Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, December 21
Dec 21, 2009
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Tornado damages 163 Port Orange homes
The tornado that ripped through three Port Orange communities Friday evening happened so fast residents weren’t aware it was happening until it was over.
PCI Applauds Sen. LeMieux’s Weatherization Bill
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America applauds S. 2818, a bill introduced by Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.) to amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act by improving and expanding weatherization assistance for low-income families and urges the Obama Administration to include mitigation in the “Cash for Caulkers” initiative.
Editorial: Insurance consumers win one — at a price
State must remain vigilant when asked for property insurance hikes
Florida’s consumers scored a significant victory last week when State Farm dropped its threat to walk away from this market.
Kill Legislature’s bill to deregulate property insurance rates, rob consumers
They’re back.
Need to update the information on or renew your driver’s license? It’ll be a lot harder if you wait until after Dec. 31.
Escambia County saddled with ambulance bills; partially blames insurance reimbursements
County government writes off more than $4 million in uncollectible debt every year.
Why having student accident coverage in Florida can be smart move
The state of Florida has 67 county school districts. Some school boards purchase student accident insurance to cover the entire school district student population.
Editorial: Florida’s 911 ‘system’ needs an overhaul
A police operator’s failure to dispatch an officer to a roadside in North Port — where the body of a dead man lay for more than 18 hours — has prompted more questions about the shortcomings of Florida’s 911 ‘system.’ Here is another question to consider as the review of this incident continues:
Court to hear Medicaid reimbursement lawsuit
Lawyers in case say Florida’s low rates violate federal law
While the nation waits for Congress to vote on massive health-care reforms, advocates for 1.6 million poor children in Florida are pinning their hopes on a Miami federal judge.
Malpractice setup haunts Lee County, U.S. health care
In the six years since Florida put limits on damages in medical malpractice lawsuits, insurance premiums and lawsuits have dropped.
Orlando man gets prison for workers’-comp scheme involving illegal immigrants
An Orlando man who rented bogus workers’ compensation insurance to firms with illegal immigrants received three years and five months in prison Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
State rejects bid for slots at Miami airport
State regulators rejected the proposal Friday, citing a variety of concerns. The airport was looking to the slots as part of a wide-ranging strategy to find new revenue as it deals with crippling debt.
Regulators close Panama City-based Peoples First Community Bank
The Friday night that it had closed Panama City-based and appointed the FDIC as receiver.
Alex Sink: Much is at stake with Florida’s pension plan
Like many of you, I love watching sports – football, basketball, you name it. And, if you’re like me, you occasionally find yourself shouting at the referees.
Florida Chamber of Commerce rallies to fight unemployment tax hike
The Florida Chamber of Commerce is rallying its members to fight an anticipated hike in unemployment insurance taxes next year.
Gov. Charlie Crist stands by embattled Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer
At the moment, Gov. Charlie Crist needs another headache like he needs a hole in the head. But he has one and his name is Jim Greer.
Blog: Jim Greer: Crist ordered me not to resign
“The governor has told me I’m not to consider resigning,'” state GOP chairman Jim Greer told Steve Bousquet today.
Candidate Deutch wins endorsements from fellow Dems Frankel, Meek, to replace U.S. Rep. Wexler
State Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, burnished his congressional election résumé with endorsements from two top Democrats on Sunday, setting him up as the local party’s favored son in the Feb. 2 special election primary to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler.
Legislature set to hit the session running on corruption reform
There’s a sense of urgency to fix things, one senator says.
Editorial: A troubling legal double standard
The Florida Legislature needs to heed the call of the state Supreme Court and correct an alarming double standard in criminal law that treats people differently based on where they live.
Broward company found guilty in trademark scam
A Tallahassee judge ruled today that a Coconut Creek-based company and its president, Bernd Taubert, violated the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by sending out mass mailings that appeared to be invoices.
Editorial: A Worsening climate
Florida’s ban on offshore drilling may be history. So too its claim to being in the forefront of states on clean energy.
Fla. district process may be changed
Group says system lets politicians pick their own voters
Every 10 years, Florida lawmakers play a political chess game.
Busiest local home builders offering lower price points
Nine of the top 10 production-home builders in the Orlando area have houses priced from less than $200,000, including four offering new homes for less than $150,000, according to a quarterly report from Charles Wayne Consulting.
Fla. jobs outlook not expected to improve until second quarter
Florida’s unemployment rate rose last month to 11.5 percent, within a half-point of a state record, the state announced Friday.
Editorial: Sunshine gets harder to find
An opinion from the state attorney general’s office that says the Sunshine Law doesn’t apply to Florida’s Great Northwest, a private economic development booster that receives public funding, should not discourage lawmakers who want to fine-tune the law.
State manatee deaths hit a record high for 2009
The year isn’t over yet, and already a record number of manatees have turned up dead in state waters.
NFIP Heading For Feb. 28 Extension
The Senate overcame a procedural roadblock early today that sets the stage for passage on Saturday of legislation containing a provision reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program until Feb. 28.
Premises liability lawsuit shaping up as test of Miss. tort reform
Before Mississippi lawmakers passed tort reform that limited damages in civil litigation, Ronnie Lee Lymas’ lawsuit against the store where he was shot wouldn’t have gotten much attention.
Texas Jury Awards BP Workers $100 Million in Lawsuit
A federal jury on Dec. 18 awarded more than $100 million to 10 workers who claimed they were injured in 2007 when a toxic substance was released at BP PLC’s Texas City.
Virginia homeowner gets ‘appraisal’ for power surge
Meaning of the phrase ‘amount of loss’ not decided before
A homeowner who needs electrical repairs after a power surge can use his insurance policy’s appraisal process to determine whether he gets $60,000 in repairs, or the $439,000 he says it will take, in a new decision from Fairfax Circuit Court.
Al Neuharth: Funding storm predictions
Weather forecasting needs a ‘stimulus’
Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it.
U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Sheldon Whitehouse: Repeal insurers’ anti-trust exemption
Meaningful reforms to our healthcare system must protect consumers and promote competition. Just as we believe that a strong public option will increase consumer choice, we believe that to ensure true marketplace competition, health insurers and medical malpractice insurers must abide by the same rules of competition as do other industries.
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