Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, March 18
Mar 18, 2014
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no events scheduled for today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Citizens Property Insurance legal costs continue to climb
Citizens Property Insurance has a lawsuit problem. More than 12,000 policy holders have sued the company in an effort to get their outstanding claims paid and, new data shows, the defense costs are rising – with the company billed more than $21 million for the last three months of 2013 alone, the Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports via Tampa Bay Times.
Costa Rica’s INS Loses Court Battle in Florida Against Reinsurers
Costa Rica’s national insurance organization failed in its crusade to sue Miami-based, Hemispheric Reinsurance Group and London based reinsurance broker, Howden Insurance Brokers, Ltd. in the United States on questionable legal theories in relation to the broker’s placement of reinsurance for INS on their insurance policy covering the assets of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, the largest single entity in the Costa Rica, the Costa Rican Times reports.
Florida House Committee Evaluates Medical Malpractice Overhaul
The News Service of Florida reports via PoliticalFixFlorida.com: Just days after a Florida Supreme Court decision rejecting a damage cap in medical-malpractice cases, a House committee Monday heard testimony about a proposal (HB 739) that would dramatically revamp the malpractice legal system.
Senate Democrats say Medicaid expansion would free up $470 million state dollars
A plan to use Medicaid expansion dollars to buy private insurance for poor Floridians was rejected by House Republicans last year. Two bills intended to reignite the issue during the 2014 session aren’t going anywhere, Tampa Bay Times’ Tia Mitchell reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
Florida Medical Association to TaxWatch: Nurse Practitioner report needs recall
Florida TaxWatch is facing the wrath of the Florida Medical Association over a recent report on the nurse practitioner debate, which concluded that taxpayers could save up to $339 million by allowing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to provide care to the extent of their training, Phil Ammann reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Senate Committee Backs Medical Tourism Bill
Florida will spend $5 million next year to entice people to bring their aches and pains to the state, under a measure that completed its first Senate committee exam on Monday, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Turner reports via SunshineStateNews.com.
Florida loses 2,600 jobs in January, but unemployment rate falls to 6.1 percent
The Sunshine State’s job losses were led by the loss of 3,300 public-sector jobs in January, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Florida Democrats file complaint alleging Rick Scott campaign broke fundraising law
The head of the Florida Democratic Party contends that the campaign of Governor Rick Scott is breaking the state’s campaign finance law, Associated Press’ Gary Fineout reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Florida Senate Panel Approves “Stand Your Ground” Changes
Florida’s Senate Criminal Justice Committee voted unanimously to write some restrictions into Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law Monday, with bipartisan support of two senators who were on opposite sides when the 2005 statute passed, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Latvala: Senate Elections Bill Temporarily Postponed
The chair of the Senate’s Ethics and Elections committee Monday postponed a bill that would, among other things, create an online voter registration system, saying he “didn’t want to deal with it today.” Tampa Tribune’s James Rosica reports via the “Fresh Squeezed Politics” Blog.
Panuccio confirmation stays on track as Senate digs into budget
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity executive director Jesse Panuccio made it through his second Senate committee confirmation Monday, the same day a separate Senate panel released its initial budget proposal for his agency’s budget, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Florida regulators block gambling deal
State regulators denied a request to move a non-profit pari-mutuel permit associated with Gulfstream Park racetrack to a downtown Miami location, effectively blocking a deal with gambling giant Genting to start a stand-alone casino, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Child Welfare Bills Differ, But Both Chambers Offer Ambitious Response to Deaths
After a series of highly publicized child deaths last year, the House and Senate are taking different approaches to fixing the state child-welfare system — but both are considering ambitious measures that cover a lot of ground, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Margie Menzel reports.
State Farm Ordered to Pay $3 Million in Damages to Mississippi Katrina Whistleblowers
A federal judge has ordered State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. to pay legal fees and damages of $3 million in a whistleblower lawsuit after a jury found the insurer defrauded the government in a policyholder claim after Hurricane Katrina, Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
Moody’s: Insurer SIFIs Benefit from Collins Amendment Clarification
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, attempted to clarify her amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act last week through statements to a Senate committee and the introduction of legislation, moves that a ratings agency says is credit positive for systemically important insurers, National Underwriter’s Phil Gusman reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.
Arthur Postal’s Washington Report: With Flood Out of the Way, Time to Focus on TRIA
With the flood insurance-legislation rerun now in the rearview mirror, the companies which provide the goods and services that are an essential part of our everyday lives are doubling down on their effort to persuade Congress to reauthorize terrorism-risk legislation as soon as possible, National Underwriter’s Arthur Postal reports for PropertyCasualty360.com.
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