Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, January 2
Jan 2, 2013
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no Florida insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
No big storms, but Florida property insurance costs still rise
Average doubles from 6 years ago
Marco Tarafa was stunned to find that his homeowners’ policy is increasing by nearly $1,000 a year – all because inspectors couldn’t get into his attic, where there was no crawl space and about 24 inches of insulation.
Florida sinkhole report released
Home buyers can benefit
Home buyers, appraisers and lenders have a new tool for researching the presence of sinkholes for properties in Florida.
New Year brings new laws for Florida drivers
The new year brings several new laws for Florida’s drivers.
Personal Injury Protection rates unlikely to change much despite new law
Florida drivers looking to save money resulting from a new law designed to crack down on no-fault auto insurance fraud may have to look hard to find any significant savings.
New laws for Florida bicyclists in 2013
Bicycling around town and to the beach may seem like a good idea but new laws in 2013 will limit what you can do when you’re on two wheels.
State of Florida scrambling in wake of trauma center ruling
After an appeals court tossed the rules Florida uses to approve new trauma centers, state health officials are scrambling to rewrite the approval.
Congressman Bill Young will remain chairman of powerful defense appropriations committee
Longtime Florida Rep. C.W. Bill Young will serve another term as chairman of the powerful defense appropriations subcommittee, House leaders said Monday.
25 most powerful people in Central Florida
They control some of the largest work forces in town. They can affect your health care, your daily commute, even your kids’ education. Some of them have direct lines to the White House. They are Central Florida’s power players. And you deserve to know who they are.
Foreign buyers are holy grail for luxury real estate industry
John and Norma Somers just sort of stumbled upon Southwest Florida. The British couple, from a small town 30 miles north of London, had visited Orlando and the east coast and were not overly impressed.
Rick Scott faces many challenges at term’s midpoint
Gov. Rick Scott enters the second half of his four-year term in some ways a far different politician from the one who shocked the Florida establishment in 2010 by winning his first-ever race for public office.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Five Questions for Dennis Baxley
Rep. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was all over the news the week before Christmas.
What we don’t know about the Floridan Aquifer could hurt us
For Mayor Helen B. Miller of the North Florida hamlet of White Springs, the state’s water problems hit home more than two decades ago when White Sulphur Springs dried up — completely.
Florida pursues studies on new commercial launch complex
The state is pressing forward with studies related to the commercial launch complex it has proposed establishing at the north end of Kennedy Space Center, while awaiting word on whether NASA will make the property available.
Florida cracker cattle to be next cash cow
More than just history in preserving herds
Sprawling across many acres in rural Immokalee, JB Ranch has been a profitable cattle ranch for several generations.
PolitiFact Florida’s top fact-checks of 2012
With 2012 now behind us, PolitiFact Florida editors decided to look back at your favorite fact-checks of a busy political year.
Louisiana House considering bill to prod China to correct drywall problems
The House Sunday afternoon debated a bill designed to prod China to take action to mitigate problems with drywall manufactured at Chinese facilities that contaminated homes in Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon to Assume NAIC Presidency
The NAIC says Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon will become the association’s president effective Jan. 1.
New York Officials Suspend Staten Island Storm Home Repair Program
An initiative that sends workers into storm-damaged Staten Island homes in New York to make electrical repairs for free is being suspended because officials say it’s getting expensive.
Alabama’s new auto insurance law now in effect
Tag buyers must now show proof of liability coverage to clerk
Employees of the Autauga County Probate Office, along with each resident who buys a vehicle tag within the county, will share in the inherent inconvenience of Alabama’s new vehicle insurance law, which went into effect Tuesday.
Feds Give Break to Louisiana On Driver License Rules
Louisiana driver’s licenses still don’t comply with federal law, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has granted the state a temporary break.
270,000 Ohio Employers Win Workers’ Compensation Ruling
A judge’s ruling against the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation may end up costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars.
Panel of Regulatory Experts Criticize Direction of IAIS’ ComFrame
While the goal of the Common Framework for the Supervision of Internationally Active Insurance Groups is to reduce complexity, cost and redundancies in the regulatory process, panelists at a recent forum opined that the initiative is headed in the “wrong direction.”
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