Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, February 9
Feb 9, 2009
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In order to accommodate Florida Governor Charlie Crist’s appearance at a Fort Myers town hall meeting on the same date, the February 10, 2009 Florida Cabinet meeting has been rescheduled to March 10, 2009.
Security First offer to all State Farm customers back on
Security First Insurance’s pledge to pick up discarded State Farm customers anywhere in the state – at least the first 50,000 who contact the company – is back on again.
Cat Fund a threat to home insurance
Months before hurricane season, Florida faces an unprecedented threat to its fragile home insurance market, again risking price spikes and policy shortages. The threat comes from the state’s primary tool to prevent such a mishap: the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.
Drywall problem grabs attention of state leaders
The tainted drywall problem plaguing homeowners and the building industry now has a very public face.
A school-choice advocacy group said low-income Florida students receiving corporate scholarships to private schools could lose their funding in a souring economy if the Legislature does not step in.
State Farm riles up normally sunny governor
In the cheery world of Gov. Charlie Crist, there is rarely cause for a frown.
State Farm angers clients, lawmakers
With homeowners getting hammered by costly premiums, Florida lawmakers came to Tallahassee in January 2007 to overhaul the state’s property-insurance system.
With baseball players readying to report to training camp, the state of the Florida property insurance market almost seems fitting. The situation in the Sunshine State these days is as messy as a spring training scorecard in the eighth inning.
COLUMN: State Farm forced itself to go broke
State Farm Florida isn’t bluffing.
Even with no storm losses, the company with 34,000 home and business policies in Brevard County will go broke in 2011 and must gradually shut down, documents show.
OPINION: Let insurance free market work
We have a problem. Citizens Property Insurance Company now insures more homes than all of our remaining insurers combined, and Gov. Charlie Crist has created this socialistic monster.
Edwin Hussemann of Bankers Insurance dies
Bankers Insurance Group announced the death of its chief financial officer, Edwin Hussemann. The St. Petersburg company said Hussemann, 62, passed away peacefully Feb. 3 after a short battle with cancer.
CFO SINK: Reporting PIP Fraud Pays More Than Participating In It
With the economy down, staged accidents may be on the rise as some Floridians are tempted by fraud scams promising extra bucks.
Nearly a fourth of Florida drivers had no insurance in 2007
Growing unemployment pressuring family budgets, forcing tough choices
Chances are increasing that the next fender bender you’re involved in could be with someone without car insurance. As the recession leaves millions of workers unemployed and pressures family budgets, one place many are cutting is their insurance coverage.
Roadblock for texting while driving?
It’s not unusual these days to see drivers almost miss traffic lights or barely avert crashes – all because they are sending or reading text messages instead of concentrating on the road.
UF may make health insurance mandatory
The University of Florida is considering making health insurance mandatory for all students, according to a UF official.
Larry Cretul, Florida’s new House speaker, rises out of obscurity
Cretul spent his career working in background
Until a couple of weeks ago, Rep. Larry Cretul was a largely unknown quantity even to the crowds of lobbyists who are paid handsomely to develop relationships with legislators willing to help their clients.
Florida Eager For Road Stimulus
State officials, industry tout need for projects, potential for jobs.
Interstate 95 in Southeast Florida is jammed with more than a quarter-million drivers each day. But now the nation’s economic woes may bring relief to those frustrated drivers while at the same time adding new jobs in a state where nearly one out of every 10 workers is looking for work.
Florida Democrats try to harness Obama supporters
Florida Democrats are preparing to tap into Barack Obama’s grass roots machine to build the biggest political operation ever seen from the state party.
U.S. Representative Grayson raises voice, hackles in D.C.
– In just a few short weeks, freshman U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, has delivered more memorable quotes than some members of Congress do in an entire career.
Despite Amendment 1, Floridians are still trapped in their homes
Gov. Charlie Crist and a throng of supporters packed the lawn of Keith and Elizabeth Markowitz’s Orlando home to launch the Amendment 1 property tax campaign last year with a promise: If the referendum passed, they would no longer be “trapped in their homes.”
COLUMN: As rendezvous with harsh reality nears, Crist may consider Senate bid
The nation needs Sen. Charlie Crist, now more than ever.
Brandenburgs consider stress of parallel runs
Campaigns can be tough on candidates and just as tough, or tougher, on spouses.
So the 2010 election season has the potential to be a white-knuckle ride for state Rep. Mary Brandenburg, D-West Palm Beach, and husband Pete Brandenburg.
EDITORIAL: Survey of the state
This week the Florida Legislature heard your collective thoughts on a number of key issues — the economy, growth and taxes, just to name a few.
Kottkamp to reimburse state for flights by family
Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp said he would reimburse the state $12,974 for flights his wife and son took aboard state planes after a newspaper investigated their travel.
Treasury to approve insurers for TARP funds: sources
Insurance companies that applied for capital injections from the government’s $700 billion financial bailout fund could get approval as soon as Monday, two sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
Louisiana: 1 in 5 Companies May Be Breaking Workers’ Comp Law
As many as one in five businesses in Louisiana may be breaking the law requiring them to insure their workers against accidents, so the state is stepping up enforcement, officials say.
Regulators Reconsidering Insurer Relief
Rules for Companies Could Vary From State to State
Insurance regulators from across the country were scrambling yesterday to address a growing threat to insurance companies and the consumers who depend on them.
FEMA defends 650K denials for post-Ike housing aid
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied nearly 650,000 applications for housing aid after Hurricane Ike hit southeast Texas, finding that nearly 90 percent of all claimants were ineligible for FEMA help.
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