Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, May 8
May 8, 2009
Above: From left, Florida House Sergeant at Arms Earnest Sumner and Senate Sergeant at Arms Donald Severance drop their handkerchiefs during the Sine Die ceremony on the fourth floor rotunda of the Capitol, Friday. The ceremony ended the 2009 legislative session. Sine Die is from the Latin, “without day.”
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Fla. senator lobbies for deregulated insurance bill
Sen. Mike Bennett on Thursday lobbied to an audience of one for his bill to allow rate-deregulated homeowners insurance.
Problems with available property insurance make the case for a high-priced option
What should Floridians think about a bill, pushed through the Legislature by Sen. Mike Bennett, a Republican from Manatee County, that would deregulate property insurance rates for the largest carriers?
Bennett’s drywall amendments fuel dispute
Local state senator files 3 identical amendments to limit contractors’ liability; calls it ploy to get ‘everybody’s attention’
State Sen. Mike Bennett filed an amendment to three separate legislative bills that would have limited liability for contractors, subcontractors, suppliers or other installers in connection with defective drywall.
U.S. House to probe drywall fallout in Florida
The U.S. House on Thursday voted to study the effects of tainted drywall on housing, and an area construction consultant nodded to the action as a needed first step.
Geologists worry about drought’s effects on sinkhole season
Florida is on the verge of its annual sinkhole season in late spring and early summer, and this year could see more activity because of the effects of three years of drought, geologists say.
When Micki Bernardo heard a boom in the middle of the night a couple of months ago, she thought someone was breaking into her home. She never found the source.
A Florida administrative judge has tossed out part of a proposed state insurance regulation that could require life settlement firms to file detailed annual reports on out-of-state deals as well as Florida deals.
A man state law enforcement officials said is affiliated with companies that did post-hurricane work on the Treasure Coast and elsewhere in the state has been charged with taking hundreds of homeowners for more than $1 million for repairs that weren’t completed.
FPL bolsters its transparency regarding storms and repairs
With new interactive online maps and social media like Twitter, FPL is aiming to expand ways people can follow hurricanes and repairs.
It’s three weeks before hurricane season, about the time Floridians start stocking up on batteries and water and wondering whether FPL ever got around to look at the aging power poles down the street.
J. Powell Brown, president of Daytona Beach, Fla.-based insurance broker Brown & Brown Inc., was named to succeed his father, J. Hyatt Brown, as chief executive officer upon his retirement on July 1.
CFO Sink Sends Letter To SBA Director On Oversight Recommendations
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink sent a letter to State Board of Administration (SBA) Executive Director Ash Williams asking that he discuss the status of the 10 recommendations the CFO proposed in 2008 to improve accountability and oversight of the SBA’s investments at the next Cabinet meeting.
Letter: WellCare shows the perils of health care for profit
WellCare is a prime example of private health insurance for profit: It funneled millions of taxpayer dollars into its own pockets while denying care to children.
Editorial: Bill to ‘balance’ doctor charges awful for patients
The Florida Legislature passed May 1 the biggest threat to consumers this year: a bill that serves no purpose but to drive up health care costs for patients, employers and taxpayers.
Miami-Dade doctor pleads guilty — again — to Medicare fraud
A Miami-Dade physician pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud in a racket involving the writing of prescriptions for false claims for obsolete HIV infusion therapy.
A Miami-Dade physician pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in a Medicare racket with four other doctors accused of prescribing $19.5 million in obsolete infusion drugs for HIV patients who generally didn’t need or receive the therapy.
Florida Legislature passes $66.5 billion budget
The Florida Senate passed the $66.5 billion budget (SB 2600) in a 32-8 vote Friday, with seven of the Senate’s 14 Democrats voting for it.
Florida legislators wrap up session
A week late and many tense negotiations later, lawmakers Friday endedd their overtime 2009 legislative session by voting on a state budget that is propped up with federal stimulus dollars, a dollar-a-pack cigarette tax and scores of other new fees affecting millions of Floridians.
