Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Dec 10, 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
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.—Florida Citizens Property Insurance Board of Governors meeting. Teleconference: 888-942-8686; conference code: 5743735657#. To view the meeting notice, click here.
- The Florida Market Assistance Plan (FMAP) Board of Governors will meet immediately following the Citizens Board. Access information is the same. To view the meeting notice, click here.
9:30 a.m.–Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation (“DWC”) Rule Development Workshop. Tallahassee, Florida. To view the Workshop notice, click here.
- Proposed amendments to Rule 69L-6.027 would revise a penalty calculation worksheet to provide the premium credit for the initial payment of premium made to secure coverage against an assessed penalty, as well as adjust the penalty lookback period and multiplier to conform to statutory changes.
- Proposed amendments to Rule 69L-6.028 would change the time frame to impute an employer’s payroll in the absence of business records from 20 to 28 days after receipt of the DFS request to produce records, and would change the factor to calculate employee payroll from 1.5 to 2 times the state average weekly wage, to conform to Section 440.107, Florida Statutes. Also, the time frame for an employer to provide additional records would be revised to 20 business days after the service of the first amended order of penalty assessment.
- Proposed amendments to Rule 69L-6.035 would also change the factor to calculate employee payroll from 1.5 to 2 times the state average weekly wage to conform to Section 440.107. Additionally the amendments would change citations in Rules 69L-6.028 and 69L-6.035 to reflect the current convention of naming to the specific subdivision cited.
10:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association Board of Governors meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Citizens Property Insurance revamps criticized program
Reacting to harsh criticism, Citizens Property Insurance is revamping the way it pushes homeowners policies into the private market, Tampa Bay Times’ Jeff Harrington reports.
Waves Spill Over Wall on Ft. Lauderdale’s A1A
A combination of the almost full moon, seasonal high tide and strong winds brought waves over a temporary barrier that was supposed to protect a storm-battered stretch of A1A under construction. Michael Turnbell reports for the Sun-Sentinel.
An insurance industry-dominated panel on Tuesday rejected a proposal to expand Medicaid to about 800,000 Floridians who don’t qualify for insurance subsidies because they don’t make enough money. SaintPetersBlog.com’s Christine Jordan Sexton reports.
Florida hospitals launch Affordable Care Act campaign
Florida Hospital and Orlando Health officials have teamed up for an Affordable Care Act educational campaign in hopes of persuading their uninsured patients get coverage at the federal health insurance marketplace, Orlando Sentinel’s Naseem S. Miller reports.
Scott’s surprise pick to run Florida’s prison system: Julie Jones
Governor Rick Scott on Wednesday will appoint a new chief of the troubled Florida prison system: Julie Jones, the former executive director of the state highway safety agency. Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet has the exclusive.
State of Florida debt decreases for 4th year in a row
Florida’s amount of debt keeps dropping and has now fallen to $24.2 billion, Associated Press reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Florida tenant protections face alarming deadline
A 2009 law that protects people who are renting homes in foreclosure from facing immediate eviction will expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts soon to extend it. The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act has been especially important in Florida where 209,600 foreclosures were still in the court system as of mid-year. Kim Miller reports for the Palm Beach Post’s “Real Time” blog.
Taxpayers out $307,000 so far in fight over welfare drug tests
Taxpayers are on the hook for at least $307,000, and perhaps much more, to cover legal expenses in Governor Rick Scott’s failed efforts to convince courts that a campaign pledge to drug test welfare recipients is constitutional. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via the Orlando Sentinel.
State of Florida sells shuttered mental hospital
Florida is selling off a closed hospital and nearly 500 acres to a company that is promising to build a driver training center and hotel, the Associated Press reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
U.S. House to Vote on Terrorism Insurance Wednesday But Senate Uncertain
U.S. House leaders released a proposed six-year extension of a federal program to insure property against the risk of terrorism, including a Republican proposal to revise a bank regulatory law. Bloomberg’s Cheyenne Hopkins reports via Insurance Journal.
Travelers Unit Sued Over Allegedly Manipulated Sandy Report
A Travelers Cos. unit was sued by two New York homeowners who accused it of using a doctored engineering report to reject much of their claim for flood damage from Hurricane Sandy, making it the third insurer to face such allegations. Bloomberg’s Christie Smythe reports via Insurance Journal.
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