Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, May 3
May 3, 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
Florida’s 2011 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
9:00 a.m.–Florida Cabinet meeting. To view the agenda, click here.
- Florida Department of Revenue (To view the agenda, click here.)
- State Board of Administration (To view the agenda, click here.)
- Request for approval ofthe 2011/2012 Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (“FHCF”) Premium Formula and the Proposed 2011/2012 FHCF Rates
- Request for approval to authorize the FHCF to file a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Rule 19-8.028, “Reimbursement Premium Formula,” and to authorize filing it for adoption if no member of the public requests a rule hearing
- Request for approval to repeal the following obsolete FHCF Rules:
- 19-8.015: Definitions Applicable to the 1995-1996 Contract Year
- 19-8.016: 1995 Reimbursement Premium Formula
- 19-8.017: Insurer Reporting Requirements for the 1995-1996 Contract Year
- 19-8.018: Definitions Applicable to the 1996-1997 Contract Year
- 19-8.019: 1996 Reimbursement Premium Formula
- 19-8.020: Insurer Reporting Requirements for the 1996-1997 Contract Year
- 19-8.021: Definitions Applicable to the 1997-1998 Contract Year
- 19-8.022: 1997 Reimbursement Premium Formula
- 19-8.023: Insurer Reporting Requirements for the 1997-1998 Contract Year
- 19-8.024: Definitions Applicable to the 1998-1999 Contract Year
- 19-8.025: 1998 Reimbursement Premium Formula
- 19-8.026: Insurer Reporting Requirements for the 1998-1999 Contract Year
- 19-8.027: Definitions Applicable to the 1999-2000 Contract Year
9:30 a.m.–House Session
- CS/CS/HB 1227 relating to Surplus Lines by the House Finance and Tax Committee; House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee; State Representative Bill Hager
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CS/CS/CS/SB 408 relating to Property and Casualty Insurance by the Senate Committee on Rules, Budget Subcommittee on General Government Appropriations, Committee on Banking and Insurance; Senators Garrett Richter and Alan Hays
10:00 a.m.–Senate Session
- CS/SB 1590 relating to Medical Malpractice Actions by the Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance; Senator Alan Hays
- CS/CS/CS/SB 1816 relating to Surplus Lines by the Senate Committee on Budget; Budget Subcommittee on Finance and Tax; Committee on Banking and Insurance; Senator Mike Fasano
- CS/CS/SB 1286 relating to State Reciprocity In Workers’ Compensation Claims by the Senate Committees on Banking and Insurance, Budget; Senator Mike Bennett
Coastal Risk Expands into Louisiana, Florida
Coastal Risk Underwriters, a subsidiary of Insight Catastrophe Group, will begin writing homeowners insurance in Louisiana and 15 counties in Florida.
Don Brown’s column on sinkhole insurance (“Sinkholes are big business for lawyers, public adjusters,” Sunday, Feb. 27) paints a scary picture about sinkhole claims, relying on statistics from the Office of Insurance Regulation.
Lehigh Acres man sues his own insurance firm and wins
A Lehigh Acres man has been awarded $3,019,955 by State Farm Insurance by a jury that awarded him funds for past medical expenses from an accident, money for future medical expenses, lost earning ability and a half million dollars for past pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, according to his attorney, Randall Spivey of the Spivey Law Firm in Fort Myers.
Clinic Employees Accused Of Theft, Insurance Fraud
Three health clinic employees are accused of billing an Insurance company for patient visits that never happened, and taking an insurance company for tens of thousands of dollars, investigators said. Now, the Orange County clinic is being investigated by the state.
Blog: Red light repeal OK’d by House, barely
The closest vote of the 2011 session ended Monday with the House approving a repeal of red-light cameras OK’d for cities only a year ago.
Daytona-based Brown & Brown closes another acquisition
Brown & Brown Inc. on Monday announced its acquisition of a Tennessee-based insurance agency.
Florida House passes lawsuit overhaul package
In yet another win for its conservative agenda this session, the Florida House approved a trio of lawsuit-overhaul bills on Monday.
Legislature passes first of two measures meant to blunt federal health care reform
Haridopolos’ health care freedom joint resolution is skipped over by the House, again.
