Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, Augusut 26, 2015
Aug 26, 2015
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
- 12:00 p.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (“FWCJUA”) Rates and Forms Committee teleconference meeting. To view the agenda, click here.
- 1:00 p.m.–Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation public meeting. Orlando, Florida. Solicitation of stakeholder input on issues pertaining to the Florida Uniform Permanent Impairment Rating Schedule, the necessity of state treatment guidelines, and the role of the DWC in overutilization. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Citizens CEO: Rate hike due to spike in water claims
A “disturbing” rise in water-damage claims in South Florida is driving Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to seek an average 3.2 percent increase in rates for many homeowners, the president of the state-backed insurer said Tuesday. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Turner reports via SayfieReview.com.
Rick Scott Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration for Tampa Area Flooding
Florida Governor Rick Scott has asked for federal assistance in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Dixie and Taylor counties, which saw tropical-depression levels of storm surges and rain levels earlier this month, FloridaPolitics.com reports.
Florida’s West Coast Facing Sinkhole Risk After Month of Wet Weather
The onslaught of rain that drenched parts of Florida over the past month unleashed widespread flooding that left the ground soppy and saturated, the Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate Sha’Ron James Joins Twitter @YourVoice4Fla
Consumers, insurance professionals and members of the media alike are encouraged to follow the Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate’s activities using the Twitter handle @YourVoice4Fla. Colodny Fass’ Donovan Brown reports on NationalInsuranceNews.com.
Uber might get company at Sarasota-Bradenton airport
Uber transported 371 passengers during its first official month as a pickup option from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and on Monday the airport authority approved a measure that could bring other network companies into the fold. Maggie Menderski reports for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Uber customers flood Palm Beach County with emailed thanks
Hundreds of form letter thank-you’s from Uber riders have flooded the email inboxes of Palm Beach County commissioners. The Sun-Sentinel’s Andy Reid reports.
Florida Agency for Health Care Administration settles on 7.7 percent rate hike for HMOs
After advising that rates would not be finalized before September 1, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration on Tuesday told 13 Medicaid HMOs they will see an average 7.7 percent pay increase in their rates in the coming year, Christine Sexton reports for PoliticoFlorida.com.
Redistricting hearing: Trial judge needs direction, Senate wants do-over
Hope sprang eternal in the Leon County Courthouse Tuesday, with the Florida Senate’s redistricting chair insisting there was still time for lawmakers to get together and come up with a new map for the state’s 27 congressional seats. James Rosica reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
- House clarifies: Another congressional redistricting session is not happening
- Is precedence behind the House and Senate redistricting divide?
Florida Elections Chief Declares “Year of Apportionment,” Freeing Up State Senate Campaigns
In an announcement that will only further shake up campaign machinations across the state, Secretary of State Ken Detzner has issued a directive declaring 2016 a “year of apportionment.” FloridaPolitics.com reports that means all candidates for the Senate – including those set to term out in 2018 – can continue to collect campaign funds and collect petitions across the state, not just the district for which they are running.
- Contrary to critics’ concerns, Florida GOP already sending mailers in battleground state House races
New report says Florida’s campaign finance system can be described as “porous”
A new report on Florida’s campaign finance laws says they seem to be designed to encourage money to flow into the more secretive and less transparent parts of the system, FloridaPolitics.com reports.
State of Florida, Seminole Tribe headed into mediation
The state and the Seminole Tribe are headed into mediation — shepherded by a lawyer whose past clients include Mick Jagger and Leona Helmsley — to resolve a possible standoff over the future of blackjack and other banked card games at most of the tribe’s Florida casinos. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam reports via SayfieReview.com.
South Florida’s Construction Boom Heads North
The Miami construction boom of recent years has used up almost all the best lots. So developers are migrating north to Broward County locales like Hallandale Beach, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale that do not have as much cachet but which, because of their beachfront locations, are seen as having great upside potential. The New York Times’ Nick Madigan reports.
NIPR Adds Wyoming Insurance Commissioner Tom Glause As New Board Member
The National Insurance Producer Registry Board of Directors has appointed Wyoming Insurance Commissioner Tom Glause as a new NIPR Board member, Colodny Fass’ Donovan Brown reports on NationalInsuranceNews.com.
Is a Hacked Vehicle Defective?
To what degree does a vehicle’s inability to withstand a cyberattack constitutes a safety defect? The Wall Street Journal’s Mike Spector reports via Advisen.com.
OSHA Develops New Process for Resolving Whistleblower Complaints
A new process is to be used as part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regional Alternative Dispute Resolution program, which offers whistleblower parties the opportunity to negotiate a settlement with the assistance of a neutral, confidential OSHA representative who has subject-matter expertise in whistleblower investigations. EHS Today reports via Advisen.com.
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