Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, April 30
Apr 30, 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
9:30 a.m.–Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation Rule Development Workshop. Proposed amendments to Rule 69L-6.012, “Notice of Election to be Exempt,” would conform to applicable provisions of Chapter 440, F.S. relating to the process whereby corporate officers may apply to be exempt from Florida’s workers’ compensation coverage requirements. To view the Workshop notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Pensacola, Florida Panhandle Hit By Historic Flooding
Torrential rainfall and “life-threatening” flooding turned deadly in Florida’s panhandle late Tuesday – the latest fallout from a monster weather system that has killed at least 35 people in six states, Alastair Jamieson and M. Alex Johnson report for NBC News.
- Governor Scott declares state of emergency for heavy rain event
- Governor Scott Cancels Local Appearance
Florida House nixes surplus lines in Citizens bill
A provision allowing unregulated surplus lines insurance companies to participate in state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s clearinghouse program was stripped out of SB 1672 by the House on Tuesday, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Florida Senate approves disclosure bill for residential subsurface rights
Builders and sellers must alert buyers if they plan to keep the mineral rights beneath Florida homes, under legislation passed by state lawmakers and now awaiting the Governor’s approval, Tampa Bay Times’ Drew Harwell reports.
Florida National Guard shares disaster expertise with partner nations
For more than two decades, National Guard units across the United States have linked up with partner nations including Guyana, Haiti and Tonga, to share information and learn from each other, the Miami Herald’s Carli Teproff reports.
Tampa Vows to Ticket Lyft, Uber Ridesharing Drivers
Drivers for the ride-sharing services Lyft and Uber will be ticketed in the Tampa area, the Public Transportation Commission announced. Drivers were previously given verbal warnings, Insurance Journal notes of the Tampa Bay Times’ Associated Press report.
Manatee County red light camera revenue comes mostly from “generally safe” rolling right turns
As the debate over Red Light Cameras continues, changes in Manatee County policy of ticketing “rolling right turns” could result in thousands of drivers facing $158 fines they would not have received in other parts of Tampa Bay. Phil Amman explains the issue in SaintPetersBlog.com.
Senate preps bill to water down workers’ comp penalties
HB 271 would allow businesses receiving a stop work order for failing to carry the required amount of workers’ compensation insurance to make a down payment on the fine, agree to a payment plan and get back to work, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Bill defining relationship between pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies expected to pass
A bill that would provide framework for the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies will go for a House vote on Wednesday after sailing through committee, The Florida Current’s Arek Sarkissian reports.
Proposed $77.1 billion budget delivered to lawmakers, commencing the 72-hour cooling off period
Next year’s $77.1 billion proposed state budget reached Florida lawmakers at 8:35 p.m., which began the countdown to possibly the last vote of the session, The Florida Current’s Arek Sarkissian reports.
With Clock Winding Down, Lawmakers Will Pick Up Pace Today (Maybe)
As the legislative clock winds down and lawmakers wait the constitutionally mandated 72 hours before they can wait on the 2014-2015 budget, they will decide the fate of dozens of bills, explains Phil Ammann for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Homeowner group managers bill heads to Governor Scott
Legislation expanding the duties of community association managers, or CAMs, that help operate homeowners’ associations is heading to the desk of Florida Governor Rick Scott after passing the Senate by a 36-3 vote Tuesday, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Immigrant tuition break gets new life in Senate
Students demonstrating in the Capitol rotunda for legislation allowing in-state tuition for young people who were brought to the United States illegally scored a major tactical victory Tuesday as the Florida Senate revived the measure for probable passage in the final week of the 2014 Session, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Florida Legislature: How to kill a bill
As the Florida Legislature hits the homestretch of its 2014 Session, only this much can be predicted with certainty: more bills will die than pass. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Jeremy Wallace explains.
FEMA Extends Proof of Loss Deadline for Sandy Flood Insurance Claims
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a bulletin Monday announcing that it will grant an additional extension to Superstorm Sandy victims for the “proof of loss” filing deadline for their flood insurance claims, Insurance Journal reports.
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Patent Suit Winners Can Get Legal Fees
Companies that successfully fight off “unreasonable” patent lawsuits can get their legal fees paid, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a decision that may benefit Google Inc., Apple Inc. and other technology businesses, Bloomberg’s Susan Decker reports via Insurance Journal.
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