Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, August 31
Aug 31, 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
10:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association Reinsurance Committee meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here. To view the agenda, click here.
Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate, one of the most important parts of my job is to listen and respond to the concerns of Florida’s insurance consumers.
Money $marts: Luck be a lady for Florida… for now
“Luck be a lady tonight” is a line from a great Frank Sinatra song about a gambler calling for luck as he throws the dice in a craps game.
Multi-state catastrophe fund needed after Irene
Fortunately, Hurricane Irene spared the northeast United States from even worse havoc.
Draft report: Levee that guards Palm Beach County from Everglades flooding is in bad shape
A 105-mile earthen levee built 60 years ago to keep the Everglades from flooding farmland has been rated “minimally acceptable” for protecting thousands of homes that border it.
Florida Senator Gary Siplin to Host Homeowners Summit
Senator Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) will host his first “Homeowners’ Summit” on Thursday, September 1st, 2011.
Insect’s vomit is killing Florida’s iconic palms
A deadly palm tree disease, once confined to Manatee County, has spread and threatens to decimate the state’s iconic sabal palms.
Kingsway Amigo Insurance selects 4Sight’s Business Intelligence product
Kingsway Amigo Insurance Company, formerly U.S. Security Insurance Company, has selected 4Sight Business Intelligence’s business intelligence offering.
Letter to the Editor: Insurance companies are the problem
Auto insurance companies the problem
While I agree that there are unscrupulous doctors bilking the personal injury protection system, and substandard attorneys using it, that is not the reason our insurance rates are so high.
2011 Insurance IT All-Star: Ft. Lauderdale’s Patriot National Insurance Group’s Judith Haddad
Judith Haddad knows there is a specific goal in mind for Patriot National Insurance Group, a workers’ compensation carrier located in Florida.
Commission has say over hospital plan
As a Bay County commissioner for more than a cumulative decade, George Gainer has cast a number of difficult votes.
Blog: Florida’s Prescription Drug Database Goes Into Effect Thursday
Florida’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program goes into effect on Thursday.
First criminal action filed over BP claims fraud
Federal authorities have filed the first criminal action over allegations of defrauding the BP claims fund, which was set up to aid people and businesses harmed by last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Blog: The unfinished business of Eric Brody
When Florida lawmakers gather in January, they will again face the unfinished business of Eric Brody, writes Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida.
Hundreds show up in Sarasota to talk redistricting, gerrymandering, ‘Fair Districts’
Hundreds of Sarasota and Manatee county residents turned out Tuesday evening for one of the state Legislature’s final public redistricting hearings.
Dave Bitner remains Florida GOP chairman
A classy political consultant/REC member or two is/are eagerly reporting that David Bitner is stepping down as Florida GOP chairman because of health issues and taking odds on his successor.
Florida Attorney General investigating lawsuits pitched to distressed homeowners
The Florida attorney general’s office is investigating the use of mass joinder lawsuits marketed to homeowners facing foreclosure, a new practice that got a California lawyer with ties to a prominent Tallahassee lobbyist shut down earlier this month.
Blog: Government efficiency task force chief wants $3 billion in savings
The chairman of the Florida Government Efficiency Task Force set an “ambitious goal” at the panel’s first meeting Tuesday — $3 billion in savings over four years.
Governor Scott vows to help Flagler County cut red tape
Governor Rick Scott didn’t promise any state funding to Flagler County on Monday but he did vow to help local leaders cut through red tape by eliminating more than 1,000 regulations this year.
Blog: Lawmaker re-files bill to end the employment–credit catch-22
Nearly half of all employers screen selected job candidates by pulling their credit reports, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management.
Florida Communities Trust awards grants despite demise of Florida Forever program
Governor Rick Scott in June vetoed $310 million in spending authority for Florida Forever.
Watchdog group says Former Governor Crist edged Bush when it came to protecting the environment
Despite gains in the last year, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility says Florida “still acts like a Third World country” when it comes to enforcing environmental regulations.
Florida Governor Scott names former Solantic chief executive officer to Jacksonville college board
Once they were colleagues, he as owner and she as CEO of Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care, the multi-million-dollar clinic chain.
In Irene’s Wake, National Association of Insurance Commissioners to Address Canceled Meeting Agenda
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners will host a number of conference calls to continue work planned for its cancelled Summer National Meeting.
Arkansas Outlines ‘Home State’ Rules for Nonadmitted Insurance
Arkansas has issued guidance for insurance companies and brokers on premium tax payments for nonadmitted, or excess and surplus, insurance.
Texas Supreme Court: Bad Faith Claim Inconsistent with Worker’s Compensation
The Texas Supreme Court has concluded that while bad faith claims against workers’ compensation carriers are not permissible under the state’s Insurance Code, claims made under the Code against insurers for policy misrepresentation are allowable.
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