Without Florida Supreme Court Split-Up, Senate Passes Reform Amendment
Senate confirmation of justices approved, Cannon’s halving of Supreme Court stricken
A constitutional amendment that would rework how justices are chosen to serve on the Florida Supreme Court came closer to being placed on the 2012 ballot Monday.
House passes ballot question meant to reduce taxes on commercial properties
Florida voters would get a chance to reduce property taxes on commercial buildings, second-homes and other investment dwellings under legislation approved Monday by the House.
Scaled-back professional deregulation plan moves ahead
A House bill that sought to deregulate several professions in Florida got trimmed back during House and Senate negotiations
Gov. Rick Scott called on the Florida Legislature this year to end job-killing regulations, and they responded.
Scott drops budget veto threat after deal reached on corporate income taxes
Gov. Rick Scott has reached a deal that calls for a much smaller cut in corporate income taxes than what he had initially recommended. But the cut is a “victory,” says a spokesman for the governor. Scott and House Speaker Dean Cannon discussed the idea by phone on Monday night.
Budget Hang-Ups Could Throw Session into Overtime
Dispute over health care holding up House and Senate
An on-time finish for the Florida Legislature’s 2011 regular session was thrown into doubt Monday, as budget negotiators for the House and Senate squabbled over health care allocations.
Blog: Medicaid rewrite looks headed toward special session
Florida lawmakers opened this springs legislative session with lofty plans for overhauling Medicaid, the health program serving 2.9 million low-income, elderly and disabled residents and absorbing $22 billion about one-third of the state budget.
Nelson, GOP Wage Ballot War in Wake of Bin Laden Assassination
Democrat says election-reform bill targets military and students; Florida lawmakers call claim a ‘stunt’
Looking for military cover after U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson claimed Monday that a Republican election-reform package would make it harder for service personnel to vote.
House passes bill repealing ban on spreading septic tank waste on land
Bill supporters said the ban would be a tax on rural residents with septic tanks, but supporters said the ban in 2016 would protect water quality. The House also passed HB 421, which would exempt farmers from having to get water management district permits.
Florida House votes to protect online travel companies from taxes they were advised to pay
Online travel providers attempted for years to skirt paying Florida sales taxes, even though their lawyers and accountants had advised them that they were obligated to pay, according to documents released Monday in an attempt to kill the industry’s bill.
Florida House Tackles Education Issues as Final Week Begins
House expands school choice and Miami-Dade County School Board reform
As they approach Friday’s end-of-session, Florida House members tackled education issues Monday as part of their agenda, expanding school choice options and passing a measure reforming the Miami-Dade School Board.
Blog: House Speaker Dean Cannon not pleased with Repubs standing stunt with Daphne Campbell
Democratic Rep. Daphne Campbell is on the outs with fellow Dems–so under the enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend logic, she’s now a buddy of the GOP.
Tampa Bay will host ‘Super Bowl’ of politics in 2012
When Tampa Bay hosts the 2012 Republican National Convention, it will draw a crowd that will dwarf the Super Bowl
Feds move SunRail project forward
Central Florida’s commuter rail project just took another step forward.
How bin Laden’s Death Affects the Insurance Industry
Amidst news today that 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden had been killed, PropertyCasualty360 compiled this special report on the event by speaking with brokers on how it could affect the insurance market, explaining why TRIA matters more today than ever, and examining social networking’s role in measuring terrorism risk.
RMS Expert Explains Role of ‘Social Network’ in Tracking Down Bin Laden
The arcane world of spies, informers, terrorists and the people who have to deal with them remains largely a mystery to most ordinary citizens.
Cash-strapped states go after unclaimed life insurance benefits
Billions of dollars in unclaimed life insurance benefits are at the center of a legal wrestling match as cash-strapped state governments step up their efforts to make sure insurance companies properly account for the funds.
Marsh: Captive Owners Bolstered Capital Positions During Downturn
Over the last few years organizations took action to strengthen the financial position of their captive insurance company operations, while those forming new captives were more likely to start up captives in U.S. onshore domiciles.
First members of Risk Management Hall of Fame named
The inaugural class of the Risk Management Hall of Fame was introduced Monday at the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc.’s Annual Conference & Exhibition in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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