Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Feb 4, 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
11:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association Operations Committee meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here.
1:30 p.m.–Florida House of Representatives Insurance and Banking Subcommittee meeting. To view the agenda and meeting packet, click here.
- HB 53 relating to the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center by State Representative Doug Broxson
- HB 189 relating to Insurance Guaranty Associations by State Representative Cummings
- HB 221 relating to Long-Term Care Insurance by State Representative Brad Drake
- HB 233 relating to Insurance by State Representative David Santiago
- HB 273 relating to Insurance by State Representative Keith Perry
- HB 4011 relating to Motor Vehicle Insurance by State Representative Tom Goodson
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Florida Citizens plans new $500 million catastrophe bond
Florida Citizens Property Insurance expects to include a new $500 million catastrophe bond in its 2015 reinsurance program as it aims to lift its cover to withstand a 1-in-100-year storm. Trading Risk reports.
Tampa Bay area communities brace for flood insurance onslaught
While many coastal communities in the Tampa Bay area have been spared a catastrophic spike in flood insurance rates for now, local city leaders say they’re preparing for the worst over the long haul. Tampa Tribune’s Josh Boatwright reports.
Florida lawmakers say telemedicine deal likely this year
Pointing to a need to increase access to health care in areas such as rural communities, a bipartisan group of House and Senate leaders Tuesday expressed confidence they will reach agreement this year on a plan to boost the use of telemedicine in Florida. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Saunders reports via SayfieReview.com.
Senate Judiciary Committee OKs first claim bills out of committee
The Florida Senate Judiciary committee hosted its first meeting of the year Tuesday, and it wasted no time in handling claim bills, which haven’t been heard in the Senate since 2011, the Florida Times-Union reports.
Governor Rick Scott rejects request for Jacksonville pension investigation, says issue is local one
Governor Rick Scott rejected State Representative Janet Adkins’ request for him to call for an investigation of the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund, Tia Mitchell reports for the Florida Times-Union.
Scott’s cell phone tax cut faces challenge from commercial rent tax cut
A reduction in the state’s tax on commercial rent was pushed by real estate groups Tuesday during the House’s Tax and Finance Committee meeting, possibly pitting it against the main plank in Scott’s reduction package — lowering the state’s tax rate on cell phones, cable and satellite services by 3.6 percent, which would save the typical family about $43 a year. The Miami Herald’s Michael Van Sickler reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
Scott hires private lawyer to fight disclosure of his financial records
Florida Governor Rick Scott, a wealthy former businessman who put up millions of his money to help his two campaigns, is refusing to hand over detailed financial information that could answer whether he is violating a state ethics law. The Associated Press’ Gary Fineout reports via the Miami Herald’s “Naked Politics” blog.
Why won’t the governor move the Cabinet meeting from the fair grounds? Some reasons
Tomorrow’s meeting of the Florida Cabinet is scheduled to be held in Tampa during the State Fair. It’s a tradition Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has welcomed for years, and is in keeping with the Cabinet’s practice of occasionally moving the business meeting to other parts of the state. The Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
Florida Department of Health schedules a marathon workshop to hammer out Charlotte’s Web regulation
The Florida Department of Health has scheduled a 14-hour workshop Wednesday to negotiate rules implementing the state’s medicinal marijuana law, SaintPetersBlog.com’s James Call reports.
Financial Stability Oversight Council Meets Today
The Financial Stability Oversight Council will meet today via telephone. The preliminary agenda consists of administrative business of the Council, including a discussion regarding the Council’s outstanding notice seeking public comment on asset management products and activities, which was issued in December, and a continuation of the Council’s discussion regarding its process for considering nonbank financial companies for designation.
New York, Massachussetts Adopt Certificates of Insurance Law
New York and Massachusetts in January became the latest states to enact laws to prohibit improper use of certificates of insurance, Insurance Journal reports.
Homeowner Insurance Complaints Drop to Record Low in Texas
Texas homeowners filed the fewest number of insurance complaints ever recorded with Texas regulators last year, Insurance Journal reports.
Market Conditions Pushing Bermuda Consolidation Pressure
According to a new Fitch Ratings report, the Bermuda market is seeing increased consolidation activity in 2015, as several companies have recently jumped into the merger and acquisition forum to combat the competitive stress in the (re)insurance market.
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