Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, September 4
Sep 4, 2013
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Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Pinellas official finalist for Citizens watchdog role
A Pinellas County court official is among four finalists to be selected by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet to be the new internal watchdog at the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Turner reports via Tampa Tribune.
Florida among states lacking disaster plans for schools, day care
More than half of the states and the District of Columbia do not require schools or day care centers to meet minimum standards to protect children during major emergencies, Marisol Bello reports for USA Today.
Florida Dodging Storms Yields Cash as Bonds Suffer
Florida’s government-run insurance system has amassed record cash reserves as hurricanes bypassed the state since 2005.
$18 million grant allows UF to expand children’s health insurance program
More sick children in low-income families throughout Florida will have access to health care through a grant provided to a program at the University of Florida.
Grim search for remains at ex-Florida reform school ends for now
Researchers wound up the first phase of their grim work in the Florida Panhandle on Tuesday, after hunting for the remains of young boys believed to have been secretly buried more than 50 years ago at a notorious reform school, Bill Cotterell reports for Reuters.
Blog: Two voter fraud cases close with meager findings
The potential for fraud in the 2012 presidential election was how Florida Republicans justified measures that made it tougher to register voters, Michael Van Sickler reports for Tampa Bay Times.
List of surplus state park land raises questions, outrage
From a 4-acre slice that is supposed to be part of the Pinellas Trail to more than 2,600 acres in Central Florida’s Green Swamp, state officials are trying to figure out whether to post “for sale” signs on some 5,000 acres of beaches, forests and wetlands that were originally acquired to preserve them from being developed, Craig Pittman reports for Tampa Bay Times.
Growth in South Florida trade up but cooling down
South Florida trade with the world remains on pace for a record this year, but a slowing world economy means gains likely will be smaller than last year’s 11 percent jump, new trade data shows, Doreen Hemlock reports for the Sun-Sentinel.
Pay for Florida workers trails cost of living
Workers in Florida saw their wages fall behind the cost of living for the past decade, with the median hourly wage down 4.3 percent since 2000, according to a new study, Douglas Hanks reports for the Miami Herald.
So far, expedited Florida foreclosure law stuck in slow lane
The number of new foreclosure filings in Florida is down for the past two months, despite a new law designed to speed up the foreclosure process.
Rick Scott Attacks, Builds 2014 Defenses
When Rick Scott talked to conservative activists at an Americans for Prosperity event last week, he signaled some of the themes he will highlight as he runs in what is expected to be a tough re-election campaign next year.
Blog: Frank Brogan says Florida needs a Lieutenant Governor
“Any governor who sits in that office today needs a partner in a state this large, this complicated, fraught with all of the challenges,” Frank Brogan told Tampa Bay Times’ Tia Mitchell.
Matt Gaetz urges tea party to fight for Stand Your Ground
The Republican leaders of the Legislature don’t want to change Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, Tia Mitchell reports for Tampa Bay Times.
Giant Gambling Wish List, Seminole Compact on the Table
Slot machines, blackjack and roulette are back on the table as lawmakers prepare once again to tackle the high-stakes issue of gambling in a state that everyone agrees is already one of the industry’s biggest cash cows, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’S Dara Kam reports via SunshineStateNews.com.
Remember when Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted Miami-Dade taxpayers to spend as much as $289m on stadium upgrades, only to have the referendum essentially cancelled by the Legislature (background and analysis here, if you don’t), Marc Caputo writes for the Miami Herald’s Naked Politics blog.
Guy Carpenter: Rising Sea Levels Ranked as Greatest Climate Change Threat
Guy Carpenter & Company has an analysis of the evolving risk landscape spurred by global warming, which stresses that “climate change, global warming and the resulting landscape shift for risk management is a growing area of concern among governments, the general public, the private sector and the (re)insurance industry at large,” Insurance Journal reports.
NOAA invests $1.3 million with university and federal researchers for hurricane forecasting advances
NOAA reports that its Office of Weather and Air Quality has funded seven multi-year proposals totaling $1.3 million this year for university partners and federal scientists to more rapidly and smoothly transfer new technology, research results, and observational advances through NOAA’s Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT) to operational hurricane forecasting.
Capital Oversupply Could Pressure Reinsurers to Lower Rates
Bloomberg’s Oliver Suess reports that Munich Re and Swiss Re Ltd. are among reinsurers likely to face further pressure to lower the rates they charge clients as the capital available for backing policies remains near a record high, brokers said.
How the Bank Lobby Loosened U.S. Reins on Derivatives
One by one, Gary Gensler‘s supporters deserted him. Now the chief U.S. regulator of derivatives was being summoned by Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew to explain why he refused to compromise, Bloomberg’s Silla Brush and Robert Schmidt report.
Property seized from Manson Insurance premium finance executives auctioned
Diamond rings, fur coats, Rolex watches and firearms were among hundreds of items auctioned to help pay back more than $6 million owed by three former insurance executives convicted in a massive fraud scheme, Shereen Skola writes for Daily Herald Media.
10 Years of Tort Reform in Texas Bring Fewer Suits, Lower Payouts
Ten years after the Texas Legislature capped damages in the state’s medical malpractice lawsuits, the number of suits and the amounts paid out have fallen sharply, the Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
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