Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, Feb. 15

 

To view a complete story, click on a headline below:

 

Committee seeks all internal documents regarding insurance bill

A special Senate committee asked Allstate Insurance company executives to provide them more documents within two weeks in a letter mailed Thursday to the insurance giant’s chairman.

OPINION: Florida Vice: Crist budget gambles on gambling

Instead of ‘Miami Vice,’ we can lay claim to Florida Vice.

Republican House leaders endorse McCain

A day after winning the Potomac Primary, Arizona Sen. John McCain was handed another victory Wednesday when he was unexpectedly endorsed by the entire House GOP leadership.

Lawmakers will look at more property tax cuts in 2008 session

Before voters passed Amendment 1 in January, Gov. Charlie Crist, top lawmakers and other backers promised it would be just the start of property tax relief.

University leaders’ plea: We need $1 billion more

Florida’s 11 university presidents trooped to the Capitol on Thursday to make an unprecedented appeal for an additional $1 billion from the state Legislature over the next five years through a combination of tuition hikes and state aid.

Feds may disrupt Orlando commuter-rail plan

They want to see how rerouting trains would affect Polk County.

An unexpected environmental study could delay or disrupt plans for Central Florida’s commuter-rail system, some worried officials warned Thursday.

CFO Scheduled to Speak to Sarasota Democrats March 2

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Sarasota Democratic Party’s annual Kennedy-King Dinner on March 2

EDITORIAL: Governor Mortgages Tomorrow To Minimize Pain Of Today

In a sluggish economy, Gov. Charlie Crist is offering a budget that taps deeply into reserves to build what he calls a “bridge to the future.”

Crist sets special election for Gulf Coast Florida House seat

Tax Day will also be Election Day for residents in one former lawmaker’s district on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Miami Gardens Councilman Oscar Braynon II won a seat in the Florida House of Representatives in a special election held on Tuesday

The Florida House District 103, which covers a wide area in North Miami-Dade and a section of Miramar, has a new representative.

Montford considers running for state Senate in 2010

Former Leon County Schools Superintendent Bill Montford said today he’s gearing up for a state Senate race in two years.

3 found guilty in insurance scheme

A Jacksonville jury convicted three business owners Wednesday in a nationwide workers compensation conspiracy that cheated hundreds of thousands of employees out of insurance benefits.

‘Green’ houses take root with building industry, Orlando conference shows

Home builders and industry professionals gathered in Orlando for their annual conference this week are focused on “green” more than ever: green as in energy-efficient homes and products, and green as in ways of marketing them to generate more revenue — the kind of “green” that’s dwindling during one of the sharpest residential-construction downturns in history.

Erosion threatens Lake O floodgates

Water managers have found a 1,000-foot-long swath of erosion near a set of state-owned floodgates north of Lake Okeechobee, increasing worries that the region’s record-setting drought could set the stage for catastrophic deluges.

McCollum Studying Wheelchair Case

Florida Attorney General’s office is looking into whether the civil rights of a paralyzed man dumped onto a jailhouse floor were violated.

FEMA slammed for using toxic trailers

FEMA, already a dirty word along the Gulf Coast, has taken another hit to its reputation.

Home remodeler gets license yanked, told to pay up

The president of a troubled Rockledge home-remodeling business lost his license Thursday at a hearing in Tampa and was ordered to pay more than $280,000 in fines and restitution.

FGIC May Apply to Split Operations

Bond insurer Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. is expected to apply to the New York State Insurance Department to separate into two companies, splitting its municipal bond business from its insurance on riskier financial instruments, the regulator said.

 

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to ccochran@cftlaw.com