s insurer of last resort.
Rain worse than hurricane for some in Pensacola
After surveying the damage Monday, Willie Betts said he’d gone through several hurricanes during his 25 years at Forest Creek Apartments but had never before been flooded out until a massive rainfall over the weekend.
Sinkhole means no more yard work for Jonesville family
Robert “Robin” Matheny can finally rest easy.
Featured Fraud: Stopping Staged Accidents
Oscar Luis Franco Padron was sentenced in West Palm Beach, Florida on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to structure financial transactions for his role in a staged accident fraud scheme.
Federal government, Florida trade lawsuits over voter purge
The U.S. Department of Justice said it intends to sue the state to stop its push to remove ineligible voters from the voter rolls.
Florida pushes back against lower court ruling on pensions
In a brief filed with the Florida Supreme Court, the state’s lawyers contend Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford erred in her interpretation of a 1981 opinion when she struck down 2011 laws that reduced cost-of-living adjustments in the Florida Retirement System and required employees to contribute 3 percent of their salaries toward their retirement.
Blog: Stage set for showdown over “Stand Your Ground” as task force meets near Sanford
Floridians will get their first face-to-face chance to sound off on the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law at the first public meeting of Governor Rick Scott’s “Citizen Safety and Protection Task Force” today.
Top-level manager resigns from Department of Economic Opportunity
Cynthia Lorenzo resigned Monday as chief operating officer of the Department of Economic Opportunity, effective July 6.
First Coast Republicans Take Sides in Florida Senate Primary
The battle for the Florida state Senate seat currently held by term-limited Senator Steve Wise, R-Jacksonville, is heating up as the two leading Republicans in the race unveiled major endorsements on Monday.
Report: Jim Norman to drop out of Florida Senate race
State Senator Jim Norman of Tampa, who took office in the midst of an investigation into his financial disclosures, has told Republican leaders he plans to withdraw his bid for re-election, two prominent local party members said Monday.
U.S. Representative Allen West moves to Palm Beach Gardens
U.S. Representative Allen West, R-Plantation, hopes his new house will help him stay in the U.S. House.
President Obama committed to Port of Jacksonville improvements
President Barack Obama says his administration is committed to improvements for the Port of Jacksonville.
Poverty, racial divide among Florida children is soaring, study finds
The number of Florida’s children living in poverty swelled 35 percent from 2006 to 2010 – an increase that especially hurt black and Hispanic youth – a new report shows.
Reducing mercury in fish to safe levels for consumption will require an 86 percent reduction in mercury from air pollution sources in the state and worldwide, state environmental officials said Monday.
Blog: Baldwin Mutual to drop nearly 1,700 policies in Mobile and Baldwin
Baldwin Mutual Insurance Company plans to drop coverage of nearly 1,700 properties in Mobile and Baldwin counties – more than a quarter of its total in the counties – over the next 13 months, according to the company and the state Department of Insurance.
Texas Windstorm Insurance Technical Advisory Group Members Named
Texas top insurance regulator has named eight industry professionals to participate in an advisory group to work on issues related to windstorm insurance along the state’s coast.
Deeper Look at Insurance Lobbying Expenditures Shows Spending in Line with Rhetoric
Predictably, large lobbying expenditures by property and casualty insurance companies in 2011 focused on catastrophe issues and on pursuing legal reform, according to data released by SNL Financial.
New Internet Suffix Bids Include “.lol,” “.bank” and “.insurance”
If Google has its way, people won’t need “Google.com” to do searches.
Click here to follow Colodny Fass on Twitter (@CFTLAWcom)
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com