Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, Feb. 25
Feb 25, 2008
Â
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
State Farm: No new homeowners policies
State Farm, the state’s largest private insurer, won’t write new homeowners policies starting March 1 as it seeks to reduce its exposure to hurricane losses.
Fla. Lawmakers Confront Property Insurance, again, in 2008 Session
Property insurance wasn’t supposed to be the big issue in the 2008 Florida Legislature. To the chagrin of many lawmakers, it just won’t go away.
COMMENTARY: Crist’s insurance plans simply don’t add up
Florida’s great socialized insurance experiment is failing.
Lawmakers jittery about risk rethinking storm insurance ‘fix’
With homeowners getting hammered last year by costly property-insurance bills, Gov. Charlie Crist and Florida lawmakers took a gamble.
Fla. Insurers See Hurricane Insurance Market on the Mend
The insurance market in Florida is adjusting to changing conditions–some man-made, others resulting from forces of nature–all of which make property insurance for Florida homeowners more available and more affordable, according the Florida Insurance Council.
OPINION: Letter: Gov. Crist has sidestepped truthfulness, accuracy
As Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature continue to villainize the Florida property insurance industry, it is only fair to look at a few salient points.
Governor Charlie Crist Endorses Representative Mike Grant for State Senate
Says Representative Grant will be a “tremendous Senatorâ€
Governor Charlie Crist today publicly endorsed State Representative Mike Grant in the Republican primary for State Senate District 23.
EDITORIAL: Our position: Presidential contenders need to revisit Florida’s property-insurance crisis
Funny how the candidates for president have barely spoken a word about providing homeowners relief on their insurance policies since Florida held its primaries Jan. 29.
Tavares title firm under state investigation for fraud
A Tavares company is one of 23 Central Florida firms and/or individuals under investigation by the state for title insurance fraud.
Coastal Growth, Not Global Warming, Blamed for Rising Storm Losses
A hurricane that hit Miami in 1926 would cause up to $157 billion in damage if it were to strike today, according to a recent study.
Crist joins governors seeking federal help for infrastructure
Gov. Charlie Crist joined about a half dozen governors from some of the nation’s most populous states Sunday in calling for greater federal support for rebuilding America’s infrastructure.
Lawmaker hopes to wipe out $9 billion in school property taxes
Former Senate President John McKay faces a crucial vote today in his years-long struggle to reform the state’s tax structure.
Short term budget: The crunch is in the here and now, this time
Florida runs on growth, and when growth grinds to a halt, the state can’t balance its checkbook.
Florida legislators on opposite sides in primaries
Dueling South Florida Democrats are playing a prominent role in the hard-fought presidential primary campaigns in Ohio and Texas, mostly by reaching out to black and Jewish voters.
Ambitious challengers target three in Congress
Weeks after the 2006 election, two Democratic strategists in Miami began poring over the returns, paying particular interest to a Republican-held state House seat in Miami-Dade that fell to the Democrats.
Cuba issue stokes S. Florida races
Battles loom for U.S. House seats
U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Republican admired by many Cuban exiles, has been reelected handily to the 21st Congressional District since it was created 15 years ago.
This area’s most prominent Republican leaders joined one of the state’s most powerful politicians Saturday night in rallying hundreds of local party faithful heading into what is sure to be a lively – and tough – political season this fall.
NASA considers private launch complex in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Something other than birds could be flying from the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge if a NASA proposal gets off the ground. With the shuttle program nearing its end, the agency is considering plans for the first private launch complex on Kennedy Space Center property, possibly inside the popular sanctuary that attracts more than 2,000 visitors daily.
Could Subprime Mortgage Crisis Turn Desperate Homeowners Into Arsonists?
With as many as two million or more homeowners reportedly at risk of foreclosure because of soaring interest rates under subprime adjustable mortgages, will a significant number of policyholders resort to arson to free themselves of their financial liabilities?
State Regulators, Legislators Join Forces Against OFC Bill
The National Conference of Insurance Legislators, which said there is “no room†for an optional federal charter, will propose a resolution opposing OFC legislation in Congress during its spring meeting this week in Washington.
Regulators, Legislators Underscore Commitment to Working Together
NAIC, NCOIL and NCSL Reaffirm Commitment to Consumers
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) President and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger — along with National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) President, Rhode Island State Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy, and National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Communications, Financial Services and Interstate Commerce Standing Committee Chair, Maryland State Sen. Delores Kelley — today reaffirmed their commitment to working together to protect U.S. insurance consumers and support state-based insurance regulation.
IRS Drops Proposed Change In Captive Tax
The Internal Revenue Service last week announced it had withdrawn a proposed regulation that, if enacted, could have driven captive insurance formations offshore, self-insurance experts had warned.
Buffett Rapidly Grows His New Municipal Insurance Arm
One of Warren Buffett’s newest businesses — insuring municipal bonds — is expanding rapidly into a troubled field as the company backed 112 issues in just the past two days, according to Moody’s Investors Service.
Expensive gifts may require extra insurance
Did your sweetie surprise you with an expensive Valentine’s Day gift? Depending on the value, that gift should come with an insurance checkup.
California: Cut-off cancer patient to get $9M
A woman who had her medical coverage canceled as she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer has been awarded more than $9 million in a case against one of California’s largest health insurers.
Â
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to ccochran@cftlaw.com