Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, December 11
Dec 11, 2009
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Column: The (not technically) State Farm bill is back
Property insurance rate deregulation is back, as promised, before the Legislature in the spring. Sen. Mike Bennett and Rep. Bill Proctor have filed again a proposal to allow big insurers to charge what they want.
Letter: No hurricanes, so why aren’t premiums going down?
So what gets your dander up? Taxes? Politics? Insurance? The answer is D, all the above. Logic flies out the window when we try to understand these three.
Red-Light Camera Fines Are Attacked
By most accounts, the city’s red-light camera program has proven to be a success in its eight months of operation.
Florida Concludes Mobility Fee Study
The Florida Department of Transportation and Department of Community Affairs have published a report addressing methods for determining a state mobility fee.
Fla. report: Mandatory student insurance a benefit
A legislative report says Florida’s public university students would benefit in several ways if they were required to have health insurance.
Tampa-area senior helps catch convicted insurance scammer in undercover sting
Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced the arrest of Randolph Kahl-Winter, a previously convicted senior scammer, after a vigilant Tampa-area senior tipped off investigators and participated in an undercover sting operation.
Editorial: South Florida is Medicare scam capital
Home-health charges for diabetics on Medicare add up to fraud in South Florida
A half billion dollars to help homebound diabetics get insulin injections?
Gov. Crist sets Feb. 23 election to replace Scionti
Gov. Charlie Crist has issued an executive order setting a special election Feb. 23, 2010, to replace Mike Scionti in the state House District 58 seat representing West Tampa and parts of Town ‘N Country.
Dispute Over State Fund Heads to Legislature
Whether Florida’s $150 billion in investments should be watched over by trustees with more financial expertise who can devote more time to the job will be an issue for the Legislature next year.
Florida: Rubio Reverses on Cap-and-Trade
Criticizes Gov. Crist for a position he held himself.
Fortune: S. Fla. home prices to continue tumble
Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach are among the top 100 cities in the nation where housing prices are expected to tumble even further in 2010, according to Fortune magazines 2010 housing outlook .
Palm Beach County foreclosure auctions to go online
Palm Beach County’s foreclosure auctions are moving from the courthouse cafeteria to the personal computer.
Governor asks U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to approve Florida’s high-speed rail plan
In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Gov. Charlie Crist said the state has now demonstrated its commitment to expanding rail service and requested expedited federal approval of Florida’s application for high-speed rail funding.
Seminole casino revenues jumped 19 percent in 2008
Despite a tanking economy, the Seminole tribe has turned Florida into the nation’s fastest-growing Indian gambling empire, registering a 19 percent increase in 2008 revenues.
Greater focus on conserving water vital to region
The clock is ticking on east-central Florida’s water supply. The countdown is particularly ominous in Volusia and Flagler counties, which draw their drinking water from a vast underground reservoir that seems unconnected to other groundwater supplies in Florida.
Even as rebellion stirs, GOP leader gets affirmation
Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer got a strong vote of confidence Thursday but the rebellion against him continued to fester, with a longtime party fundraiser calling for his resignation.
House Approves Historic New Rules to Govern America’s Financial System
Today, the House of Representatives approved sweeping new legislation to modernize America’s financial rules in response to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Massive drywall lawsuit is filed in Louisiana
Some 2,000 homeowners claim harm from Chinese wallboard
A massive omnibus lawsuit — with 2,000 homeowners led by New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton — was filed in Louisiana federal court on Thursday targeting one of the primary players in the Chinese drywall phenomenon.
Rep. Damron takes reins as NCOIL President
2010 NCOIL officers, committee chairs, and priorities announced
Kentucky State Representative Robert Damron took over as President of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators during the organization’s recent Annual Meeting.
New Year to Bring New Pay Disclosure Rules for New York Producers
The new year is likely to bring new compensation disclosure rules for New York insurance producers.
Insurance ‘Central to our Climate Security’ Says Lloyd’s CEO
Lloyd’s CEO Richard Ward, speaking at an ancillary meeting of the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, stressed that, although “this is a side event to the main negotiations,’ It shouldn’t “disguise the fact that insurance is central to our climate security.”
Hedge Funds Tip-Toe Toward An Uncertain Future
It wasn’t too long ago big-time hedge fund managers like James Pallotta were erecting monuments to themselves. In Pallotta’s case, it was a $21 million Georgian-style mansion he built in 2007 in Weston, a leafy Boston suburb uncomfortable with such displays of wealth.
Experts offer new Web site that can predict earthquakes
A team of seismologists has developed a Web site they say is capable of predicting earthquakes. The site — openhazards.com — can indicate the probability of an earthquake strike in any given location over a period of time.
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