Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, August 9

Aug 9, 2010

 

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

 

McCarty Says More Florida Insurer Reviews To Come 

Florida’s top insurance regulator vowed to do more financial reviews of the state’s insurers like the ones his office performed at the start of the year.

 

Kevin McCarty: Protecting Florida’s consumers

The Office of Insurance Regulation has endured many attacks from detractors regarding its solvency review for homeowners insurance companies and for measures taken by the Office prior to a company being placed into receivership – the most recent attack was from Eli Lehrer of the Heartland Institute printed in the Tallahassee Democrat.

 

After change in insurance law, more property owners are going without sinkhole coverage

Gloria Parramore had never heard of sinkholes when she lived in Illinois, much less seen one. But then she moved to Marion County.

 

South Miami builder’s ex-employee can’t join Chinese drywall suit

A man who once reassured buyers their homes smelled because they were new can’t access money awarded to those buyers who now know defective Chinese drywall caused the odor

 

NASA Begins Hurricane Study with High Hopes

Starting August 15, NASA will begin a six-week study to better understand how hurricanes form and intensify, information that should allow for better hurricane prediction.

 

Florida’s Brown & Brown buys Washington, D.C.-area employee benefits firm

Brown & Brown has acquired Synergy Benefits, a Potomac Falls, Va., employee benefits firm serving the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

 

St. Augustine’s Sunshine State Insurance Elects Korducki President, CEO

Stephen A. Korducki, a senior insurance and reinsurance executive, has been elected president and chief executive officer of Sunshine State Insurance Company, Inc (SSIC).

 

Florida House District 45 Republican Candidates’ Views on Florida Property Insurance

In this closely-watched Republican primary, the three candidates have traded endorsements, barbs and some interesting campaign material.

 

Florida’s WellCare settles lawsuit for $200 million, posts 2Q loss

WellCare Health Plans has agreed to pay $200 million to settle a lawsuit by shareholders over an earlier accounting scandal.

 

Florida lawmakers still focused on managed care

Florida legislative leaders said Friday they still see private managed care as a key to holding down soaring Medicaid costs after ending a three-day, fact-finding bus tour across the state.

 

Voting begins in Florida Senate, Attorney General primaries

Floridians are out at the polls voting for Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, Republican candidates for governor and casting ballots in the two primaries for attorney general.

 

BP:   No claims to be paid in Florida for losses in May

The policy appears to backtrack from the company’s earlier statements, some people say

BP officials have decided not to fully honor claims made by Florida businesses for losses prior to oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill reaching the state.

 

Florida smoke shops sue state over new law restricting pipe sales

Smoke shops throughout state are hoping a new law, regulating what they can sell, will go up in smoke.

 

Unemployment benefits pressure mounting in Florida

Across the state, more than a million Floridians are without work. For them, making ends meet can be near impossible without government help.

 

Florida seeks $1.1 billion more for high speed rail

Florida is seeking $1.1 billion from the federal government to complete a high speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando.

 

RNC planners open link to the public

The 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee Inc., the local nonprofit formed to organize the 2012 Republican National Convention, has launched a website.

 

Meek calls Greene ‘bad man’ 

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek called opponent Jeff Greene “a bad man” Friday and said Greene would vote like a Republican if elected to the U.S. Senate.

 

McCollum, Scott put aside attacks at Christian forum

Bill McCollum and Rick Scott put aside the bitter attacks that have dominated their gubernatorial campaigns, instead touting their ultraconservative principles and strong religious faith in speeches to a statewide Christian organization

 

Florida Attorney General candidate Kottkamp says Florida should join California legal fight to reinstate ban on gay marriage

Republican attorney general candidate Jeff Kottkamp said Saturday that Florida should join the legal effort to reinstate California’s ban on gay marriage.

 

U.S. House District 8:  Long list of challengers for outspoken Grayson

In his first two years in Congress, Democrat Alan Grayson has developed a national reputation as a political brawler whose outspoken ways are beloved by liberals.

 

Column:  Crist says leaving GOP helped him

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said his critics just don’t get it.

 

While most state courts face harsh budget cuts, the 1st District Court of Appeal gets a $48 million ‘Taj Mahal’

With budgets slashed, courts across Florida have laid off staff, quit buying law books and curtailed building maintenance.

 

Milk Party on campaign for Florida’s children

The newly formed Children’s Movement of Florida on Monday will announce its first state campaign, dubbed Milk Party, which aims to make children the state’s highest priority.

 

Publix tries online again

The supermarket chain is venturing back into the online grocery business with test stores in Tampa and Atlanta.

 

Alabama Buys Hurricane Policy

Alabama will pay $800,000 annually for three years to an insurance company as a hedge against heavy damage to state property on the coast from a major hurricane.

 

State Insurance Commissioners Warn on Keeping Vacant Homes Insured

As the U.S. housing market struggles to rebound, many homeowners are stuck with hard-to-sell properties longer than expected.

 

Guy Carpenter:  Catastrophe bond activity rises but capital falls

Capital in the catastrophe bond market declined in the first half of the year despite a surge in second-quarter issuances, reinsurance brokerage Guy Carpenter & Co. L.L.C. said Monday in an analysis.

 

Insurance from floods underwater

Nation’s flooding safety net is $18 billion in the red, much from repetitive claims

The first warning sign was a house in Humble.

 

 

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to bellis@cftlaw.com.