Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, October 8
Oct 8, 2010
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Blog: Citizens insurance rethinks no-bid “emergency” contracts
Citizens Property Insurance plans to ask its board of governors to change a process that allows the company to approve contracts in emergency situations without competitive bidding.
Blog: Insurer wants a ban on policyholders hiring their own claims reps
Sawgrass Mutual Insurance in Davie wants to bar policyholders from hiring public insurance adjusters.
Chinese drywall fix demonstrated in Fort Myers
Group shows method to local remediators
A national mold remediation trade organization was in Fort Myers on Thursday demonstrating a Chinese drywall fix that carries a 10-year warranty and follow-up visits to ensure the hardy bacteria that cause air quality problems are gone for good.
Florida Prepares for Potentially Severe Wildfire Season
Dry conditions in at least some parts of the state coupled with a long-range forecast calling for a significant drying cycle threaten a potentially severe wildfire season, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said today.
Brown & Brown buys South Florida insurance agency
Daytona Beach-based insurer Brown & Brown said it has purchased T.R. Jones & Company, an agency with South Florida operations.
R-T Specialty Buys West Palm Beach-based Wholesaler McAuley Woods
R-T Specialty, LLC, the wholesale brokerage unit of Ryan Specialty Group, LLC, has acquired McAuley Woods & Associates.
The Willis Research Network, the world’s largest collaboration between public science and the insurance sector, has announced the addition of The Florida State University’s Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center to its membership.
Column: Legislators backpedal on own septic rules
“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” Here’s an analogy to the wisdom of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr.: Your right to put sewage in the ground ends at my water tap.
Plant City sinkhole repair becomes complicated
A sinkhole repair on Mobley Street has turned into an engineering nightmare.
Hillsborough County deputies arrest suspects in staged car crashes
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested eight people Friday as part of an ongoing crackdown on staged accidents in the county.
New Orlando mental health clinic will tackle rising tide of anxiety, depression among uninsured
A new clinic opens today in Orlando to help the growing number of people with no insurance who are suffering from mental-health problems spawned largely by a distressed economy.
Millions Paid Without Valid Claims, Florida Medicaid Audits Show
A year’s worth of audit reports newly compiled for lawmakers paints a troubling portrait of Florida’s Medicaid program but also sets a course for reform, a top state senator said Wednesday.
Sink hammers Republican Scott in Florida gubernatorial debate
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Alex Sink came out swinging against Republican Rick Scott in their first debate Friday, calling him a liar, slamming him repeatedly for the fraud scandal at his former hospital company and accusing the multimillionaire of trying to buy the office.
Blog: One-time donor to Crist files lawsuit seeking public records
Lawyers for a man already suing Gov. Charlie Crist for the return of political contributions have filed a complaint in Leon County alleging the governor has not complied with public records requests.
Water squeeze headed to small-town North Florida, state agency says
Aquifer could drop by a foot in the next 20 years from high demand
A squeeze on water supplies expected to grow with the First Coast’s population could reach as far as Lake City and rural North Florida’s farm towns, a state water agency says.
U.S. Chamber ad buys in Senate race raise questions on foreign money
Two $1 million ad buys by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacking Gov. Charlie Crist could draw the Florida Senate race into a national controversy brewing over allegations that the Chamber is skirting laws against using money from foreign sources in U.S. political campaigns.
State Representative Hays faces challenge from newcomer for state Senate seat
Sitting in a heavily Republican district, state Rep. Alan Hays has barely had to flex a political muscle to stay in office since he was first elected in 2004. The retired Umatilla dentist has never before had an opponent on the ballot in a general election.
Wall Street Journal story about Crist/Meek deal laughable, Meek says
A Wall Street Journal Political Diary story states that Republicans are worried that Gov. Charlie Crist, independent candidate for U.S. Senate, is working on a deal with Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek to have Meek drop out of the race and presumably endorse Crist in order to beat Republican Marco Rubio, who currently leads in the polls by about a 10-point margin.
Rubio Alone in Rail Opposition, Citing National Debt
Candidates face off in debate over whether Florida should build bullet train; Crist and Meek favor the project
The candidates for U.S. Senate disagreed in a debate Wednesday evening over whether Florida should build a long-proposed bullet train connecting Tampa and Orlando, with a stop in Polk County, and eventually running to Miami as the state awaits a decision on another $1.12 billion request for the project.
Rick Scott takes aim at DCA, the state’s growth management agency
Rick Scott promises as governor to loosen regulation of business and he would start by putting a bull’s-eye on the state agency loathed by many developers.
Sink, unlike McCollum, has endgame war chest to counter Scott’s millions
Even as she has slid in the polls, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Alex Sink has built a $6 million war fund that will let her unleash a flurry of spending as the race draws to a close, according to her latest campaign finance reports.
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum should appeal the ruling by Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Jack S. Cox that the attorney general’s office lacks the authority to investigate law firms suspected of fraudulent foreclosure practices.
Florida gets almost $25 million in federal grants for substance abuse and addiction treatment
The state of Florida is getting nearly $25 million in federal grants for substance abuse and addiction treatment.
Ex-legal exec gets 10-year sentence in Scott Rothstein Ponzi scam
The former chief operating officer at the law firm run by convicted Ponzi scheme operator Scott Rothstein was sentenced Friday to the maximum 10 years in federal prison for her role in the $1.2 billion fraud.
Hurricane Season A Swing-And-Miss, Much To Insurers’ Delight
Forecasters in the spring predicted a dangerously active Atlantic hurricane season, and sure enough, the storms have twisted out of the southern seas in rapid succession.
U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood weighs urging U.S. ban on all driver phone use in cars
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he believes motorists are distracted by any use of mobile phones while driving, including hands-free calls, as his department begins research that may lead him to push for a ban.
Tropical Storm Hermine’s flooding brings insurance issues to surface
Industry experts remind consumers that a standard homeowners policy doesn’t cover damage caused by rising water
When floodwaters spawned by the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine rushed into his Round Rock home Sept. 8, Carlton Wertz thought he was covered.
Bermuda insurers launch medical malpractice policy forms
Six Bermuda-based insurers have agreed to offer two new policy forms for health care organizations, the Bermuda Insurance Development Council said Thursday.
Psychology Major Factor In Risk Preparedness
Corporations and individuals often underestimate their exposure to risk and are unprepared for disaster when it strikes, say experts who study risk.
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