Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, March 13
Mar 13, 2013
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
Florida’s 2013 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.–Florida House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee meeting; Room 404 House Office Building, Tallahassee. To view the agenda, click here. The Subcommittee will conduct a workshop on HB 1107 by Representative Bill Hager relating to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.
The Subcommittee will hear the following insurance-related bills:
- HB 217 by Representative W. Travis Cummings relating to Money Services Businesses
- PCS for HB 383 by Representative Matt Hudson relating to Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Compact
- HB 821 by Representative Clay Ingram relating to Insurer Solvency
- HB 823 by Representative Clay Ingram relating to Public Records Exemption/Insurer Solvency
- HB 251 by Representative Bill Hager relating to Public Depositories
- HB 883 by Representative Jim Boyd relating to Fire Safety and Prevention
- HB 913 by Representative Michael Bileca relating to Holocaust Victims Assistance Act
2:00 p.m.–Florida Division of Insurance Agents and Agency Services Proposed Rule Hearing. Proposed amendments to Rules 69B-228.180, “Forms,” and Rule 69B-228.220, “Licensee Compliance; Requirements; Penalties for Non-Compliance,” would implement changes made to s.626.2815, F.S. Effective October 1, 2014, licensees will be required to complete a five-hour update course every two years specific to the license held. The course will cover insurance law updates, premium discounts, ethics, disciplinary trends, industry trends and suitability of insurance products. This will affect licensees who began their continuing education cycle on November 1, 2012, and are scheduled to complete the cycle in October 2014. To view the hearing notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
The debate over how to reform Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has been a years-long and arduous political battle.
Fitch Rates Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund’s $2 Billion Revenue Bonds “AA”
Fitch Ratings assigns an ‘AA’ rating to the following Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) Finance Corp bonds: $2 billion revenue bonds, series 2013A.
Largest private homeowners insurance company in Florida turning a profit
In the fourth quarter, the largest privately owned homeowners insurance company, Universal Insurance, flipped to a profit, showing considerable improvements over the year before.
Action 9 investigates sinkhole coverage
Florida legislators changed state law to greatly reduce homeowners’ insurance coverage if a sinkhole damages their property.
Florida Legislature Must Face Homeowner Insurance Debacle
The single most important issue facing this legislative session is providing adequate and reasonably priced insurance for Florida homeowners.
House gets boozy with alcohol bills
The next round won’t be on Representative Ronald Renuart.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Hospitals Eye Senate Health Coverage Plan
For weeks, Florida’s hospital industry has lobbied to expand the Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act — only to see state lawmakers balk.
Take the Medicaid money, Florida Representative Fasano advises
Representative Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, doesn’t like the way the legislative debate on Medicaid expansion is going.
Report: Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll has resigned
Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll has resigned – a move that came two days after she was interviewed about her connection to controversial strip-mall casinos, jacksonville.com is reporting.
House and Senate to unveil budget allocations next week
Budget allocations from both chambers of the Legislature will be unveiled next week, legislative leaders from both sides of the Capitol rotunda said Tuesday.
House grapples with sequestration cuts, incentives oversight
The defense sector generates $79 billion in total sales in Florida and indirectly supports 758,000 jobs, according to statistics from Enterprise Florida presented Tuesday to the House Veteran and Military Affairs Subcommittee.
Consumer advocate says nuclear plant fiasco means financial armageddon
A warning to Progress Energy Florida customers about the financial impact of losing the Crystal River nuclear plant: Brace yourselves for “armageddon.”
Florida banks improve, but lag behind the rest of the country
Florida banks, pummeled by the real estate bust and Great Recession, are improving but still lag far behind the industry’s resurgence elsewhere in the country, a new analysis shows.
Manny Diaz looks like he’s dropping out of Florida governor’s race
Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is considering whether to leave Florida’s gubernatorial race, a decision that could make it easier for former Republican governor Charlie Crist to sew up the Democratic primary.
Bills pre-empting local regulation of agricultural tourism pass committees
A bill that would ban local governments from regulating agricultural tourism passed a House committee on Tuesday despite opposition from cities and counties.
Domestic partnership bill vote postponed
The Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee will take up a domestic partnership bill at a later date.
Police agencies could not use flying drones for surveillance without search warrants, except in emergencies, under a bill unanimously approved Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Oklahoma couple accused of violating Florida gaming laws
An Oklahoma technology company owner was arrested Tuesday in connection to allegations that he made $290 million after supplying illegal gambling software in Florida and claiming the games’ proceeds would benefit a veterans group.
New Jersey Authorities Form Clearinghouse for Investigating, Prosecuting Sandy Fraud
New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa announced the creation of a “Statewide Sandy Fraud Working Group” to serve as New Jersey’s clearinghouse for investigations and prosecution of criminal and civil fraud related to Superstorm Sandy and the disaster recovery process.
New Jersey Commissioner Commends Banks for Accelerating Payments of Insurance Proceeds
New Jersey’s top insurance regulator this week commended the actions of New Jersey community banks, national banks and servicers – including Wells Fargo Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and CitiMortgage.
Suspicious Roofing Claims in Texas Increase 50 percent Since 2010
Long known for its epic weather-related events, a report released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau indicates that some Texas insurance fraud might also be prompted by weather.
Feds Uncover Biggest Crop Fraud Ring in the Country
Federal investigators have uncovered the largest crop insurance fraud ring in the country in eastern North Carolina. So far, the massive scheme involves dozens of agents, claims adjusters, brokers and farmers, who have stolen an estimated $100 million, according to the AP.
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