Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Tuesday, June 24

Jun 24, 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

 

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (“Citizens”) Committee meetings.  To view the respective meeting notices, click on the following hyperlinks:

     

     

    Daily Florida Insurance-Related News


    Citizens to lower some of its rates; However, some wind-only customers will see increases

    A lot of customers think state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corporation charges too much.  For the first time in years, its own number-crunchers agree.  Charles Elmore reports for the Palm Beach Post.

     

    Insurance anomaly or omen?

    Small Florida carrier failed despite passing marks

    Despite following all the rules pertaining, for example, to reserves and auditing — and despite benefiting from eight years without a hurricane striking Florida — Sunshine State failed this year.  The Sarasota Herald-Tribune Editorial Board examines the anomaly.

     

    No New Rights in Florida’s Homeowners’ Bill of Rights

    Florida’s passage of a homeowners’ claims bill of rights left few satisfied after lawmakers largely codified current law while avoiding controversial issues such as the practice of policyholders assigning their claims payments to contractors, Insurance Journal’s Michael Adams reports.

     

    Parent of Homeowners Choice Insurance to buy another Florida property insurance

    HCI Group, the Tampa-based parent of property insurer Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty, has signed a letter of intent to buy Prepared Holdings LLC and its subsidiaries for $27 million, Tampa Bay Times’ Jeff Harrington reports.

     

    Broad Insurance Group Buys Florida’s Hartselle Agency

    Broad Insurance Group said it has acquired Art Hartselle Agency Inc., a Seminole, Fla. based commercial and personal lines property/casualty insurance agency, Insurance Journal reports.

     

    Huge Win For HCA As Judge Upholds Plan To Expand Trauma Centers

    In the ongoing dispute over new trauma centers in Florida, an administrative judge upheld a state Department of Health proposal, which provided a major victory for HCA healthcare, one that could open the door for a significant expansion of the trauma care system, SaintPetersBlog.com reports.

     

    Whistle-blower:  Florida wrongly sent collection firms after unemployed

    Florida taxpayers could be on the hook for nearly $2 billion in legal claims according to a whistle-blower who says the Department of Economic Opportunity wrongly reported 19,000 Floridians to collections agencies, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam reports.

     

    Governor Scott Signs Bill To Overhaul Child Welfare

    Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a sweeping bill Monday aimed at overhauling the child-welfare system after hundreds of child abuse-related deaths in the past five years, SaintPetersBlog.com reports.

     

    Florida Governor Scott names State Representative Dave Hood to Circuit Court

    State Representative Dave Hood will replace a 7th Judicial Circuit judge who resigned earlier this year, Governor Rick Scott’s office announced Monday.  Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet reports.

     

    Charlie Crist calls off visit to Cuba next month

    Charlie Crist will not visit Cuba this summer as planned, his campaign said in a statement Monday.  Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet reports.

     

    Of kings, queens and pawns in one of Florida’s most interesting House races

    In the chess game that we sometimes see in state House primaries, did we witness a clever move by former Broward Mayor, Kristin Jacobs, in her open seat race against Steve Perman?  SaintPetersBlog.com makes the analysis.

     

    Few Competitive Races for Florida Senate Seats Come November

    Qualifying for the Florida Senate ended on Friday and few incumbents will face major challenges this year, Kevin Derby reports for SunshineStateNews.com.

     

    Florida soon will sell four new specialty license tags

    As they did a year ago, Florida lawmakers this spring approved four new specialty license tags, also extending a self-imposed barrier that hasn’t slowed the program, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via the Tampa Bay Times. 

     

    Oklahoma Insurance, Commerce Commissioners to Be Decided in Primary

    Voters in the Republican primary in Oklahoma will decide who will be the state’s next regulators of both the insurance industry and a wide range of other businesses overseen by the three-member Oklahoma Corporation Commission, including the important oil and gas sector, Insurance Journal’s Sean Murphy reports.

     

     

     

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