Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, June 28
Jun 28, 2011
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
(CANCELED) 10:00 a.m.–Florida Surplus Lines Service Office National Clearinghouse Committee meeting. Agenda includes issues pertaining to the proposed national surplus lines tax clearinghouse. To view the meeting notice, click here.
2:00 p.m.–National Association of Insurance Commissioners Receivership Technology and Administration Working Group meeting. To view the agenda, click here.
South Florida homeowners seeing big increases in renewal notices for property insurance
Annual renewal notices for homeowners insurance are bringing big increases for some.
When Paul Hobson received his State Farm Florida renewal this month, he was shocked to find the annual premium to insure his 2,200-square-foot house had increased to $2,715 from $1,092.
Blog: When will consumers see savings from new home insurance law?
Insurance industry representatives backing sweeping property insurance legislation this year said it would help lower rates by lowering insurers costs for sinkhole claims and other expenses that drive up rates.
Two Allstate firms seeking homeowners insurance rate increases
Two Allstate Insurance Co. subsidiaries are seeking more than $90 million in homeowners insurance rate hikes, according to filings with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.
Esurance Partners with Security First on Homeowners Insurance in Florida
Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal car insurance company, today announced that it will partner with Security First Insurance Company to offer homeowners insurance in Florida.
Sinkhole Swallows Part Of Building In Leesburg
A sinkhole opened in downtown Leesburg early Monday morning, bursting a water line and swallowing a portion of a commercial building and roadway, city officials said.
Three from Temple Terrace arrested in insurance fraud case
Three people have been arrested in an insurance fraud case, accused of stealing thousands of dollars in automobile insurance premiums without providing drivers the coverage they were promised.
Annuity probes drop in Florida – sparking questions
By the time she asked for help, the 70-year-old Lake County widow had lost so much money in her variable annuity, her life savings had been nearly wiped out.
Medicare fraud nets 20-year prison sentence for Miami physician
A Miami-Dade doctor convicted of pocketing more than $1 million for writing phony prescriptions for unnecessary HIV treatments was sentenced Monday to almost 20 years in prison, for his key role in a massive Medicare fraud conspiracy.
Florida task force to help boost troubled assisted living facilities
Just weeks after ordering a crackdown on troubled assisted living facilities, Florida Governor Rick Scott is launching a rare task force to search for ways to improve homes that have left frail residents to fend for themselves in squalor and dangerous conditions.
Governor Scott signs Florida unemployment compensation benefit cut, malpractice lawsuit curb bills
Florida will cut unemployment compensation benefits and make it harder for patients to win medical malpractice lawsuits under bills Governor Rick Scott signed into law Monday.
Blog: Governor Scott vetoes assisted living facilities, county property leasing bills
A bill that would have removed certain reporting requirements for assisted living facilities was vetoed Monday by Governor Rick Scott, who said recent reports of assisted living facilities falling short of legal requirements gave him pause.
Wall Street Journal: Florida Governor Scott just doesn’t get it
Governor Rick Scott swept into office in January vowing to lure businesses, create hundreds of thousands of jobs and make Florida a model of limited government.
Blog: Florida made $62 million by selling Florida drivers’ license information
Few Florida citizens realize it, but your personal information is for sale.
Blog: New York Times — (Governor Scott’s) Sinking poll numbers may put Florida in play
Mr. Scott’s sinking popularity has Republican politicians and some strategists worried that his troubles could hamper their chances of tilting the state’s 29 electoral votes back into their column in 2012.
Citrus Hospital foundation sues to stop new law
Legislation that Governor Rick Scott signed into law late Friday is already being challenged as unconstitutional, according to a lawsuit the foundation filed first thing Monday morning.
Florida Senate President Haridopolos picks up Connie Mack’s endorsement for GOP Senate nomination
Senate President Mike Haridopolos got some good news and bad news today in his race for the U.S. Senate.
Florida Highway Patrol almost disbanded
Florida Highway Patrol troopers came close to wearing the green uniforms of Sheriff’s deputies this past legislative session.
New Florida Voting Law: Voting Ban On Final Sunday
The Legislature’s recent changes to Florida’s elections law were so massive and controversial, it would be ironic if the overhaul came tumbling down because of one slightly obscure overstep.
Governor Rick Scott’s veto could impact Meals on Wheels
It could become costlier for organizations, such as Meals on Wheels, that rely on volunteers after Governor Rick Scott’s veto of a bill that would have eased background screening requirements for those working with seniors.
Obama Administration Announces Plans to Nominate Woodall to Financial Stability Oversight Council
Former Kentucky Insurance Commissioner Roy Woodall will be President Obama’s nominee for the insurance member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
Deal reached on Texas Windstorm Insurance Association bill, vote Tuesday
A key state senator says lawmakers have reached a deal to reshape the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the state’s property insurer for the Texas coast.
Riesberg named Colorado insurance commissioner.
State Representative Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, has been named Colorado’s new Insurance commissioner by Governor John Hickenlooper.
New California rules aim to curb homeowner underinsurance
Janice and John Strizver, six months after the October 2007 wildfires, were still living in a motor home on the site of their burned out home in Ramona.
North Carolina Governor Perdue Vetoes Malpractice Cap, OKs Workers Compensation Bill
North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue vetoed another bill Friday pushed by the Republican majority at the Legislature, this time changes to rules governing medical malpractice cases that would have capped certain monetary awards for negligence victims.
Majority of Insurers Want Solvency II Delayed a Year
The vast majority of insurers feel Solvency II implementation should be delayed a year as Europe’s underwriters express doubt that regulators are ready to implement the new rules, according to a survey.
Moody’s: High Court’s Wal-Mart Class-Action Ruling Credit Positive
Rating agency Moody’s says a recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of Wal-Mart-and the high burden of proof it puts on future plaintiffs-is credit positive for corporate America, including insurers of corporate liability.
Former UK Justice Secretary Straw hits out at insurance industry’s ‘dirty secret’
The former justice secretary, Jack Straw, has blasted a “huge racket” of insurance companies, the police and recovery firms who pass on customer details to personal injury lawyers.
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