Dealing with other buyers could help state get all of U.S. Sugar’s land
Bringing in another buyer could help lock up the 180,000 acres of farmland Gov. Charlie Crist covets for Everglades restoration.
GOP focus: Crist’s possible Senate bid
Forget taxes, oil drilling and gambling. Perhaps the biggest divide between Republicans and Democrats in Florida these days is over Gov. Charlie Crist’s possible U.S. Senate bid.
Crist hedges on a running mate
Gov. Charlie Crist says his confidence in Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp is ”very strong,” but he stopped short Thursday of saying he would keep Kottkamp on the ticket if he seeks reelection next year.
Space Florida’s beleaguered president resigns under pressure
Steve Kohler, the embattled president of Space Florida, has resigned his $175,000-a-year job amid sharp criticism from the aerospace industry he was supposed to help.
NASA officials said Thursday that they plan to continue spending at least $250 million a month on the rocket program intended to replace the space shuttle – even as an independent panel begins a three-month review to assess whether the program is worth the money.
Fla. Sen. Aronberg set to run for attorney general
State Sen. Dave Aronberg says he will run for attorney general – if Gov. Charlie Crist runs for Senate and Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum then runs for governor.
Column: Rubio takes on The Curse
It’s time again to speak of the curse. The Curse of Park Trammell, the last legislative leader to go on to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate. He was elected senator in 1916.
Attorney General Touts 2009 Legislative Accomplishments
Significant progress made toward protecting Floridians’ investments, promoting public safety
Attorney General Bill McCollum today praised members of the Florida Legislature for partnering with him on a wide range of bills geared at increasing consumer protection and public safety.
Drug database access worries some in Florida House
Thirteen state House Republicans sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday, asking him to veto a bill one of their fellow GOP leaders sponsored.
Obama’s proposed budget spends for Everglades, beach renourishment
President Barack Obama’s proposed 2010 federal budget boosts spending on efforts to restore the imperiled Everglades, and includes money for shoring up beaches lost to the tides.
Florida, California Top List to Secure High-Speed-Rail Funds From Feds
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood singled out California and Florida as leading candidates to secure federal funding for high-speed passenger-rail service.
CSX and SunRail: Florida Avoids Bad Deal
Once again, for the second year in a row, the attempt to establish commuter-rail service in the greater Orlando area is dead.
Obama Budget Calls For TRIA Cuts
President Obama’s budget document, released yesterday, calls for cuts in federal subsidy for the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, beginning in the next budget year.
Vitter campaign fires back at White House on FEMA
“I can assure you that this isn’t about politics,” Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) writes in an e-mail complaining about the Obama administration’s handling of his inquires about FEMA.
FEMA’s denial of Ike claims upsets Perry
Gov. Rick Perry is criticizing the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s denial of an appeal to have the agency reimburse the state for costs associated with protective measures and recovery operations stemming from Hurricane Ike.
Report Warns of Gaps in Louisiana Emergency Plans, Officials Skeptical
Hurricane season is just weeks away, but many south Louisiana parishes cannot show their disaster plans cover evacuation of at-risk populations such as the disabled, the homeless and the elderly, according to the Disaster Accountability Project, a student-led watchdog group.
As Hearing Looms, GAO Study Cites Producer Licensing Gaps
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has prepared a state insurance regulatory system critique for a congressional subcommittee that is about to consider federal insurance oversight.
SEC Eyes Changes in Reporting of CEO Pay, Risk Management Practices
The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering changing a formula that critics say often allows public companies to low-ball in regulatory filings just how much top executives are paid.
NCCI Ready To Roll Out New Rating Methodology
The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) management said yesterday it expects to start using its new methodology for occupational risk classification on Oct. 1.
Supreme Court Ruling May Help Cos. Sued Under CERCLA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week, that a company must show intent to dispose of chemicals to be liable as an “arranger” under the “Superfund Law,” could benefit corporations caught up in potential liabilities under that statute, a legal expert said.
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