Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, February 12

Feb 12, 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

 

10:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (“FWCJUA”) Operations Committee meeting.  To view the agenda, click here.

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related News

 

Citizens sinkhole repair bill begins House trek

Already moving in the Senate, legislation requiring homeowners covered by Citizens Property Insurance to use contractors approved by the company to repair sinkhole damage got its first review in the House on Tuesday, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.

 

After contentious few years, compromise could be near in legislative fight over nursing home lawsuits

After contentious battles in recent years, the Florida nursing home industry and trial attorneys are close to striking a deal that would advance legislation reforming the framework for filing lawsuits against nursing homes, Florida Times-Union’s Matt Dixon reports.

 

Panel Finds Florida Non-Compete Law “Truly Obnoxious”

A Florida law barring judges from considering the hardship of a non-compete clause on an employee is “truly obnoxious” to New York public policy and unenforceable, regardless of a contractual provision calling for the application of Florida law, an appellate panel in Rochester has held, The New York Law Journal reports.

 

Teachers union opposes pension changes; Speaker says expect some

Florida’s largest teacher union offered state lawmakers a Valentine Tuesday with a blunt message about the Florida Retirement System:  Leave it alone.  Bill Cotterell reports for The Florida Current.

 

Senators wrangle with industry, utility groups over draft springs legislation

Senators supporting draft springs legislation on Tuesday interrupted representatives of utilities and industry groups to press them for ways their legislation’s language could be improved, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.

 

Key leaders downplay possibility of big changes in water law this session

Key state leaders on Tuesday emphasized that the Legislature won’t delve too deeply into water law changes this year and that future legislative sessions will be needed to tackle the issue, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.

 

It’s a Safe Bet Fred Costello is Headed Back to Tallahassee

Fred Costello is looking to get his old job back and he has old allies in Tallahassee wanting to help him, SunshineStateNews.com’s Jeff Henderson reports.

 

Precourt takes engineering job after nixing Expressway Authority post

Former State Representative Steve Precourt Tuesday announced he has become a partner at the Ghyabi & Associates engineering firm — little more than two weeks after he turned down a job at Orlando’s main toll road agency, Dan Tracy reports for the Orlando Sentinel.

 

Legislators talk of dissolving city of Hampton

In light of a state audit, some Florida lawmakers are looking to dissolve the one-square-mile city of Hampton, which as of Tuesday evening has a staff of zero, the Gainesville Sun’s Morgan Watkins reports.

 

Massachusetts Proposes Corporate Tax for Insurer-Owned Pass-Through Entities

As part of his administration’s plan for new tax revenues, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick recently proposed applying a corporate tax rate to the state’s “pass-through entities” that are owned by insurance companies, Young Ha reports for Insurance Journal.

 

 

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